It is never safe to draw a quick conclusion about the origin of a surname from its modern form. Corruption of sound and spelling has gone on for centuries, and is still continuing. To be reasonably sure of an origin, the line of descent of the family concerned must be traced back as far as possible, and its earliest-found spelling considered. Unrelated families of the same surnames may well trace back to different name-origin groups. It should also be remembered that all people of the same surname do not necessarily descend from a common ancestor, even when at an early date they are found inhabiting the same district.
Learning about the possible origin or origins of your surname is fascinating, but as surnames were established in England by and their parish registers only go back to at the earliest, most of us cannot establish our surname origin with certainty. When deciphering the origin of a surname both the geographical and linguistic aspects should be considered.
Good modern dictionaries of surnames are supposed to do this, but they have occasional lapses. The historical aspects of colonization of the country have to be tied in with the various languages and linguistic shifts. One should look for etymological details such as early occurrences of the name, and reasoning of how the spelling and pronunciation have changed, as well as geographical distribution studies that should corroborate the linguistic studies.
An interesting discussion on the value of linguistic versus distribution studies was carried on in the UK magazine, Family Tree Magazine Hodgson, Christian. It would seem that the surname Hodgson can be derived from two first names, the Norse Oddgeir and the French Roger , with introduction into England in the 9thth and the 11th centuries respectively.
Distribution maps based on 16thth century parish registers indicate concentration in Cumberland and Westmorland, known areas of Norse invasion. Further documented occurrences in other parts of England between the 11th and 16th centuries could well be derived from French sources. If the original word upon which a surname is based is no longer current in the language, then the meaning is not obvious today.
Examples are Holt for one who lived near a holt, an old name for a wood, Orme from the Old Norse personal name Ormr , and Peel a nickname for a tall, thin man. Other words have changed their meaning over time and now mean something derogatory or at least not so pleasant, thus a person with the surname Gay may well be tempted to change it this century, whereas long ago it was cheerfully accepted.
Surnames derived from place names, or toponymics , are of two main types, topographical from a landscape feature and habitational from a named location.
Sometimes a middle name might become a surname. For example, a child christened John Oliver might result in later generations adopting Oliver as their surname. Wheeler — another word for a wheelwright Chapman — sold goods at market Inman — innkeeper Baxter — lady baker Brewster — lady brewer Lister — dyer Walker — someone who pounded wool with their feet, part of the wool making process. Hurst — wooded hill Shaw — another word for a wood.
The 14th century Luttrell Psalter is unique in that it is richly illustrated with scenes of everyday life in medieval…. Toponomastics is the study of place names. Harris would be your surname, Kaleb! Great question, Emma! Smith might not be a famous location, but many people were blacksmiths back in the day. The name might have been shortened to Smith, which became a way to identify people!
Great question, CianiRoom6! Surnames have been around for thousands of years, but your surname's origin depends on your nationality. Perhaps you and your family can Wonder about it together!
Terrific application, Carlos! Taking the father's last name is very common in many cultures. We hope you liked this Wonder.
Visit again soon! Thanks for being a supportive Wonder Friend and reading other's comments! Hi there, Dori! Thanks for sharing your comment! We hope you and your family will research your surname to learn about its origin! Hey there Stephen!
Thanks for sharing you comment with us today - we are so happy that you learned something new with us today! We love your connection and we hope you'll come back to Wonder with us again soon! Hi Ava, thanks for sharing your comment! We Wonder if you and your mom and sister can Wonder about the origin of your name together! We think you're doing a great job of using Wonder in each sentence - thanks for making us smile! Hi Anna, thanks for sharing what you've learned about surnames.
In different countries, different traditions are maintained, and sometimes they have to do with names! We are glad we learned something new from you today! We are undergoing some spring clearing site maintenance and need to temporarily disable the commenting feature. Thanks for your patience. Drag a word to its definition. You have answered 0 of 3 questions correctly and your score is:. Want to add a little wonder to your website? Help spread the wonder of families learning together.
We sent you SMS, for complete subscription please reply. Follow Twitter Instagram Facebook. Where do last names come from? What types of last names evolved over the years? What is the origin of your last name? Wonder What's Next? Try It Out Find an adult friend or family member who can help you with these activities! What's your last name? Based on what you learned in today's Wonder of the Day, do you have any initial ideas about how your particular surname might have come about? Ask your family members if they know about the history of your last name.
Have fun sharing stories and learning more about your family's history. If not much is known about the history of your surname, guess what? It's up to you! See what you can find out about the history of your last name on the Internet and with the help of your school or local librarian.
Do you have the same last name as someone famous? Have you ever wondered if you're related? Check out Family Tree Magazine for lots of fun ways to learn more about your family's history.
People are just now starting to come up with surnames. What would yours be? Would you be named for your best personality trait? How about for the future occupation you want? Did you get it? Test your knowledge. What are you wondering? Wonder Words surname medieval adopted patronymic locative occupation diverse complex references Take the Wonder Word Challenge. Join the Discussion. Julie Feb 20, I love this keep up the good work!
EFrost Jan 22, This is just really interesting. My last name is Frost. So maybe my ancestor had a cold personality, or maybe they lived in a cold area. They even could have worked with ice or something. I've always been curious about this. This article just widens my curiosity! Jan 26, Those are great ideas! I love the video of rex trying to find a last name. Jane Blak Sep 14, Based on my research, this organization supports fact, learning, and citation.
Europeans were some of the first people to colonize North America. The sentence structure suggests nationalism in that the reader is encouraged to evoke little to no thought around who the other people may have been. Sep 16, Hi Jane! Thank you for taking the time to comment. We've added this Wonder to the list of those that require review. Amiya Apr 20, Why do we have to have last names?
Ps my last name is [redacted]. Jan 15, Editors note: this post has been edited to properly attribute the building of Iron Bridge to Abraham Darby, rather than Thomas Telford. The idea was originally suggested by architect Thomas Pritchard in , and we mixed up our Thomases. Thank you to everyone who picked up on the error. Pingback: What was the legacy of William the Conqueror? Rowena Willard-Wright. Related Articles.
0コメント