1621, via Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg Instruct the students working in pairs to fill out the Patronymic Names chart (PDF). If you are working with younger students, you might prefer to make a list of the six types of patronymic names on the board and then call upon volunteers to suggest examples of each type.The Origins of European Names Family Portrait by Anthony van Dyck, c.Then she took her husband's surname (Mary, wife of William Johnson, became Mary Johnson). Examples of this type of byname are Tomkin (Little Thomas), Wilkin (Little William), Perkin (Little Peter), Bartlett (Little Bartholomew), and Hewitt (little Hugh).Īnd what about women's names? In the male-dominated society of medieval Europe, a girl simply took her father's surname (Richard's daughter was Mary Richardson) until she married. Certain names ended in -kin and were a diminutive of the father's name.Others living in Ireland had second names beginning with O' (meaning “grandson of”), such as O'Reilly.In Scotland and Ireland, bynames often began with Mac or Mc (Gaelic for “son of” or “descendant of”), such as MacDonald.After the Norman invasion of England in 1066 (Normandy is a part of France), some people took a byname beginning with Fitz (derived from fils, which means “son” in French). Jones, the Welsh version of Johnson, became the most common surname in Wales. Sometimes slight changes in spelling occurred, as in Hughes (son of Hugh), Harris (son of Harry), Anderson (son of Andrew), Henderson (son of Henry), Nixon (son of Nicholas), Simpson (son of Simon), Patterson (son of Patrick), Tennyson (son of Dennis), and Henderson (son of Henry).Since the second name was applied to an individual, it would change from generation to generation: if John Williamson had a son, Edward, he would be called Edward Johnson (John's son), and Edward's son, Thomas, would be Thomas Edwardson. Thomas, the son of Richard, became Thomas Richardson (Richard's son) or simply Thomas Richards (Richard's). Thomas, the son of John, might be known as Thomas Johnson (John's son). In medieval England, there were only about 20 popular first names (for males), the most common being John. This will access a section of an alphabetical list of surnames containing the name being sought.Īnother form of surname was derived from the name of a father or grandfather. To find a particular name, click the letter at the top of the page. The meanings of the names can be added to the Descriptive Surnames chart (PDF). Instruct the students to look up the following names: Armstrong, Black, Fairchild, Giddy, Green, Merry, Noble, Sharp, Truman, and White. Access Surname Origin List available through EDSITEment-reviewed resource Internet Public Library.Perhaps there are some good examples in your own classroom. Make a list on the board of some common modern surnames that might describe a person's appearance or character.In later years, as the population grew, certain bynames became permanent family names, or surnames. ![]() Explain that these are the very criteria used by people in medieval times to create second names (called bynames). If they have no last names, how might their friends refer to them to distinguish one from the other? Possibilities would include physical descriptions (John with the freckles) place of residence (Mary, who lives in the woods) hobby (John, the hockey player) and names of parents (Mary, the daughter of Archibald). Have them envision a situation in which there are two boys named John, or two girls named Mary.
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