# Are new surnames still being invented? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 30, 2003, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-new-surnames-still-being-invented/204628 "2003-09-30T03:45:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-new-surnames-still-being-invented/204628/1 "2003-09-30T03:45:39Z")
Way back when, a lot of surnames were made up based on peoples’ professions. For example, Fletcher (maker of arrows), Smith (blacksmith), Tailor, Baker… Can we gradually expect names like “Mike Javaprogrammer”, “Claire Webdesigner” and “Simon Cosmologist” ? ---
**Author:** ![Hugh\_Jass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4da419/32.png) [@Hugh\_Jass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hugh_Jass)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-new-surnames-still-being-invented/204628/2 "2003-09-30T03:48:58Z")
Dunno about Mike Javaprogrammer, but I’ve noticed a very small trend of creating a new surname from combining the original surnames of both spouse. These are usually progressive types that have done that to my knowledgel. I thought it was a pretty nifty idea. Very fair. ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-new-surnames-still-being-invented/204628/3 "2003-09-30T04:25:42Z")
A friend I worked with had parents from Japan. When they came to the US they were allowed to change their last name to anything they wanted. Funny thing is, they didn’t know anything about our language, so his dad just looked out the window and chose a word off a business sign across the street. It has something to do with automobile parts 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-new-surnames-still-being-invented/204628/4 "2003-09-30T04:25:49Z")
**Hugh Jass** - that’s pretty common practice in Spain and has been for a long time. Cite: [http://spanish.about.com/library/weekly/aa031201a.htm](http://spanish.about.com/library/weekly/aa031201a.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-new-surnames-still-being-invented/204628/5 "2003-09-30T06:07:49Z")
My guess is that the majority of new surnames will come, as **ccwaterback** illustrated, from people migrating from non-Western cultures to Western cultures, and responding to the pressure to have a first name and surname. Many cultures do not have the equivalent of surnames. And I’m further predicting that these surname creations will follow the grand tradition of other surnames: 1. Named from the place of origin 2. Name from some form of “son of —” 3. Named for occupation 4. Named for personal attribute ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-new-surnames-still-being-invented/204628/6 "2003-09-30T09:32:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DarrenS \* > \*\ ***Hugh Jass** - that’s pretty common practice in Spain and has been for a long time. Cite: [http://spanish.about.com/library/weekly/aa031201a.htm](http://spanish.about.com/library/weekly/aa031201a.htm) \*\* Not only Spain but every mainly Spanish-speaking country (ie, most of Latin America). ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-new-surnames-still-being-invented/204628/7 "2003-09-30T10:10:44Z")
Just my five cents: I doubt we’ll see Mike Javaprogrammer, mainly because Mike already has a surname. Of course he could opt for a name change (at least in the US - in Germany, for example, you’ll only get permission for a name change if you can convince your local clerks that your current name is an unbearable burden to you), but why should he? Even when family names became common in the Middle Ages, they lost the connection to the bearer’s profession very quickly and became inheritable, no matter what you’re actually doing for a living. ---
**Author:** ![Dreaming\_of\_Maria\_Callas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f14d63/32.png) [@Dreaming\_of\_Maria\_Callas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dreaming_of_Maria_Callas)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-new-surnames-still-being-invented/204628/8 "2003-09-30T10:50:20Z")
A well-known Esperantist changed his surname to “Kisa”. The rumour I heard was that he was upset at how people were pronouncing his original surname Richard - it was French and people were pronouncing it like in English or vice versa - and he was much happier with Kisa. So, I guess occasionally new surnames come about, though changing one’s name will often seem odd. UnuMondo ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-new-surnames-still-being-invented/204628/9 "2003-09-30T12:05:26Z")
**UnuMondo** , I know that Esperantist, at least well enough to occaisionally ICQ, but I had no idea that he was considered ‘well-known’, except possibly among art-lang types. Interesting. ---
**Author:** ![godzillatemple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/49beb7/32.png) [@godzillatemple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/godzillatemple)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-new-surnames-still-being-invented/204628/10 "2003-09-30T12:59:12Z")
I once knew a rather disturbed man named Stanley. He had two children. Despite the fact that he was rather disturbed, he managed to get custody of both kids when he and his wife divorced. He then had his children’s surname legally changed to “Stanleyson.” And then, of course, he had his own name changed to “Turtle” (no surname). Go figure… Barry ---
