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last names

musicismylife78musicismylife78 Posts: 6,116
edited February 2008 in All Encompassing Trip
Where do they come from? Obviously they come from our parents, grandparents, great grandparents etc… But where did they originate? Who came up with our last names and why? Why did the last name of Jones originate, and why is it seemingly so popular as any glance at your local phone book will suggest? What does Thompson or Moore or pick or insert your last name, what do these names mean, and how did they come about?

Its amazing how into last names our society is, and contrast that with the fact that their meanings and origins are rarely spoken of.

Anyone have any info?
Post edited by Unknown User on
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Comments

  • ZanneZanne Posts: 899
    A lot of names we taken from the type of work or trade of a man. Or given in conjunction with the name of the father, as in a lot of the names that end in "son" as in Johnson = John's son... etc... My last name is Peace, which seems to be fictitious, so I can't answer where that one came from. Pity.

    Peace (hmmm)
    Just me
  • soulsingingsoulsinging Posts: 13,202
    i think mine came from the clan/king we belonged to a few centuries back.
  • haffajappahaffajappa Posts: 5,955
    i think mine literally means "valley mouth" in japanese...
    live pearl jam is best pearl jam
  • HinnyHinny Posts: 1,610
    Mine is a combination of the simpler chinese characters for Wood and Son.

    Probably a carpenter, I guess. It's a really common Chinese surname.
    Binary solo..000000100000111100001110
  • haffajappahaffajappa Posts: 5,955
    most people seem to think my last name means a popular, pocket sized electronical toy pet that one might keep on a keychain...
    live pearl jam is best pearl jam
  • haffajappahaffajappa Posts: 5,955
    how'd that post twice?
    live pearl jam is best pearl jam
  • HinnyHinny Posts: 1,610
    doin'the-evolution wrote:
    most people seem to think my last name means a popular, pocket sized electronical toy pet that one might keep on a keychain...
    About that...
    Binary solo..000000100000111100001110
  • Sian-of-the-deadSian-of-the-dead Posts: 8,963
    I come from a family of cart makers, according to my surname...
    Been to this many PJ shows: Reading 2006 London 2007 Manchester & London 2009 Dublin, Belfast, London, Nijmegen & Berlin 2010 Manchester 1 & Manchester 2 2012...

    ... and I still think Drive-By Truckers are better.
  • haffajappahaffajappa Posts: 5,955
    Hinny wrote:
    About that...
    ...
    live pearl jam is best pearl jam
  • illegal pantsillegal pants Posts: 13,471
    hmmm being Greek..

    the 'Papa' prefix in my name signifies ancestry from a priest (last one being my grandfather), and the suffix indicates the region we're from...
    wah
  • Heineken HelenHeineken Helen Posts: 18,095
    My surname is Mc.... so it comes from 'son/daughter of xxx'

    Kinda like the scandinavian Johnson etc. but as gaeilge :)
    The Astoria??? Orgazmic!
    Verona??? it's all surmountable
    Dublin 23.08.06 "The beauty of Ireland, right there!"
    Wembley? We all believe!
    Copenhagen?? your light made us stars
    Chicago 07? And love
    What a different life
    Had I not found this love with you
  • Sian-of-the-deadSian-of-the-dead Posts: 8,963
    "-of-the-dead" - part of speech: noun -

    1. To be one of the deceased. Amongst the expired.

    :cool:

    hehe! :p
    Been to this many PJ shows: Reading 2006 London 2007 Manchester & London 2009 Dublin, Belfast, London, Nijmegen & Berlin 2010 Manchester 1 & Manchester 2 2012...

    ... and I still think Drive-By Truckers are better.
  • KosmicJelliKosmicJelli Posts: 1,855
    some people have mangled "ellis island" last names... my family and I are the only ones whom have my last name by the way its phonetically spelled... never knew anyone one with the same pronunciation of my last name until i moved up here... now there are a ton of them and its spelled like 40 different ways...
  • EddiEEddiE Posts: 125
    Zanne wrote:
    A lot of names we taken from the type of work or trade of a man. Or given in conjunction with the name of the father, as in a lot of the names that end in "son" as in Johnson = John's son... etc... My last name is Peace, which seems to be fictitious, so I can't answer where that one came from. Pity.

