![]() Here are some last names that were taken from the places where people lived: Here are examples of some last names that came from the jobs that people held: All of these mean "son." People from some countries put son in front of their fathers' names. People who spoke different languages sometimes added sohn, wicz, vich, or ak to the end of a name. Here are some examples of patronymics, last names that come from first names: So, today, our last names can tell us something about the people we got them from long ago.Īsk students to pay close attention to see if their last names are on one of the following lists. Sometimes, a widow or single woman might adopt children and give them her last name. When a man married, his wife and children took his last name. They put these names after their first names. People took their fathers' first names, the names of their fathers' jobs, the names of the places where they lived, or names that told how they looked. So they simply called Thomas the Baker, "Thomas Baker." His wife became Elaine Baker, and their son was John Baker. She became known as "Elaine, Thomas the Baker's wife." They had a little boy named John, and he was known as "John, Thomas the Baker's son." But after a while, people got tired of saying all those words. Thomas the Baker married a girl named Elaine. One Thomas had a father named John, so he was called "Thomas, John's son." Another Thomas, a baker, was called "Thomas the Baker." The third Thomas had light-colored hair, so he was known as "Thomas the White." And the fourth Thomas lived next to the village green, so he was known to everyone as "Thomas of the Green." In those days, only kings and nobles had last names most men and women had only first names.īecause the men had the same name, here's how people told them apart. Introduce to students "The Story of Last Names."Ī long time ago, four men named Thomas lived in a little town. Students learn about the origins of last names in Medieval times.
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