I was reading rippingtons_fan’s surname thread in GQ the other day, and it got me to thinking. How many of us can still claim relevance to our last names?
Do you or your family still do the occupation listed? Does Uncle Baker really bake?
Is your patronymical surname still related to a first name that’s been passed down in your family?
Does your descriptive name still apply? Are you a brown-eyed Brown family?
Or has your history turned so far around that it’s funny to stop and think about the associations of your surname?
I suspect that I’m one of the rarer board members whose last name does actually apply. I’m a hunter, and unusual in that I’m a woman who hunts, so that it is one of my more distinguishing traits. Therefore, my last name totally fits, enough so that people comment on it all the time. Although an old family name of Belcher would fit too, now that I think about it.
Most of the surnames in my family have to do with locations or geographical identifiers. Mine is semi-specific, but we’ve yet to locate likely candidates.
A buddy mine’s last name is Becker. It suits him and his father well as they are both excellent cooks. Further more, I found out a while back that his grandfather owned Becker’s Bakery in Nashville, a fantastic pastry/cake shop. They also made stellar cookies. Mmm…Becker’s cookies…hwaaaghwhahahgh [drooooool]…
My surname means "Of or related to the chief farm in the hamlet of “iron-like brush or shrubbery growing upon a sandy ridge or hill’”. :eek:
I no longer live in said hamlet, but I have visited it, and many in the hamlet still bear my surname. But the owners of what was the chief farm back then are not bearing my surname.
I do happen to own and live on the largest farm in my area (Government Lot #3 of Section #17), which does indeed have a lot of ornery brush-like vegetation growing on sandy ridges and hills.
My surname still gets silly questions and comments every time we get to Nazi Germany in my AP Euro class. I still have to point out the lack of a second “N” at the end of my name, as opposed to Uncle Adolf’s. Then I get to play a mean joke on the kids. I say
“I wish you wouldn’t make fun of my name. I’ll have you know that I have a relative die at Dachau. (Long pause as the kids look contrite) Yep. He tripped and fell out of a guard tower!”
Do I really have to say it?
There’s a debate about what mine means. Some sources said “red-haired man” (which makes absolutely no sense); the other means “man from Russia” (which fits much better). Neither case applies to me.
Mine’s both a sincerely sketchy part of London and a pretty spiffy castle. My mother’s maiden name is the Scottish clan from which we’re (I’m almost sure it’s directly) descended.
The best I can tell from late night googlings, my maiden name roughly equates to “worry”, “angst” or “sorrow” in any of a variety of Germanic languages. “Sorrow” I believe is the closest.
My married name describes a Protestant religious office. And my husband is Catholic.
Yeah, Walker is the perfect generic name. If I were going to wear a nondescript alias that fits a mysterious self, Walker would probably be it.
Hm. As for my family:
I use my mom’s last name, which is a common patronymic, shared with several famous musicians. At this point, no one knows who “Will” was. I guess one could take it as abstract: child of will?
My father’s last name, often misspelled, is some form of a Mitteleuropean phrase for “beautiful field.” Of course, he & I both grew up in town. My aunt’s house, where I (but not any my relatives that use that name) lived the first three years of my life, has a nice yard, though.
Let’s see, I’m also descended from MacIntyres (son of the builder, I think)–there is some history of small carpentry/woodworking ability in the family.