**Author:** ![Bruce\_Daddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Bruce\_Daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bruce_Daddy)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-new-surnames-still-being-invented/204628/11 "2003-09-30T13:16:02Z")
Along the same vein, does it not stand to reason that the rate at which last names are being created is less than the rate at which last names are disappearing that eventually there will be only one last name? ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-new-surnames-still-being-invented/204628/12 "2003-09-30T14:45:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DarrenS \* > Hugh Jass - that’s pretty common practice in Spain and has been for a long time. Cite: [http://spanish.about.com/library/weekly/aa031201a.htm](http://spanish.about.com/library/weekly/aa031201a.htm) Um, no. You must have misunderstood how it works. New names are not being invented. A person uses two last names, his father’s and his mother’s. That’s all. They are not newly invented and most of them go back to the middle ages. The president of Cuba is Fidel Castro Ruz, his father was Angel Castro Argiz and his mother Lina Ruz González. I do not know the origins of Argiz or Ruz but Castro and González go back to the middle ages. No new surnames are being invented and González is as common as Smith. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-new-surnames-still-being-invented/204628/13 "2003-09-30T14:49:09Z")
Well into the 20th century, there were many people in India who had not yet adopted the use of family names. So you do find some more modern occupational names that have been adopted more recently, such as “Pilot” and “Shipchandler.” ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-new-surnames-still-being-invented/204628/14 "2003-09-30T15:39:06Z")
What about [Jennifer Government?](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0385507593/qid=1064936796/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/104-2171110-1070335?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) > [@](#): > > In the horrifying, satirical near future of Max Barry’s Jennifer Government, American corporations literally rule the world. Everyone takes his employer’s name as his last name; once-autonomous nations as far-flung as Australia belong to the USA; and the National Rifle Association is not just a worldwide corporation, it’s a hot, publicly traded stock. Hack Nike, a hapless employee seeking advancement, signs a multipage contract and then reads it. He discovers he’s agreed to assassinate kids purchasing Nike’s new line of athletic shoes, a stealth marketing maneuver designed to increase sales. And the dreaded government agent Jennifer Government is after him. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-new-surnames-still-being-invented/204628/15 "2003-09-30T15:52:01Z")
Any Icelandic Dopers care to chime in? IIRC their surnames are simply the name of the father or mother and -son (son of) or -dottir (daughter of) tacked on. ---
**Author:** ![shelbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@shelbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shelbo)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-new-surnames-still-being-invented/204628/16 "2003-09-30T16:18:38Z")
With the increasing importance of the internet, it seems likely that screennames will morph into surnames. Welcome to the world, Emily Qts, John Exapno-Mapcase, and Bruce Bruce\_Daddy! ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-new-surnames-still-being-invented/204628/17 "2003-09-30T17:13:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bruce\_Daddy \* > \*\*Along the same vein, does it not stand to reason that the rate at which last names are being created is less than the rate at which last names are disappearing that eventually there will be only one last name? \*\* Nitpick: only the rates remain constant. I think rate of new names would increase, and rate of disappearance would decrease as we had fewer names, probably leading to some sort of (possibly oscillating) equilibrium. Ahem. Not that I’m sad or anything. ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-new-surnames-still-being-invented/204628/18 "2003-09-30T17:17:59Z")
:smack: That should read “only **if** the rates…” in the first sentance. ---
**Author:** ![sunfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/96bed5/32.png) [@sunfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunfish)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-new-surnames-still-being-invented/204628/19 "2003-09-30T17:25:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hugh Jass \* > \*\*Dunno about Mike Javaprogrammer, but I’ve noticed a very small trend of creating a new surname from combining the original surnames of both spouse. These are usually progressive types that have done that to my knowledgel. I thought it was a pretty nifty idea. Very fair. \*\* Hyphenating spouses’ names may not technically qualify as creating a totally new surname, but I’d wager it’s uncommon enough still to draw comment. Folks are used to women hyphenating their surname after marriage, but not necessarily seeing both spouses and children with the changed name. I know two such cases; one of them was my PhD advisor, who told me that when he first got married (late 1970s) people asked him if he’d gone 'round the bend. They still think it’s funny once they hear the story behind his current surname. I have actually seen a case of a totally new surname that was a true blend of the parents’ surnames, though. As it happened, the first syllable of the wife’s name was almost identical to the second (last) syllable of the husband’s name, with one additional letter. The children’s surname then was a combination of first part of each parent’s name. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-new-surnames-still-being-invented/204628/20 "2003-09-30T17:33:51Z")
Likely? Care to offer some evidence of such likelihood? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-new-surnames-still-being-invented/204628.md?page=2)