A patronymic , or patronym , is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (more specifically an avonymic ), or an earlier male ancestor. It is the male equivalent of a matronymic .
104-475: Kretschmer is a German surname . It is an occupational surname literally meaning "innkeeper" associated with the word Kretscham , meaning village inn. It comes from the Middle High German word kretschmar , which was borrowed from a Slavic language, e.g. Czech krčmář . Other forms include Krechmer , Kretchmer , Kretschmar , Kretzschmar , and Kreczmar (Polonized form). Notable people with
208-407: A certain aspect of that individual, such as by trade, father's name, location of birth, or physical features, and were not necessarily inherited. By 1400 most English families, and those from Lowland Scotland, had adopted the use of hereditary surnames. The study of proper names (in family names, personal names, or places) is called onomastics . While the use of given names to identify individuals
312-526: A comma, and items are alphabetized by the last name. In France, Italy, Spain, Belgium and Latin America, administrative usage is to put the surname before the first on official documents. In most Balto-Slavic languages (such as Latvian, Lithuanian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Russian, Polish, Slovak, Czech, etc.) as well as in Greek , Irish, Icelandic , and Azerbaijani , some surnames change form depending on
416-530: A family name. Someone called "Ramazan Rahim Ali Manji" might call his son "Karim Ramazan Rahim Manji" and his granddaughter might be called "Zahra Karim Ramazan Manji". Indians in Singapore and Malaysia, particularly those of Tamil descent, often continue the patronymic tradition. This entails having a single given name, followed by son/daughter of, followed by their father's name. In Malaysia , Singapore and Brunei , ethnic Malays and Indians generally follow
520-470: A family unit are required to have identical surnames. In some countries, surnames are modified depending on gender and family membership status of a person. Compound surnames can be composed of separate names. Using names has been documented in even the oldest historical records. Examples of surnames are documented in the 11th century by the barons in England. English surnames began as a way of identifying
624-578: A famous ancestor, or the place of origin; but they were not universal. For example, Hunayn ibn Ishaq (fl. 850 AD) was known by the nisbah "al-'Ibadi", a federation of Arab Christian tribes that lived in Mesopotamia prior to the advent of Islam . In Ancient Greece, as far back as the Archaic Period clan names and patronymics ("son of") were also common, as in Aristides as Λῡσῐμᾰ́χου –
728-464: A genitive singular form meaning son of Lysimachus. For example, Alexander the Great was known as Heracleides , as a supposed descendant of Heracles , and by the dynastic name Karanos / Caranus , which referred to the founder of the dynasty to which he belonged . These patronymics are already attested for many characters in the works of Homer . At other times formal identification commonly included
832-412: A man named Adamu Abdulkabiru Jibril — whereby "Adamu" would be his given first name, "Abdulkabiru" would be his father's given name as a patronymic middle name, and "Jibril" would be his hereditary family surname. Other people hyphenate their surname to include a patronymic, in which case the example would be named Adamu Abdulkabiru-Jibril with "Abdulkabiru-Jibril" acting as his surname. Using patronymics as
936-1061: A more complex history. Both Greek words had entered Latin, and, from Latin, French. The English form patronymic was borrowed through the mutual influence of French and Latin on English. In many areas around the world, patronyms predate the use of family names . Family names in many Celtic , Germanic , Iberian , Georgian , Armenian and Slavic languages originate from patronyms, e.g. Wilson (son of William ), FitzGerald (son of Gerald ), Powell (from "ap Hywel "), Fernández (son of Fernando ), Rodríguez (son of Rodrigo ), Andersson or Andersen (son of Anders , Scandinavian form of Andrew ), Carlsen (son of Carl ), Ilyin (of Ilya ), Petrov (of Peter ), Grigorovich (son of Grigory , Russian form of Gregory ), Stefanović (son of Stefan , little Stefan), MacAllister (from "mac Alistair", meaning son of Alistair , anglicized Scottish form of Alexander ) and O'Conor (from "Ó Conchobhair", meaning grandson/descendant of Conchobhar ). Other cultures which formerly used patronyms have switched to
1040-619: A number of sources, was an English nickname meaning "effeminate". A group of nicknames look like occupational ones: King , Bishop , Abbot , Sheriff , Knight , etc. but it is rather unlikely that a person with surname King was a king or descended from a king. Bernard Deacon suggests that the first nickname/surname bearer may have acted as a king or bishop, or was corpulent as bishop. etc. A considerable group of surname-producing nicknames may be found among ethnonymic surnames . Ornamental surnames are made up of names, not specific to any attribute (place, parentage, occupation, caste) of