    Peace (hmmm)

    I think Zanne is probably the closest. Names like Cooper (barrel maker), Fletcher (made arrows) etc. Not a clue where mine came from, but its french for silver/money.
    Paris 7/11/96
    Manchester 4/6/00
  • SchokiSchoki Posts: 5,072
    Mine comes from work/occupation. weaving in english
  • LONGRDLONGRD Posts: 6,036
    I looked at my last name's heritage,
    found it's a common German name but I have no German blood nor look anything like German either.
    PJ- 04/29/2003.06/24,25,27,28,30/2008.10/27,28,30,31/2009
    EV- 08/09,10/2008.06/08,09/2009
  • Brain of J.LoBrain of J.Lo Posts: 3,259
    "Virtually all born with the surname of Greer descend from the Griersons of Nithsdale (modern Dumfriesshire) in Scotland."

    In case anyone was wondering about my surname specifically. :D;)
  • chimechime Posts: 7,839
    Brain of J.Lo wrote:
    "Virtually all born with the surname of Greer descend from the Griersons of Nithsdale (modern Dumfriesshire) in Scotland."

    In case anyone was wondering about my surname specifically. :D;)

    Dunk is from Dumfries. Think you've just found a long lost cousin :D

    They're not sure where my surname came from but think it could be a corruption of the name of an area/forest so was probably given to people who lived there.
    So are we strangers now? Like rock and roll and the radio?
  • Brain of J.LoBrain of J.Lo Posts: 3,259
    Chime wrote:
    Dunk is from Dumfries. Think you've just found a long lost cousin :D

    lol, awesome. :D
  • decides2dreamdecides2dream Posts: 14,977
    radiohead33 wrote:
    Where do they come from? Obviously they come from our parents, grandparents, great grandparents etc… But where did they originate? Who came up with our last names and why? Why did the last name of Jones originate, and why is it seemingly so popular as any glance at your local phone book will suggest? What does Thompson or Moore or pick or insert your last name, what do these names mean, and how did they come about?

    Its amazing how into last names our society is, and contrast that with the fact that their meanings and origins are rarely spoken of.

    Anyone have any info?

    i believe the origins of surnames were to differentiate different families/clans, simple as that. as many have mentioned, many names are truly derivative of 'son of _________' type of names, or associated with different occupations, etc. obviously, great regional/cultural differences between names...but the roots are similiar. i know my maiden name is a pretty 'rare' name in the states, supposedly you'd have to look through 9 US phonebooks before you'd find one person with the name. and my married name is so common you'd probably find pages of it in ANY US phonebook! good thing we're unlisted. ;)


    basically, just as first names used to identify the individual...surnames originated to differentiate clan/family....but association with a father's first name, a particular location, an occupation, etc.


    btw - there is a plethora of inofrmation on this very topic! seek and ye shall find, pretty simply too. start with google and take it from there!
    Stay with me...
    Let's just breathe...


    I am myself like you somehow


  • GreenTeaDiseaseGreenTeaDisease Posts: 3,359
    radiohead33 wrote:
    Where do they come from? Obviously they come from our parents, grandparents, great grandparents etc… But where did they originate? Who came up with our last names and why? Why did the last name of Jones originate, and why is it seemingly so popular as any glance at your local phone book will suggest? What does Thompson or Moore or pick or insert your last name, what do these names mean, and how did they come about?

    Its amazing how into last names our society is, and contrast that with the fact that their meanings and origins are rarely spoken of.

    Anyone have any info?

    they all have some meaning, even if they don't directly translate...mine means something about have a smaller left hand or something...
  • Solat13Solat13 Posts: 6,996
    radiohead33 wrote:
    Where do they come from? Obviously they come from our parents, grandparents, great grandparents etc… But where did they originate? Who came up with our last names and why? Why did the last name of Jones originate, and why is it seemingly so popular as any glance at your local phone book will suggest? What does Thompson or Moore or pick or insert your last name, what do these names mean, and how did they come about?

    Its amazing how into last names our society is, and contrast that with the fact that their meanings and origins are rarely spoken of.

    Anyone have any info?

