last names

musicismylife78
musicismylife78 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

  • Zanne
    Zanne 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
  • soulsinging
    soulsinging Posts: 13,202
    i think mine came from the clan/king we belonged to a few centuries back.
  • haffajappa
    haffajappa British Columbia Posts: 5,955
    i think mine literally means "valley mouth" in japanese...
    live pearl jam is best pearl jam
  • Hinny
    Hinny 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
  • haffajappa
    haffajappa British Columbia Posts: 5,955
    how'd that post twice?
    live pearl jam is best pearl jam
  • haffajappa
    haffajappa British Columbia 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
  • Hinny
    Hinny 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-dead
    Sian-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.
  • haffajappa
    haffajappa British Columbia Posts: 5,955
    Hinny wrote:
    About that...
    ...
    live pearl jam is best pearl jam
  • illegal pants
    illegal 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 Helen
    Heineken 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-dead
    Sian-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.
  • KosmicJelli
    KosmicJelli 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...
  • EddiE
    EddiE 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
  • Schoki
    Schoki Posts: 5,072
    Mine comes from work/occupation. weaving in english
  • LONGRD
    LONGRD 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.Lo
    Brain 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;)
  • chime
    chime 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.Lo
    Brain 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
  • decides2dream
    decides2dream 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


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