1144-523: A person has a right for a name change . Depending on culture, the surname may be placed at either the start of a person's name, or at the end. The number of surnames given to an individual also varies: in most cases it is just one, but in Portuguese-speaking countries and many Spanish-speaking countries, two surnames (one inherited from the mother and another from the father) are used for legal purposes. Depending on culture, not all members of
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#17327867978091248-473: A person is usually two but officially registered with three names. The person's given name comes first, followed by their father's given name and (optionally, for official purposes) their grandfather's name last. For example, a person named Lemlem Mengesha Abraha has Lemlem as her given name, Mengesha (from her father's name) Abraha (grandfather's name). The grandfather's name is usually only added in official documents and not used in everyday life. The father's name
1352-468: A social justice movement aimed at eliminating caste-based discrimination . Traditionally, many Indian states used patronyms or surnames to reflect familial heritage and caste, but Tamil Nadu's system intentionally disrupts this structure. In this system, individuals often use their father's given name as an initial or surname. For example, "R. Karthik" signifies Karthik, son of Rajesh, with "R" representing his father's name. Unlike other Indian states, where
1456-736: A surname tradition. Ornamental surnames are more common in communities that adopted (or were forced to adopt) surnames in the 18th and 19th centuries. They occur commonly in Scandinavia, and among Sinti and Roma and Jews in Germany and Austria. During the era of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade many Africans were given new names by their masters. Many of the family names of many African-Americans have their origins in slavery ( i.e. slave name ). Some freed slaves later created family names themselves. Another category of acquired names
1560-463: A woman takes her husband's given name as her middle name – her new middle name is no longer a patronymic. East Slavic naming customs are similar, except that the suffix -yevich , -yevna , or something similar is used in a Russian language patronymic. Indians of the Muslim Isma'ili sect also have patronymic middle names that use the father's first name and the grandfather's first name plus
1664-602: Is Velbienė , and his unmarried daughter, Velbaitė . Many surnames include prefixes that may or may not be separated by a space or punctuation from the main part of the surname. These are usually not considered true compound names, rather single surnames are made up of more than one word. These prefixes often give hints about the type or origin of the surname (patronymic, toponymic, notable lineage) and include words that mean from [a place or lineage], and son of/daughter of/child of. The common Celtic prefixes "Ó" or "Ua" (descendant of) and "Mac" or "Mag" (son of) can be spelled with
1768-521: Is foundlings names. Historically, children born to unwed parents or extremely poor parents would be abandoned in a public place or anonymously placed in a foundling wheel . Such abandoned children might be claimed and named by religious figures, the community leaders, or adoptive parents. Some such children were given surnames that reflected their condition, like (Italian) Esposito , Innocenti , Della Casagrande , Trovato , Abbandonata, or (Dutch) Vondeling, Verlaeten, Bijstand. Other children were named for
1872-425: Is patronymic , but as a noun this exists in free variation alongside patronym . The first part of the word patronym comes from Greek πατήρ patēr ' father ' ( GEN πατρός patros whence the combining form πατρο- patro -); the second part comes from Greek ὄνυμα onyma , a variant form of ὄνομα onoma 'name'. In the form patronymic , this stands with the addition of the suffix -ικός ( -ikos ), which
1976-520: Is "Mohamed Ibrahim Ahmed", and Mohamed Ibrahim Ahmed's son Ali is "Ali Mohamed Ibrahim". The naming convention used in Eritrea and Ethiopia does not have family names and surnames. A person is referred to by a single name: this is always the person's given name. Ethiopians and Eritreans use a naming pattern very similar to the Arab naming pattern, but with one exception: no suffix or prefix. The full name of
2080-494: Is Ravichandran, prefers to be known as "R. Ashwin" or " Ravichandran Ashwin ." This choice is particularly relevant in sports commentary, where players are often referred to by their surnames. Since it would be incorrect to call him by his father’s name alone, Ashwin uses his given name in conjunction with his father's name. There is also a growing trend in Tamil Nadu to expand initials in ways that align with how names sound in