    I have no idea what my real last name is. When my great grandfather came over from Sicily, he was an orphan and spoke no English. The Irish immigration guy processing him couldn't understand what he was saying cut short his name and so I have one of the few Italian last names with only 4 letters.
    - Busted down the pretext
    - 8/28/98
    - 9/2/00
    - 4/28/03, 5/3/03, 7/3/03, 7/5/03, 7/6/03, 7/9/03, 7/11/03, 7/12/03, 7/14/03
    - 9/28/04, 9/29/04, 10/1/04, 10/2/04
    - 9/11/05, 9/12/05, 9/13/05, 9/30/05, 10/1/05, 10/3/05
    - 5/12/06, 5/13/06, 5/27/06, 5/28/06, 5/30/06, 6/1/06, 6/3/06, 6/23/06, 7/22/06, 7/23/06, 12/2/06, 12/9/06
    - 8/2/07, 8/5/07
    - 6/19/08, 6/20/08, 6/22/08, 6/24/08, 6/25/08, 6/27/08, 6/28/08, 6/30/08, 7/1/08
    - 8/23/09, 8/24/09, 9/21/09, 9/22/09, 10/27/09, 10/28/09, 10/30/09, 10/31/09
    - 5/15/10, 5/17/10, 5/18/10, 5/20/10, 5/21/10, 10/23/10, 10/24/10
    - 9/11/11, 9/12/11
    - 10/18/13, 10/21/13, 10/22/13, 11/30/13, 12/4/13
  • decides2dreamdecides2dream Posts: 14,977
    Solat13 wrote:
    I have no idea what my real last name is. When my great grandfather came over from Sicily, he was an orphan and spoke no English. The Irish immigration guy processing him couldn't understand what he was saying cut short his name and so I have one of the few Italian last names with only 4 letters.




    awwwwwwww...i didn't know you were sicilian as well? my father was born there, came to NY through ellis island. :) his name and many of his family are listed in the database there, and i made a *contribution* to the ellis island foundation to have his name put up on the wall there....still have to go see it! however, his family HAD moved to NY....his oldest sister was born here....then they moved back to sicily......dad was born there....then they came here, permanently. somehow, our named managed to remain intact though, even though i am sure my grandparents spoke no english when they first came to this country either.
    Stay with me...
    Let's just breathe...


    I am myself like you somehow


  • LONGRDLONGRD Posts: 6,036
    Solat13 wrote:
    I have no idea what my real last name is. When my great grandfather came over from Sicily, he was an orphan and spoke no English. The Irish immigration guy processing him couldn't understand what he was saying cut short his name and so I have one of the few Italian last names with only 4 letters.
    that happens a lot.
    they butchered my name.
    PJ- 04/29/2003.06/24,25,27,28,30/2008.10/27,28,30,31/2009
    EV- 08/09,10/2008.06/08,09/2009
  • gobrowns19gobrowns19 Posts: 1,447
    A google search says the origin of Davis is Welsh and means the son of David. I'm a grandson of a David :D
    Happiness is only real when shared
  • xavier mcdanielxavier mcdaniel Posts: 9,294
    my last name means butcher in german.
    Reading 2004
    Albany 2006 Camden 2006 E. Rutherford 2, 2006 Inglewood 2006,
    Chicago 2007
    Camden 2008 MSG 2008 MSG 2008 Hartford 2008.
    Seattle 2009 Seattle 2009 Philadelphia 2009,Philadelphia 2009 Philadelphia 2009
    Hartford 2010 MSG 2010 MSG 2010
    Toronto 2011,Toronto 2011
    Wrigley Field 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Philadelphia 2, 2013
    Philadelphia 1, 2016 Philadelphia 2 2016 New York 2016 New York 2016 Fenway 1, 2016
    Fenway 2, 2018
    MSG 2022
    St. Paul, 1, St. Paul 2 2023
    MSG 2024, MSG 2024
    Philadelphia 2024
    "I play good, hard-nosed basketball.
    Things happen in the game. Nothing you
    can do. I don't go and say,
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  • AllieAllie Posts: 2,908
    My last name was given to my father's family at Ellis Island. They changed it b/c they couldn't pronounce/spell their Polish name, so they gave 'us' a German name. Which I don't like b/c we're not German!
    "...like a word misplaced, nothing said, what a waste.."
    "Sometimes life should be consumed in measured doses"
    6-01-06
    6/25/08
    Free Speedy
    and Metsy!
  • dunkmandunkman Posts: 19,646
    Brain of J.Lo wrote:
    "Virtually all born with the surname of Greer descend from the Griersons of Nithsdale (modern Dumfriesshire) in Scotland."

    In case anyone was wondering about my surname specifically. :D;)


    thats fucking awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    oh scary... 40000 morbidly obese christians wearing fanny packs invading europe is probably the least scariest thing since I watched an edited version of The Care Bears movie in an extremely brightly lit cinema.
  • pineapplesandwavespineapplesandwaves Posts: 584
    My surname is derived from a Gaelic word that previously referred to "ruddy" or "reddish complexion", but is now used to denote "purple". The name was first found in county Fermanagh, where "we" held a family seat from ancient times.
    No time to be void or save up on life. You got to spend it all.
  • small town becksmall town beck Posts: 6,691
    My surname is an old English name which I mean believes brook or from a brook? My grandma likes to remind me on her side that she is descended from Robert the Bruce.. not sure if that is true or not :p
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