Origins of Surnames
In today’s society we all want to know who we are and where our names originated from. Our names are what give each of us our own style and individuality, the importance of style and individuality can be related back to our original surnames. Our surnames have come from all areas of the world, each with specific meanings to our family. Surnames or last names have an important meaning to all of us, they give us identity through our family’s history. Looking back into history our names have changed drastically, keeping some people from knowing how their surnames really originated. Surnames originated early in history and did so for many reasons.
The first knowledge of surnames was in the biblical times, they used names that went by geography, for example “ Corey of Carlisle.” The actual use of surnames originated in Europe, and in some Scandinavian areas, in the eleventh and fifteenth century by small villages. The reason that no surnames were used before this time was the fact that most people were illiterate, living in small villages in a country atmosphere. Living out in the country these people had no reason to learn to read or write, because their lives were lived off the land. They did not need surnames to signify who they we’re or what they did. In these small villages they went by their first names, people all had different first names, so they did not need surnames to tell people apart. But when the population of the villages grew, it became important to have surnames to identify two people with the same name. The use of surnames showed social class, culture, tradition and, the jobs they worked.
The forming of surnames first came from other names by which someone was called. The name “Johnson” originated from “the son of John,” and the same goes with my last name “Richardson.” In some countries they would use their mothers first name for a surname, such as “Paige.” Jimmy Paige, from the band Led Zeppelin, could say his surname originated this way. Other origins of surnames came from places and geographical names. The surname “England” or “Penn” show this quality. Obviously England is a country and Penn is shortened from Pennsylvania. Surnames like “Smith” ( as in blacksmith ) and “Carpenter” ( one who works with wood ) come from the jobs that these people held.
I will focus on the surname Grayson for the purpose of this essay. I will focus on the two siblings that were the offspring from the coupling of the Scotsman, Rober...
Chagnon spent his first five months collecting what he thought was an intricate and elaborate table of genealogical information, marriage relationships, and kinships within the Yanomamo village of Bisaasi-teri. He knew from the beginning that it would be difficult to obtain the actual names of the tribesmen because it is a symbol of honor, respect, dignity, and political admiration. The less your name was spoken in public within the village, the higher you were regarded. And it was considered an extreme taboo to discuss the names of the deceased as well, which made it exceptionally difficult for Chagnon to trace family lineages to the past. Chagnon would interview villagers asking for the names of all members of their community, including the deceased. He recounts many situations in which the interviewee whispered a name into his ear, made him repeat it aloud and then the person whose name he was supposedly calling would cry out in anger while others laughed. It wasn’t until five months into his development of a genealogical chart, on a trip to another Yanomamo village, that he discovered the name he had for the village headman translated into “long dong” and that all of his names were in fact ridiculous and, of course, incorrect.
Although Shakespeare may disagree, there’s a lot to be said about names, especially those of Pharaohs. Ramesses III had a very common birth name, as most Pharaohs of the 20th dynasty named their children after Ramses II. Ramesses literally means “Re has created him.” The second part of his birth name (hardly ever used), Heqainunu, means “Ruler of Heliopolis” (an ancient city just north of modern day Cairo). The throne name of Ramesses III was Usermaatre Meryamun, or "Powerful is the Justice of Re, Beloved of Amun.
Not only are there various spellings of his surname, but some historians also question whether or not Jacques was his first name. Some go so far as to say it was Baptiste. There are others who state his given name was Joseph; this may be more accurate (pitcher, 2000). J. Edmond LaRamee, a supposed descendent of LaRamee the trapper, traces the trapper’s lineage from Jacques Fissiau (who would have been the great grandfather of Jacque LaRamee). The parents of Jacques are thought to have been “Joseph and Jeanne Mondou LaRamee of Yamaska , Quebec .” Other records show that Joseph fathered five sons, “none of whom was named Jacques or Baptiste. However, the third son, who was born on June 8, 1784, bore the name Joseph.” The name Jacques was first used by Dr. C.G. Coutant and that is probably the reason many historians use it today (McDermott, 1968).
