WHAT'S YOUR SURNAME? - If you've wondered where it came from
Discussion
Butcher, Baker or Candlestick Maker?
When surnames first came into popular use in 14th-century Europe, many people came to be identified by what they did for a living...
Last Name: BARKER
Occupation: Shephard
Barker comes from the Norman word barches, meaning “shepherd,” the person who watches over a flock of sheep.
Last Name: BLACK
Occupation: Dyer
Men named Black were cloth dyers who specialized in black dyes. In medieval times, all cloth was originally white, and had to be dyed to create colorful cloth.
Last Name: CARTER
Occupation: Delivery man
A person who drove a cart pulled by oxen, carrying goods from town to town, was named Carter.
Last Name: CHANDLER
Occupation: Candlemaker
From the French word 'chandelier,' this name referred to a person who made candles.
Last Name: COOPER
Occupation: Barrelmaker
A cooper was someone who made wooden barrels, vats, or casks.
Last Name: FISHER
Occupation: Fisherman
This occupational name derives from the Old English word 'fiscere,' meaning fisherman.
Last Name: KEMP
Occupation: Wrestler
A strong man who was a champion at jousting or wrestling. Derived from the Middle English word 'kempe,' which came from Old English 'cempa,' meaning 'warrior' or 'champion.'
Last Name: MILLER
Occupation: Miller
A man who made his living grinding flour from grain.
Last Name: SMITH
Occupation: Metalworker
Anyone who worked with metal was called a smith. A Blacksmith worked with iron, a Whitesmith worked with tin, and a Goldsmith worked with gold. This was one of the most common occupations in Medieval times, so it is little wonder that SMITH is now among the most common surnames worldwide.
Last Name: WALL
Occupation: Mason
The name given to a special kind of mason, a wall was one who specialized in building wall structures.
Does your family name come from the work your ancestors did long ago?
PS- an also, the above inspired me to realise that the main characters in Tv's Lost [as on CH4], are useful for something, as with the skills they have, an unlike certain other modern day professions.
for its funny how the people featured on the island aren't lawyers, hairstylists, estate agents, crystal healers, etc etc...
you know like, the people whose jobs are really worthless when it comes down to it
When surnames first came into popular use in 14th-century Europe, many people came to be identified by what they did for a living...
Last Name: BARKER
Occupation: Shephard
Barker comes from the Norman word barches, meaning “shepherd,” the person who watches over a flock of sheep.
Last Name: BLACK
Occupation: Dyer
Men named Black were cloth dyers who specialized in black dyes. In medieval times, all cloth was originally white, and had to be dyed to create colorful cloth.
Last Name: CARTER
Occupation: Delivery man
A person who drove a cart pulled by oxen, carrying goods from town to town, was named Carter.
Last Name: CHANDLER
Occupation: Candlemaker
From the French word 'chandelier,' this name referred to a person who made candles.
Last Name: COOPER
Occupation: Barrelmaker
A cooper was someone who made wooden barrels, vats, or casks.
Last Name: FISHER
Occupation: Fisherman
This occupational name derives from the Old English word 'fiscere,' meaning fisherman.
Last Name: KEMP
Occupation: Wrestler
A strong man who was a champion at jousting or wrestling. Derived from the Middle English word 'kempe,' which came from Old English 'cempa,' meaning 'warrior' or 'champion.'
Last Name: MILLER
Occupation: Miller
A man who made his living grinding flour from grain.
Last Name: SMITH
Occupation: Metalworker
Anyone who worked with metal was called a smith. A Blacksmith worked with iron, a Whitesmith worked with tin, and a Goldsmith worked with gold. This was one of the most common occupations in Medieval times, so it is little wonder that SMITH is now among the most common surnames worldwide.
Last Name: WALL
Occupation: Mason
The name given to a special kind of mason, a wall was one who specialized in building wall structures.
Does your family name come from the work your ancestors did long ago?
PS- an also, the above inspired me to realise that the main characters in Tv's Lost [as on CH4], are useful for something, as with the skills they have, an unlike certain other modern day professions.
for its funny how the people featured on the island aren't lawyers, hairstylists, estate agents, crystal healers, etc etc...
you know like, the people whose jobs are really worthless when it comes down to it
FUBAR said:
Mange tout Rodney! Mate of mine was at school with a lad called Richard Head. No word of a lie. Now thats bad parents for you 
...that reminds me of a guy who worked in the polishing shop next door to me when i were a apprentice, his name was malcolm 'peters' ...which was formerly... 'malcolm PRATT'
also a guy married a cousin of mine an wanted to switch surnames with her maiden name instead of her last name becoming his, which was 'wally'!
but, his forname was 'steve' an her surname was 'stevens' - an thus made his new whole name become 'steve stevens' - now don't fukking laugh !
he's family you know.
[until they divorced some years ago]
FourWheelDrift said:
Not my surname, but I remember the surname Fuller on Tony Robinson's Worst Jobs program. With three sheep to every man, woman and child, wool is our biggest export. But nobody likes stiff and itchy cloth that falls to pieces, so we have several openings for fullers. As a fuller, you are expected to walk up and down all day in huge vats of stinking stale urine.
...then Tony [baldrik] is wrong as the surname derivision is for 'Walker' as they were the ancestors who 'walked' for a living.
Breda_Walton said:
Lad at school was called Steven Twilley. Needless to say his nickname was Ben 
...but she forgets to mention it was a school-girl called Brenda who investigated if it were physcially true or not, [an by deep-throating i heard]
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