Where Surnames Come From From Bill Brysons Mother

Where Surnames Come From (From Bill Bryson’s “Mother Tongue”) Alan D. De. Santis

No Last Name Needed • For most of history, there was no need for surnames/last names • Two “Peters” living in the same town would be given second names to distinguish them

Bureaucracy Changes Everything! • Two events in England led to the creation and use of last names: – 1) – 2) • These two pieces of medieval bureaucracy meant

Four Sources • British surnames (family names) have four main sources: – 1) – 2) – 3) – 4)

I. Many were identified by their occupations

I. Occupations • Name • • • Archer Barber Brewer Bowman Bishop Butcher Baker Carpenter Fletcher Clark • Wright – Meaning

I. Occupations • Name • • • Hall Forrester Fuller Miller Shepherd Smith Taylor Turner King • Bush- Meaning

What about Church names? • Keeping in mind that Catholic priests took pledges of celibacy, how did names like Bishop, Monk, Priest, Pope, or Prior survive?

The Same Throughout Europe • Tracing non-English names is not so easy, but with a little translation, they too make sense.

II. Others were named for where they lived or a geographical landmark identified with them

II. Places • Name • • Devon Allen Atwater French Lincoln Kent Preston Meaning

II. Places • Name • • Scott Underwood Moore Wood Ash or Oak Walsh Street or Lane Meaning

Why not more Londons? (or Farmers) • If everyone from London was known as “London, ” surnames would be useless • Consequently, only people who left London were named for the city – “Peter from London” or Peter London

III. Some were named after a distinguishing characteristic

Nicknames • Name • • • Armstrong Boyd Campbell Goldwater Cox Brown Kennedy Morgan Russell Whistler Whitehead • Tolstoy • Machiavelli • Cicero Meaning

IV. Finally, many were identified by their family relationships

Relations • Name • • • Johnson Robinson Mac. Donald O'Connor Thompson Young Johansson Jackson Brothers Meaning

First Names as Last Names • If you have a first name as a last name, the “son” has probably been dropped.

V. Difficulties in identifying some last names and their origins

A. What About Tracing African American Names? • Question: – How do African Americans trace their African names? • Answer: – They can’t! – African slaves were stripped of their surnames • Last names come from 4 different sources: 1) 2) 3) 4)

B. What About Non-English Names? • All of our accentors were immigrants – Except full-blooded native Americans, of course • Many (non-English) immigrants’ names were changed & simplified at their Port of Entries – – – Pfoersching to Pershing Wistinghausen to Westinghouse Pappadimitracoupolos to Pappas Niewhuis to Newhouse Kuiper to Cooper Krankheit to Cronkite

C. Creative Spelling of Names • Until the late 1600 s, there were no codified rules for spelling • Spelling was individualized, idiosyncratic, and creative • Consequently, “Hill” was spelled “Hull, ” “Hall, ” & “Holl” depending on one’s dialect and pronunciation