2184-546: Is also customary for the Baltic Finnic peoples and the Hungarians , but other Uralic peoples traditionally did not have surnames, perhaps because of the clan structure of their societies. The Samis , depending on the circumstances of their names, either saw no change or did see a transformation of their name. For example: Sire in some cases became Siri, and Hætta Jáhkoš Ásslat became Aslak Jacobsen Hætta – as
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#17327867978092288-545: Is also the name of one of Japan's prefectures ), Yamamoto (山本) means "the base of the mountain", and Inoue (井上) means "above the well". Arabic names sometimes contain surnames that denote the city of origin. For example, in cases of Saddam Hussein al Tikriti, meaning Saddam Hussein originated from Tikrit , a city in Iraq . This component of the name is called a nisbah . The meanings of some names are unknown or unclear. The most common European name in this category may be
2392-659: Is also the case in Cambodia and among the Hmong of Laos and Thailand . The Telugu people of south India also place surname before personal name. There are some parts of Europe, in particular Hungary , where the surname is placed before the personal name. Since family names are normally written last in European societies, the terms last name or surname are commonly used for the family name, while in Japan (with vertical writing)
2496-736: Is alternatively written as Hisham b. al-Kalbi . However, the pronunciation bin is dialectal and has nothing to do with either the spelling or pronunciation in Classical Arabic. The word Abu ( Aba or Abi in different grammatical cases) means "father of", so Abu ʿAli is another name for ʿAmr . In Northwest Africa , the patronymic is romanized as ben , reflecting local pronunciation . See for example Ahmed Ben Bella ( أحمد بن بلّة ) and Ben Ali ( بن علي ). In medieval times, an illegitimate child of unknown parentage would sometimes be termed ibn Abihi , "son of his father" (notably Ziyad ibn Abihi .) In
2600-444: Is attested in the oldest historical records, the advent of surnames is relatively recent. Many cultures have used and continue to use additional descriptive terms in identifying individuals. These terms may indicate personal attributes, location of origin, occupation, parentage, patronage, adoption, or clan affiliation. In China, according to legend, family names started with Emperor Fu Xi in 2000 BC. His administration standardised
2704-478: Is common in parts of India . For example, if a father is named Ramprasad Sachin Pandey (a masculine name), he might name his son Sunil Ramprasad Pandey, who in turn might name his son Sanjeev Sunil Pandey. As a result, unlike surnames, patronymics will not pass down through many generations. In Tamil Nadu and some parts of Kerala and South Karnataka , patronymy is predominant. This is a significant departure from
2808-508: Is given from the father's family. For example, if the father's name is Boggi Sinaga who married Moetia Siregar then all children will be given the family's name of Sinaga. In Sunda, a similar cultural rule is used to that of the Batak. The family's name for Sunda is -Wijaya, but that is not true for all Sundanese families. The use of patronymics was introduced in Armenia by Russians during
2912-453: Is not considered a middle name but a last name, without it being a family name or surname. Women do not take their husband's last name. They continue to go independently by their given name, followed by their father's name, and then their grandfather's name, even after marriage. In both Ethiopia and Eritrea, a person is always addressed by their first name; for example Mrs. Lemlem or Dr. Lemlem. Some Kenyan communities used patronyms. As of 2010,
3016-413: Is placed before personal / first name and in most cases it is only shown as an initial (for example 'S.' for Suryapeth). In English and other languages like Spanish—although the usual order of names is "first middle last"—for the purpose of cataloging in libraries and in citing the names of authors in scholarly papers, the order is changed to "last, first middle," with the last and first names separated by
3120-562: Is referred to by his given name, Annadurai, underscoring the unique flexibility and personalization that Tamil Nadu's naming conventions allow. This evolution in Tamil naming practices highlights both the influence of social justice reforms and the cultural adaptability within the state. While Tamil Nadu has largely moved away from caste-based surnames, the naming system retains a focus on individual identity, free from rigid lineage-based structures, distinguishing it from other Indian states. While
3224-530: Is very common in parts of Mozambique. Although the practice is not universal, patronymic naming has been documented in the Zambezia province. Although not as prominent as during the pre-colonial period, some Nigerians (particularly in the North) continue using patronymics — either as a middle name, as the first part of a hyphenated surname, or as a surname. An example of the use of patronymic middle names would be
