What Does My Last Name Mean?
Sunday April 25, 2004
Several times each day this question (or a variation) arrives in my mailbox. Sometimes it is from a woman who is getting married and wants to learn more about the name she will soon be adopting. Others come from people looking for the answer to a school assignment (when will teachers learn that asking students to learn the origin of their last name rarely teaches them anything useful?). The majority, however, come from people who are just beginning to look at their family tree and hope that learning the origin of their last name will give them insight into where their family originally came from.
Last names aren't always as simple as they sound, however. Kerry, for example, is an Irish surname. Yet, Senator John Kerry, the Democratic candidate for U.S. President, has Austrian origins - his grandfather changed his name from Kohn to Kerry after arriving in the U.S. As you trace the origin of your own last name, don't be surprised to find that its present incarnation has been changed from the original as well. You may have a slight spelling variation of the original name, an anglicized version, or even a completely different surname.
Difficulties aside, there is something neat about learning what your name means and how it was originally derived. Check the Glossary of Last Name Meanings & Origins for the meaning and origin of your family name.
Last names aren't always as simple as they sound, however. Kerry, for example, is an Irish surname. Yet, Senator John Kerry, the Democratic candidate for U.S. President, has Austrian origins - his grandfather changed his name from Kohn to Kerry after arriving in the U.S. As you trace the origin of your own last name, don't be surprised to find that its present incarnation has been changed from the original as well. You may have a slight spelling variation of the original name, an anglicized version, or even a completely different surname.
Difficulties aside, there is something neat about learning what your name means and how it was originally derived. Check the Glossary of Last Name Meanings & Origins for the meaning and origin of your family name.
I disagree that students do not gain anything from researching their last name. Students learn about using computers to research and may gain some understanding of who they are. Plus teachers can use the activity as a way to interest the students in history.
yer i agree,
what eva she said!:)
yeah whatever she said i wanna no wat my last name means sooo bad
Your last name does mean something… you can learn what you are example im Swedish from my last name you can figure what you are!
im greek
uhh yo update yer page or w.e. b/c i cant find my last name on this gay ass site… =/
=( i cant find the meaning of my last name and its for a project!!! i really need to find it i know its italian
i think that my last name comes frm an indian term!! or something it is retarded
how do i find my name i cant find it waaaaaaaaa
Alot of people want to know what the meaning of there last names are. My last name is “Means” please help can’t find answers anywhere. I hear threw older family members that it is a cherokke indian name. But i am uncertain. Does anyone know. And what does it mean? billmeans@hotmail.com
i do think that student gain something from finding the maening of their name because of all the geneology thing that come with wath they are trying to fin so they get side tracked mabey in geneology and they might say “hey I wonder what els I can find here” so I do think that students get something from stuff like this as a school asignment
this is kool and well i g2g k ttyl
my last name is De Alba
i would like my awnser to be good not bad because my last name is Verno
i wish it will be a good thing because my last name is Verno
HOW CAN I FIND WHAT MY LAST NAME MEANS!!!I AM GOING TO BLOWUP!!!!
what the heck!when ever i put in a coment it does not show but when i put a new coment it shows.(wierd)
woah!I am leaving lots of coments.wait i think you do this:what does verno mean!:i have figered it out!
Wat does my last name “Gonzalez” mean
Answer me as soon as u can
I disagree with your comment that students rarely learn anything. This is an option for a research assignment this year for my classes. I use it as a tool for my students to learn researching strategies and to practice writing expository essays.
Giving them a choice allows them to pick something they are enthusiastic about. Over half of my classess have chosen to research their family name and are excited to do so. It is awesome to watch their faces light up when they find the little nuances of their name – it often builds pride in their families.
Hey. I have a friend with the last name Hafling and can’t seem to find it anywhere. Can someone please help me!
whoa!! who is that trying to be my bloodline?
It is interesting to find out the origin and geneology of your last name. I am 14 and i look on my own; not at school. You can always find something interesting that you may not have know before.
my moms last name is bollainygoytia where did it come from
wat da heck you talkin about
i vant to know vat my last name means!! vy vont it vork?