You cannot always take at face value what names seem to mean, because changes in word meanings over the centuries. There are obvious characteristic surnames, including Longfellow, Redd (one with red hair), and White (white complexion or hair), and their Italian and German counterparts, Bianco and Weiss. Remember that definition may have applied to someone who lived centuries ago. one word of caution, though: do not be distressed if your name originally meant something you consider uncomplimentary. Surnames that are the most fun, the most surprising and sometimes even embarrassing, are the characteristic names. Even though patronymic names have been in use a long time, they would change with every generation: William's son John would be known as John Williamson, while his son William would be William Johnson. Surnames taken from occupations came later, and those of patronymic origin were the last to become hereditary. Surnames evolving from nicknames or descriptive traits (characteristic) are also of early origin. Many historians believe that surnames derived from places (locational) were the first to become hereditary. Examples: a sly person might be named Fox a good swimmer, Fish a quiet man, Dove etc. Many persons having characteristics of a certain animal would be given the animal's name. in Scotland, Gilleain's descendants were known as MacGilleain and later shortened to Madeab, McClean, McLane, and all the other versions. So, John the son of Randolph became John fitz-Randolph because "fitz" means son of." In Wales, David the son of John tacked ap" in front of his father's name, and David ap John was soon being called David Upjohn. Some endings used by other countries to indicate "son" are: Armenians - ian Danes and Norwegians - sen Finns - nen Greeks - poulos Spaniards - ez and Poles - wiecz, Prefixes denoting "son" are the Welsh - Ap, the Scots and Irish - Mac, and the Normans - Fitz. Many of these surnames can be recognized by the ten-nination son, such as Williamson, Jackson, etc. Other common locational endings are -don, (a hill), -bury (a fortification) or -leigh, or -ley (a clearing). Less easily recognized locational surnames end with -ton, -ham, -wick, -stead meaning a farm, or small settlement. You can tell that a surname is a locational place name if it ends with one of the regular place name elements, such as -hill, -ford, -wood, -brook, -well, and so on. The John who lived over the hill became known as John Overhill the one who dwelled near a stream might be dubbed John Brook, Many locational surnames originated as place names. Blacksmith - John Smith Sources of Surnames Occupation Local house builder – John Carpenter Food preparer – John Cook Grain grinder – John Miller Suit maker – John Taylor Barrel maker – John Cooper. Francis of Assisi a descriptive characteristic: Lambert Le Tort, an Old French poet whose name means "Lambert the Nisted " the person's occupation: Piers, Plowman or the use of the father's name: Leif Ericsson. Certain distinct traits became commonly used as a part of this practice. But gradually the custom of adding another name as a way to distinguish individuals gained popularity. Historyĭuring the early Middle Ages, people were referred to by a single given name. As the Roman Empire began to decline, family names became confused and single names once again became customary. The last name designates the family and is known as the "cognomen," Some Romans added a fourth name, the "agnomen," to commemorate an illustrious action, or remarkable event. The given name stood first and was called a "praenomen." This was followed by the "nomen" which designates the gens, or clan. However, they later changed to using three names. The family name is followed by a generation name, taken from a poem of 30 characters adopted by each family. The surname is placed first and comes from one of the 438 words in the sacred Chinese poem Po-Chia-Hsing. The study of how and where the name began The original meanings various spellings What is onomastics?įirst surnames were Chinese Emperor Fushi decreed the use of surnames, or family names (“Origins and Meanings of Names) 2852 BC The Chinese customarily have three names. Names serve as fingerprint of life Different naming practices tell about history of you ancestors Where they lived Occupation History How can a name affect how you look at a person, or how I feel about myself? Your response should contain a variety of text to text, text to self, and text to world connections. Write a short response explaining the meaning of the quotation.Copy the quote Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character.Assignment/Topic: Quotation Warm Up #1.Dalton Aug7th Grade AC English/Language Arts Griffin Middle School
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