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3328-680: The Arab world , the use of patronymics is well attested. The famous scholar Rhazes ( c. 865–925 AD ) is referred to as "al-Razi" (lit. the one from Ray) due to his origins from the city of Ray , Iran. In the Levant , surnames were in use as early as the High Middle Ages and it was common for people to derive their surname from a distant ancestor, and historically the surname would be often preceded with 'ibn' or 'son of'. Arab family names often denote either one's tribe , profession ,
3432-700: The Qur'an , Jesus ( Isa in Arabic) is consistently termed Isa ibn Maryam – a matronymic (in the Qur'an, Jesus has no father ; see Jesus in Islam ). An Arabic patronymic can be extended as far back as family tree records will allow: thus, for example, Ibn Khaldun gave his own full name as Abd ar-Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn Jabir ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn ʿAbd ar-Rahman ibn Khaldun . Patronymics are still standard in parts of
3536-536: The Seediqs often get to choose which parent's name goes after their own. Mongol people 's names are preceded by the name of their father and possessive marker; both son and daughter are patronymics. Many indigenous ethnic groups in Yunnan , such as Yi , Hani , Jingpo , Jino , Derung , Nu , Wa , Hmong and Yao , use a son-father patronymic naming system ( 亲子连名制 ). Historically, Naxi and Bai have also used
3640-495: The grammatical case of the noun) is the equivalent of the "-son" suffix discussed above, and bint ( بنت ) means "daughter of". Thus, for example, Ali ibn ʿAmr means "Ali son of ʿAmr". In Classical Arabic, the word ibn is written as bn between two names, since the case ending of the first name then supplies a vowel. Ibn is often written as b. , and bint as bt. , in name formulas rendered from Arabic into Roman characters . Thus Hisham ibn al-Kalbi
3744-600: The -is suffix will have the -i suffix. Latvian, like Lithuanian, uses strictly feminized surnames for women, even in the case of foreign names. The function of the suffix is purely grammatical. Male surnames ending -e or -a need not be modified for women. Exceptions are: In Iceland, surnames have a gender-specific suffix (-dóttir = daughter, -son = son). This was also the case in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, until they were abolished by law in 1856, 1923, and 1966 respectively. Finnish used gender-specific suffixes up to 1929 when
3848-499: The Arab world, notably Saudi Arabia and Iraq (in the case of Iraq, with ibn or bint omitted.) However, some of the Arab world has switched to a family name system. As in English, the new family names are sometimes based on what was formerly a patronymic. The form most used in the Arab world is the usage of both the patronymic and a family name, often using both the father's and paternal grandfathers given name in sequence after
3952-822: The Arabic patronymic naming system of given name + bin/binti or son of/daughter of (often abbreviated SO/DO) + father's name . Non-Muslim indigenous Malaysians in Sarawak use the "anak" in place of bin/binti or SO/DO, "anak" being the Malay word for "child", while non-muslim indigenous Malaysians in Sabah may use "bin" or "binti". However, not all Malays use patronymics, in Thailand they have adopted surnames, while in Indonesia they do not usually have either. Singaporean Indians use
4056-533: The Eastern Roman Empire, however it was not until the 11th century that surnames came to be used in West Europe. Medieval Spain used a patronymic system. For example, Álvaro, a son of Rodrigo, would be named Álvaro Rodríguez. His son, Juan, would not be named Juan Rodríguez, but Juan Álvarez. Over time, many of these patronymics became family names, and they are some of the most common names in
4160-574: The Irish name Ryan , which means 'little king' in Irish. Also, Celtic origin of the name Arthur, meaning ' bear '. Other surnames may have arisen from more than one source: the name De Luca , for instance, likely arose either in or near Lucania or in the family of someone named Lucas or Lucius; in some instances, however, the name may have arisen from Lucca, with the spelling and pronunciation changing over time and with emigration. The same name may appear in different cultures by coincidence or romanization;
4264-514: The Madras High Court recently directed the removal of community and caste names from government school names across the state. This move aligns with the state's long-standing policies to reduce caste-based distinctions in public life, including naming practices. The court’s decision reflects the state’s dedication to social justice by eliminating caste markers, particularly in institutions that shape young minds. This legal step ensures that
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4368-519: The Marriage Act forced women to use the husband's form of the surname. In 1985, this clause was removed from the act. Until at least 1850, women's surnames were suffixed with an -in in Tyrol. Some Slavic cultures originally distinguished the surnames of married and unmarried women by different suffixes, but this distinction is no longer widely observed. Some Czech dialects (Southwest-Bohemian) use
