Did your grandparents
have a middle name? If they did, chances are their parents didn't. The three
name system that is fairly standard among the English speaking countries is a
relatively recent development. Still -- it wasn't just invented. The Romans had
an elaborate three name system that fell along with the Empire, and by the
fourth century AD there was nary a middle or last name to be found.. Single
names worked as well as can be expected for the next six hundred years. The
practice of attaching a word to help identify a man was resurrected in Venice
and spread first to France, then England, then Germany -- then to the rest of
Europe. (Most of Europe, anyway...) Today, those without a surname are the
exception, and even Cher , Madonna , and Sting started out with a last name!
The Chinese were the
first to adopt surnames to honor their forebears, with the family name placed
first, rather than last. Thus, the family name of Sun Yat-sen is Sun. Surnames
that describe a man by his relatives are only one of the several categories of
surnames.
When communities
consisted of just a few people, surnames weren't so important. But as each town
acquired more and more Johns and Marys, the need was established for a way to
identify each from the other. The Romans had begun the practice of using
"given-name + clan-name + family-name" about 300 B.C. In the English-speaking
part of the world, the exact date that surnames began to be adopted can't be
pinpointed. The Domesday Book compiled by William the Conqueror required
surnames, but hereditary surnames are not considered to have been commonplace
until the late 1200's.
William Camden wrote
in Remaines of a Greater Work Concerning Britaine:(1586)
About the year of our
Lord 1000...surnames began to be taken up in France, and in England about the
time of the Conquest, or else a very little before, under King Edward the
Confessor, who was all Frenchified...but the French and wee termed them
Surnames, not because they are the names of the sire, or the father, but because
they are super added to Christian names as the Spanish called them Renombres, as
Renames.
Categories
of Names
Some surnames were
derived from a man's Occupation (Carpenter, Taylor, Brewer, Mason), a practice
that was commonplace by the end of the 14th century. Place names reflected a
location of residence and were also commonly used (Hill, Brook, Forrest, Dale)as
a basis for the surname, for reasons that can be easily understood. Some place
names are a little cryptic, such as Chevrolet, the French place name that means
"little goat." The name referred to the picture painted on the outdoor sign at a
roadside inn. Pictures were used since few had reading skills, and in that era,
chevrolet referred to a place. Sometimes a man was most easily distinguished
among his neighbors by a particular trait, or by some physical characteristic.
Nicknames that stuck became surnames -- some of which were so vicious, it is
surprising they lasted at all. Many with names vulgar or scurrilous connotations
were eventually changed by altering the spelling, or just dropped outright in
favor of a more acceptable moniker. About one-third of all US surnames are
Patronymic in origin, and identified the first bearer of the name by his father
(or grandfather in the case of some Irish names). Acquired Ornamental names were
simply made up, and had no specific reflection on the first who bore the name.
They simply sounded nice, or were made up as a means of identification,
generally much later than most surnames were adopted.
There are other
sources as well, but most can be wedged into one of the above categories -- one
way or another.
Nicknames
When surnames were
being adopted, many were the result of nicknames that were given by friends,
relatives, or others. Some nicknames were extremely unflattering -- to the point
of vulgarity -- but most of those have vanished, having been changed by
descendants through spelling changes or simply by changing names after
emigrating.
Physical features
that were prominent when surnames began to be adopted were also borrowed as an
identifier (Long, Short, Beardsly, Stout) as were dispositions of the bearers
(Gay, Moody, Sterne, Wise). Sometimes the name told its own story (Lackland,
Freeholder,Goodpasture, Upthegrove) and sometimes they might have been selected
to elicit envy or sympathy (Rich, Poor, Wise, Armstrong).
Patronymic
and Matronymic
Names that identify
the father are termed Patronymic surnames. Rarely, the name of the mother
contributed the surname, which is referred to as Matronymic origin. The
Scandinavians added "son" to identify John's son or Erik's son. The
German-French used the prefix "Fitz" to mean child of, as in Fitzpatrick, for
child of Patrick. Many other cultures had their own prefixes to indicate of the
father('s name) , including the Scots ('Mac'Donald), Irish ('O'Brien), Dutch
('Van'Buren), the French ('de'Gaulle), Germans ('Von'berger) Spanish/Italian
('Di'Tello) and the Arab-speaking nations ('ibn'-Saud). Sometimes the prefixes
were attached to places rather than the father's name, such as traditional
family land holdings or estates.
Acquired
and Ornamental
Some names were
simply added when those without a surname suddenly needed one. A lady-in-waiting
for royalty might have had no traditional surname, but would require one if no
longer in the service of royalty. In times of political turmoil, a deposed ruler
might require a smaller staff, and long-time servants would find themselves
among commoners -- and suddenly in need of a surname. Names were sometimes
invented as combinations of other words.
Occupational
Among the most common
names are those specialty crafts and trades that were common during medieval
times. The Miller was essential for making flour from grain. The Sawyer cut
timber into workable lengths, with which the Carpenter could make specialty
items for villagers. Some names were a reflection of the place of employment
rather than the job itself -- the name Abbott generally refers to the man who
was in the employ of the abbey as a servant or other worker; the man named
Bishop more than likely worked at the house of the Bishop rather than holding
the position. Some names were taken as titles that were originally less
occupational, such as Mayor. Some surname occupations are no longer in existence
but were enough to identify a man in medieval days.
Places
The most widely found
category is that which contains surnames derived from a place easily
recognizable when surnames were adopted. When a man left his homeland and moved
to another country, he was distinguished from his neighbors by the identity of
his homeland -- Walsh hailed from Wales, Norman was from Normandy, Norris was
Norwegian. Some men were from cities well-enough known that the city was the
distinguishing reference as in Pariss. Towns were used in the same fashion, as
were major rivers and geographic features. Less obvious now are those names
which identified a man by the location of his house. John Atwood lived at the
woods, but exactly which one has long since been lost. Other names can be traced
to the exact locale where the first to bear the name kept his residence. As with
the Patronymic designators, languages varied in the way a place was denoted, as
in the Dutch name Van Gelder (from the county of Gelder). The Germans used Von
as the French used de or De, and both often reflected aristocracy.
Sources include but are not limited to: American Surnames by Elsdon
C. Smith, Baltimore, 1969; A Dictionary of Surnames , by Patrick Hanks and
Flavia Hodges, New York, 1994; Family Names: How Our Surnames Came To America ,
by J. N. Hook, New York, 1982