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Surnames,
And Surnames-as-First-Names

Surnames
A surname is your last name, your family name, a name that is passed along from generation to generation, usually from parent to child. For a long time people did not have surnames. Settlements were small and scattered, and one name, one’s personal name, was all that was needed to identify a person. But society grew and evolved and personal names were duplicated. As now there might be two Tom, six Johns, and five Marys in one town, the need for a second name grew.

The first solution was the “byname,” a phrase tacked on to one’s personal name for descriptive purposes. One Tom is called Tom the Butcher, because he is a butcher. The other Tom is called Tom, David’s son because he is David’s son. These bynames were temporary appellations, unique to the individual, and were not passed on to future generations.

But gradually, as the Middle Ages wore on, “bynames” were solidified and given to one’s children. This began with the aristocrats, obsessed with inheritance, and family lines and gradually trickled down to the rest of the society. By the 17th century, most people now had two names: a first name (prename, Christian name, etc.) and a last name (surname, family name, etc.).

There are four main types of surnames, most based on an original byname: descriptive, place names, occupational, and patronymics (or matronymics)

Descriptive Surnames:
Descriptive surnames usually began with a descriptive byname of a specific individual. These are names like White (complexion), Brown (hair), Armstrong, Small (of stature), Young, Wallace (welsh), Scott (scotch).

Place Names:
Place names described where a person lived: John at the Hill, Tom by the Brook, Walter of the Stone Meadow. If the family stayed in the same place long enough, their descendants might well have been known as John Hill, Tom Brooks, or Walter Stanley.

Occupational:
These names described what a person did: John the Butcher, Alexander the Steward, or Mary the Brewster. These are names like Miller, Taylor, Smith, Clark, Wright, Baker, Carter, Turner, Parker, Cook, Cooper, etc.

Patronymics:
Patronymics derived a surname from one’s father’s first name (if it comes from the mother’s name, like Maud and Madison, it is called a matronymic). Sometimes the name is left alone, as in the surnames: Thomas, Morris, or Martin. Sometimes an “s” or a “son” is tacked on, as in Thompson (Tom’s son), Johnson (John’s son), Jones (Jon’s son), Davis (Dav(id)’s son), Robinson, Roberts, Willis, Collins, Henderson, etc.

The Scottish Gaels say “mac” instead of “son” giving us names like Mackenzie (son of Kenneth) and Macdonald, (son of Donald). Irish families use a “mc” or an “o’” for McDonald (son of Donald), O’Donnel (son of Donald). Spanish uses an “ez” suffix for names like Rodriguez (Rodrigo), Martinez (Martin), Sanchez (Sancho).


Surnames-as-First-Names

The 17th century, in Scotland, a new custom arose: the practice of giving surnames for first names, usually only among those belonging to the Protestant faith. The pressure to name one’s children only after saints was gone, and parents were free to experiment with “new” names.

The practice of giving surnames for first names often began when boys (often firstborns) were given their mother’s maiden name, either as a first or as a middle name, in order to honor the mother’s family. When John Fox married Mary Kyle, their son might be named John Kyle Fox, for example. Often, to distinguish one John from another, he would be called Kyle Fox, and so on.





Giving a child a surname-for-a-first-name was originally a practice of the aristocrats, the people most concerned with family ties and legacies. For generations, these kinds of names only existed in families connected with the original surnames (Percy Bysse Shelley was a cousin of the Percy family, for example).


Gradually, the practice would spread. Indeed, 19th-century American upper classes took to it so readily that

filtered down through the middle classes to the lower classes. And the idea of surnames-for-first-names passed from relative’s surnames to anyone’s surnames.


Other times, children would receive the surname of of popular hero. Many American children, for example, were christened after Revolutionary War figures (Washington, Jefferson, Warren, Elmer). Later, many Southern children were called Lee, after Robert E. Lee. British military heroes, like Nelson, were similarly honored. Religious parents began giving reformers’ last names to their children, such as Luther, Calvin, and Wesley.

Traditionally, this practice was usually (though not always) limited to sons. In the 20th century, however, many girl children were bestowed with surnames as well.

Currently popular for boys are English Occupational surnames such as Tyler, Hunter, Tanner, Spencer, Carter, Parker, Cooper, Chandler, Tucker, Walker, Sawyer, Porter, Turner, Dexter.

For girls, parents seem to prefer English Place Names, especially those that end with the “ley” (meaning “meadow”). These names include: Ashley, Hailey, Bailey, Riley, Kimberly, Kayley, Harley, Ainsley, Leslie/Lesley, Hadley.

Irish surnames like Kelly, Shannon, Delaney, Dillon, Cassidy, Ryan, Casey, are common for both sexes.

Patronymics are also found for both sexes: Jackson, Carson, Dawson, Harrison, Bryson, Grayson/Greyson, Tyson, Nelson, Wilson, Hudson, Addison, Jamison/Jameson, Garrison, Anderson, Jefferson, Emerson, Bronson, Lawson for boys and Madison, Mackenzie, Allison/Alison, Addison, and Carson for girls.

Notice that in 1850 and even in the year 1900, the most popular surnames-as-first-names were those belonging to American heros and/or presidents like Frankling, Taylor, Morris, Washington, Jackson, Elmer, Green, Warren, Perry, and Harrison; other were the names of religious leaders like Wesley, Luther, and Calvin; or famous authors like Milton, Russell, Irving, and Scott. A few, like Nelson or Stanley, were even British heros.

Few girls were given surnames-for-first-names until the early 20th century. By the end of the 20th century, however, they had become quite common. Though most of these names, it can be seen, end in the “lee” or “see” sound.

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