surname “he wanted to change his last name...the poor...no longer trusted him...”(Allende 228). This is
There are many reasons why people may feel self-conscious; in which, others may or may not, be able to relate to. “My Name’’ is the fourth chapter in The House on Mango Street and in this chapter, Esperanza and I share some similarities. Being named after a relative, born in the Chinese year of the horse, and a dislike in our own name are similarities we share in this chapter. [Esperanza] “In English my name means hope. In Spanish it means to many letters’’(10). Esperanza expresses a dislike in her name due to the length stating, that her name it is too long. When I was younger, I felt the same as my parents placed upon me three middle names at birth. I to felt my name was too long. I would feel embarrassed when my family would address me by my full name although, they would only do so if I was
Everybody always has two names: one from their parents and one from their friends. The name that is given by
“The last American soldier left Vietnam during the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975. For 2.4 million who served in Vietnam, there was no official homecoming. In June of 2005, Branson, Missouri held “Operation Welcome Home” for Vietnam Veterans. The parade and events were planned to provide the celebration and recognition they did not receive 30-plus years earlier.” (Vietnam: Homecoming) The veterans were able to see the Traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall and find the names of men they had known they had dies while serving. These veterans met with men they had formerly served with. Although this event was only a fraction of the welcome the soldiers truly deserved, many veterans were very appreciative of this. “Branson gave me closure to a book that has been kept open for 37 years.” (Crowe) For decades, Vietnam veterans had not been appreciated for their service to the United States. This experience allowed them to begin to heal the wounds that had been open for decades, due to the horrendous things they saw in battle and the lack of appreciation by the American people as a whole.
One’s power and position in a society can give them the “right” or ability to name or un-name a person. Someone can gain this right by his or her status socially, financially, and even racially. If it’s their own child, of course, they have every right in the world to name him or her. But in some cultures, as is evident in “No Name Woman”, they have the right to take away someone’s name if they have disgraced their family and/or community. A name is very significant because it gives a person a sense of who they are, an identity. In “No Name Woman”, Kingston’s aunt had no identity except for the story her mother told her and in “Mary” Marguerite’s new boss, Mrs. Cullinan changed her name to Mary which then, in a way, removed Marguerite’s original identity and gave her a new one, one she didn’t want.
The surname, which is also spelled Craigh, Creagh and Creag, means a steep rock or cliff, and was in widespread use across Scotland. A family of Craig associated with Clan Gordon, was installed at Craigfintray in Aberdeenshire, and several of the name rendered homage to Edward I in 1296. However, by the 15th century there were three families styling themselves Craig of that Ilk.
“Can you imagine what a mess a world would be without names? (website)Names are very important to a person and their individuality. Ayn Rand’s novel “Anthem” is a book in which the people written about do not have names. The importance of having your own individual names is huge. A name can have meaning given to it, like how the name Sue means lily. Most parents when giving you your name have a meaning behind it and put much thought into what their future child should be named. Names can give you a part of your identity.
There are still families that are respected because of their legacy. For instance, the Kennedy’s were already a prominent family in society before John F Kennedy became president. Other prominent family names include Hilton, Gates, Booth, and Pinckney because of the histories and wealth associated with these families. This way, people are still born with a certain level of honor and prestige based on the family name they carry. Even on a local level, families carry reputations of having certain traits. Before meeting a Falls, one may expect to encounter a calm, reserved, intelligent person because those are traits associated with the Falls name. On a personal level, a person’s name still holds keys to a story. Public records are kept on everyone. A skilled researcher could uncover a person 's past simply by researching a name because that name carries a story. Anything a person does, whether good or bad, is associated with a name. Sometimes people to form opinions on someone based on a person’s name because the name alone tells a story. Modern cultures may view names casually, but they still carry power
Names are very important to every individual because it’s nothing like having your own identity to separate you from everyone else and it gives a way to directly remember a person. The story is called “No Name Woman” (221 Kingston) for the reason that the author’s aunt identity was taken from her for committing adultery. Women in the world that Kingston lived in had to be civilized and were not able to have their own opinion about things. These women in my opinion didn’t have much freedom they were always expected to do certain things and to be a certain way. Since things were so uniform when women did do things out of the ordinary it was a very big deal to their population and surrounding.
Is it important to know what is behind your name? Now in days, many names are given without knowing their meanings or where they come from. For example, I was given the name of Judith just because my parents heard it and liked it. It depends where and in which culture were they raised. For this purpose I researched my name Judith. Some of the main points I found were interesting to me like the history and my personality.
At first I thought about changing my name to a short one because I have a long last name that consists of eleven letters. It then crossed my mind that if I had a short name like Ali or Rita it wouldn’t be as interesting as having a long first name. People would be more concerned with my last name as opposed to my first name, which I believe is more important. Not only that, but it would also amuse me to have a first and last name that is difficult to pronounce; it would give people a challenge.