What's in a name?
A given or personal name is the name (or names) given to a baby by its parents. A surname is the last name that is handed down to offspring; also known as a family name. In the United States and most Western European countries, the surname is passed from the father to the children; in some cases, parents may choose to hyphenate the family name of both parents. For example, John Smith and Annie Jones may name their child Richard Jones-Smith.
A patronym is a name derived from the name of the father, or another paternal ancestor. For example, Jackson (Jack's son) is a patronymic name.
A matronym is a name derived from the name of the mother, or another maternal ancestor. In some societies, surnames are matronymical. In England in the Middle Ages, it was not uncommon for children to be given a matronymic surname if they were born to unwed mothers, if their fathers died before their birth, if they were born to a very strong-minded woman. In some cases, the matronym was given if the father's name was foreign or difficult to pronounce. In many cases, these surnames became the personal names, such as Allison (son of Alice).
There are many derivatives of names, depending on the cultural background, as well as spelling variants, and crossover from masculine names to feminine names in many variations. Some derivatives sound nothing like the original name; Kermit is a derivative of the Irish name Dermot. Another example is Charlotte, a French variant of Carlotta, and the subsequent derivatives produced by pet names of Lottie, Charlie and Totty; or Sally, a pet name derived from Sarah.
For centuries, family names have been turned into personal names, which becomes apparent if one looks at a family tree. An ancestor with the family name of Russell may show up in the next generation when a daughter preserves the family name by assigning a personal name of Russell to her child.
Finally, there are pet names that have become actual given names. There are too many examples of this to list, but Elizabeth is probably a very good example, spawning names such as Beth, Betty, Elise, Eliza, Elisa, Alyssa, Elsie, Liza and Lisette, to name a few.
Where do names come from?
In the United States, our names are derived from a wide variety of ethnic and social groups, but Anglo-Saxon and Western European names are still predominant on the lists. Names of babies are given by parents, who pull from their own rich heritage and social groups when deciding what to name their baby.
If you've looked through the baby names list here, you can see that Bible names are still very popular, especially for male baby names, such as Isaiah, Joseph and Noah. Bible baby names for girls, such as Rachel, Sarah and Hannah (and their derivatives) are also very popular. Biblical names are easy to understand because their roots are easily traced, usually to their Hebrew origins, and because throughout most of the world, the names are familiar from the Old Testament portion of the Bible.
Christians of the first centuries used Old Testament Hebrew names. Over time, these were replaced in favor of names from the New Testament, such as Peter, Paul and Luke for boys, and Mary for girls. (Unfortunately, the New Testament is not as forthcoming about women of the time as was the Old Testament, so there are fewer feminine names.)
During the Reformation in the 16th century, Old Testament names once again became popular, as did names derived from virtues, such as Faith, Hope and Charity.
In many cultures throughout time, names have been borrowed from names of places (place names), or from trades or crafts (occupational names). John, who lives near Gladstone, would eventually become John Gladstone or Gladston; the aristocratic English name Redvers was originally a Norman place name. In occupational names, John, the smith, became John Smith; Joe, the tailor, became Joe Tailor or Taylor. Middle English names were often occupational, such as Brewster (one who brews beer).There are many, many examples of place names in both personal and family names.
Calendar names, such as seasons (Autumn), days of the week (Tuesday), or months of the year (June), and names from nature, such as Sunny, Silver and River, are also used. Numeral names are not as common, although they were used extensively in ancient Rome; Quintus (5), Octavius (8) and its feminine form, Octavia, for example.
Each generation brings something new to the names they give their babies, with variations in spelling and variations in names or hybridization of names. We all want to make our child stand out and be unique - and sometimes we give them a name just because we like the way it sounds! Whatever you name your child, just remember there are many, many names and variations to choose from, and that the name will be with your baby throughout his or her entire life.
