Anthroponomastics: The History of Personal Names
Ways People Get Their Given and Family Names
Feb 26, 2009
Anthroponomastics is the study of personal names. Onomastics is the broader study of names and includes object names and place names.
Having both a given name and a surname is a relatively recent custom in Western Civilization and most likely had its origin in Great Britain.
How Surnames Probably Started in Great Britain
Many researchers believe surnames started in England during the Middle Ages when the king decided to compile a tax list. No wonder: In many villages there would be three men known as Stephen the carpenter, or Richard, the baker.
William sent the heralds throughout the land. One of their products was the Domesday Book, which listed almost every person and their possessions, even down to the last pig. To avoid confusion, they asked to have two names, which then became known as the given name (first name) and the second name (surname).
From Richard the Baker to Richard Baker
This is how Richard the baker may have become Richard Baker, and Stephen the carpenter known as Stephen Carpenter. Others took names from the landscape: Robert Stone, William Mead (for meadow) or David Hill. Some were named for colors: Abraham Green, Henry Black and Nicholas White. Yet, there were no Reds, Purples or Yellows.
It is at this juncture that it becomes almost impossible to trace individual genealogies, the exception being royal families. Why? In one village there may have been three brothers, Richard the baker, Stephen the carpenter and David, who lived atop the hill. They may have become Richard Baker, Stephen Carpenter and David Hill, even though they were blood brothers.
Conversely, when surnames were assumed, there were in this village three bakers, Richard, John and William. All took the Baker surname. Yet, Richard Baker, John Baker and William Baker were not brothers. In that particular era, in hundreds of villages, there is no way to determine, by a person's name, who he was related to. Not all of the Bakers were brothers, Yet Stephen Carpenter, David Hill and Richard Baker were brothers.
Naming Patterns with Genealogical Significance
Families frequently follow naming patterns. In naming children for ancestors, often families use specific sequences. An example: The first son is named for his paternal grandfather, the next for the eldest uncle, etc. The first daughter might be named for the maternal grandmother and the next for the mother’s favorite sister.
Middle names also follow patterns. Donald Moseley Bachelor is named for his paternal grandmother, Mary (Moseley) Bachelor. His younger brother, Norman (Carpenter) Bachelor, is named for the family of his mother, Myra (Carpenter) Bachelor.
Children are also named after wealthy, or recently deceased, family members, or people popular at the time. Names of rulers, presidents and famous clergymen have long been popular.
Why Urania’s Name Was Sporadically Popular
How unpredictable naming customs are is illustrated in the given name “Urania”. This was the name of the Greek muse of astronomy. "Urania" has outbursts of popularity roughly 75 years apart. It turns out that the intervals of use correspond to the appearances of Halley’s Comet!
A good source for information is the American Name Society , a non-profit organization that seeks to find out what really is in a name, and to investigate cultural insights, settlement history, and linguistic characteristics revealed in names. It also publishes a journal and a bulletin. Another source is the Lurline H. Cultharp Collection of Onomastics, which provides a bibliography of books, articles and other onomastic resources at the University of Texas, El Paso. The collection numbers more than 2,000 items.
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