Where do names come from?

Where Do Our Names Come From?

By Lance Charles Sun

EDLA 615 - Language Arts & Technology
Spring 2012

Have you ever wondered where our names come from? As people, we are all different and so it would make sense that our names are all different as well.

Oh, have you met our friends yet? Why don't you say hello and ask them for their names and where they are from?

Our names can tell a lot of who we are, where we live, what languages we speak or even the kind of food that we eat.

Names of people and places always start with a capital letter in English.   

When babies are born, they all receive a name from their family. This is called a given name . Given name allows us to know who is who so we won’t get confused. Imagine how confusing it would be if everyone had the same name!

People aren’t the only ones who can have a given name . Even pets can have given names too!

What makes each of our names so special is that we all have surnames as well. Surnames, also known as family names, are names that are passed down by our ancestors.

In Spain and many Latin American countries, many people have two surnames . They get each of their surnames from their parents.

In some families, the parents might give their children the same name as them. This is where middle names come in handy. Middle names make names that are similar, slightly different.

Two of the past U.S. presidents (George Bush and Geroge W. Bush) both have identical names. If it wasn’t for middle names we would never be able to tell them apart!

Have you noticed that we still haven’t mentioned anything about first names or last names ? That’s because depending on your culture, first names and last names are organized differently. 

In many East Asian cultures, your family name comes before your given name . In other words, their name is written as family name -given name .   

In some cultures, children receive a religious name when they are young in honor of their religious faith. The religious name can be official or unofficial depending on the country, family and religion.

Religious names are just as important as given names or surnames in many families. They are a reminder of the family’s ancestry or history.

Nicknames are probably the most fun of all names. Nicknames can sound like a person’s real name or be totally random. Keep in mind though, nicknames are meant to be fun and should never hurt someone’s feeling.

You can have more than one nickname for the same person and the same goes for them with you. People that are close like friends and families often have nicknames for each other.

When people are older, they have the option of changing their name. People change their name for many reasons. Changing your name is a very big decision that takes time and a lot of thinking. 

Sometimes when people get married, they give each other their family name and create one super-giant surname .

Sometimes a person’s name can be a combination of names from different cultures and languages and they might not even know it.

The study of names is called Onomastics or onomatology.

Besides being in a different language, some names are also spoken and written differently depending on the language. Even the same name can exist in different languages and forms.

These are all variations of the name Caroline.

Carolyn, Carolyne, Carolin, Karolyn, Carroline, Caralynn, Carrolynn and etc.

Aren’t names fascinating? Names are all so unique and personal that it’s hard to imagine a world where everybody had the same name. The next time you meet someone new, why don't you ask them where their names came from?

Now that you know all about the different types of name and where they come from, can you explain the different parts of your name?

The end.

A Big Thank You To:
Maggie Awad
Melissa Elgendy