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Behind The Name By Govindji Patel
#14 - 1 - 0 - Behind The Name By Govindji Patel
[ 2007-01-29 14:54:27 ] - kishan
#
Ever
wondered where you come from? Or what your name means? Etymology and the
history of your surname is a fascinating journey into the history and the study
words and especially names and surnames. It’s a part of genealogy that will
help uncover your direct descendants and how they got the name that you are
blessed with today.
Part of
genealogy is to discover how your surname was derived and how it was used to
identify your family line. In Europe for example, surnames were never really used,
only up until the 12 century did the use of a surname begin to take place,
however, it did take several centuries before most Europeans had one. As
European populations began to grow the need for a surname to identify
individuals came into being. By the 13 century a total of one third of the
population had the name, John, William or Richard. Without actually realising
it the practice of genealogy began to take on a whole different dimension.
Most
European names were a direct result of actual trades or names that heads of the
family worked at or had. For instance if your fathers name was Andrew and your
name was William, you were given the surname Anderson, which would be seen as
you are the son of Andrew, therefore, your name would be William Anderson. If
your fathers name was William and he happened to be a cook your surname would
have been Cook. This form of genealogy with regards to surname identification
was not solely restricted to the type of work your father did. Special
characteristics that your father may have had like, long flowing brown hair may
have resulted in your surname being Brown (William the Brown-haired, leading to
Brown). Surnames were ultimately inherited and past on from generation to
generation, ideal if your passion is genealogy, making it easier to trace your
family heritage.
Surnames
have always been the ideal start for someone interested in genealogy. Surnames
can be categorised into 4 general directions. Surnames were derived most often
from the male ancestor, known as patronymic include names such as Anderson,
Johnson, Jameson and Thompson (son of). Occupational surnames were generally
used by the working class citizens of Europe and include names like, Smith,
Butler, Wright, Barber and Clark. Thirdly, geographically your surname may have
been Hills, Woods or even Rivers. And Lastly, your surname may have been
‘nickname’ orientated such as, White, Long or Young. Taking this information
into account your genealogy journey may take you, or lead you to some
interesting findings about your past heritage.
Over time
and due to different dialects and eventually as a result of different
languages, surnames developed and changed over time into many different
variants of the original family name. If your genealogy adventures come to a grinding
halt as a result, it may be wise to investigate certain derivatives of your
surname. Many Europeans in the 19th century that made the journey to
America deliberately anglicised their surnames, to make entry as easy as
possible, so names such as Micsza became McShea and Schwarz became Black.
To the
untrained genealogist, trying to uncover the history of a particular surname
many be a daunting task, however, keeping in mind that everyone has a history
and a distinct heritage unique only to them, will encourage most to pursue
their genealogy travels and eventually discover who they and where they come
from.
About Author
Author: Govindji Patel
Please visit my websites at:
http://www.myadstracker.com
http://www.newgenealogy.com
http://www.hot-conference.com
http://www.thenicheonline.com
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