4472-732: The Netherlands (1795–1811), Japan (1870s), Thailand (1920), and Turkey (1934). The structure of the Japanese name was formalized by the government as family name + given name in 1868. In Breslau Prussia enacted the Hoym Ordinance in 1790, mandating the adoption of Jewish surnames. Napoleon also insisted on Jews adopting fixed names in a decree issued in 1808. Names can sometimes be changed to protect individual privacy (such as in witness protection ), or in cases where groups of people are escaping persecution. After arriving in
4576-485: The Old English element tūn may have originally meant "enclosure" in one name, but can have meant "farmstead", "village", "manor", or "estate" in other names. Location names, or habitation names, may be as generic as "Monte" (Portuguese for "mountain"), "Górski" (Polish for "hill"), or "Pitt" (variant of "pit"), but may also refer to specific locations. "Washington", for instance, is thought to mean "the homestead of
4680-701: The Rosenkrantz ("rose wreath") family took their surname from a wreath of roses comprising the torse of their arms, and the Gyldenstierne ("golden star") family took theirs from a 7-pointed gold star on their shield. Subsequently, many middle-class Scandinavian families desired names similar to those of the nobles and adopted "ornamental" surnames as well. Most other naming traditions refer to them as "acquired". They might be given to people newly immigrated, conquered, or converted, as well as those with unknown parentage, formerly enslaved, or from parentage without
4784-741: The Soviet Union in 1991 there was a massive decline in the use of Russified patronymics; nowadays few Armenians use patronymics outside of official contexts. Many Armenian surnames were once patronymics first used by distant ancestors or clan founders. These are characterized by the suffix "-ian" in Western Armenian, often transliterated as "-yan" in Eastern Armenian. These are appended to the given name, i.e. Kardash ian , Asdvadzadour ian , Tank ian , Hagop ian , Khachadour ian , Mardiros ian , Bedros ian , Sarkiss ian , etc. Note that
4888-557: The Spanish-speaking world today. Other sources of surnames are personal appearance or habit, e.g. Delgado ("thin") and Moreno ("dark"); geographic location or ethnicity, e.g. Alemán ("German"); and occupations, e.g. Molinero ("miller"), Zapatero ("shoe-maker") and Guerrero ("warrior"), although occupational names are much more often found in a shortened form referring to the trade itself, e.g. Molina ("mill"), Guerra ("war"), or Zapata (archaic form of zapato , "shoe"). In England
4992-441: The Tamil language. For example, some choose to expand names phonetically, such as " Pala. Karuppiah " instead of "P. Karuppiah," or " Pa. Ranjith " rather than "P. Ranjith," to reflect a closer approximation of the name in Tamil. In the academic and professional world, scientists like M. Annadurai expand their names to "Mayilsami Annadurai," though it would be inappropriate to address him by his father's name, Mayilsami. Instead, he
5096-642: The United States, European Jews who fled Nazi persecution sometimes anglicized their surnames to avoid discrimination. Governments can also forcibly change people's names, as when the National Socialist government of Germany assigned German names to European people in the territories they conquered. In the 1980s, the People's Republic of Bulgaria forcibly changed the first and last names of its Turkish citizens to Bulgarian names. These are
5200-705: The Western Roman Empire in the 5th century, family names were uncommon in the Eastern Roman Empire . In Western Europe, where Germanic culture dominated the aristocracy, family names were almost non-existent. They would not significantly reappear again in Eastern Roman society until the 10th century, apparently influenced by the familial affiliations of the Armenian military aristocracy. The practice of using family names spread through
5304-677: The abbreviations s/o (son of) or d/o (daughter of), while Malaysian Indians typically use the respective Malay variations "anak lelaki" (abbreviated a/l ) or "anak perempuan" (abbreviated a/p ). In some cases, individuals may opt to omit the patronymic indicator and abbreviate the patronymic for ease of usage. For example, a former deputy minister of Malaysia Pathmanaban a/l Kunjamboo was more commonly referred to as K. Pathmanaban and veteran Singaporean politicians Shanmugam Kasiviswanathan and Suppiah Dhanabalan went by K. Shanmugam and S. Dhanabalan respectively. The individual may opt not to include "son of" or "daughter of" in their legal name, as in
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#17327867978095408-490: The case of Shanmugam and Dhanabalan. In Brunei , the ruling family of the monarch uses given name + ibni + father's name instead of using bin/binti. In Indonesia, there are a number of ethnic groups with different naming systems. The Batak of North Sumatra (Sumatra Utara) give every child the family's name. Sometimes the family's name is prefixed by Huta-, Batu-, etc., but most use Si-, such as Sitanggang, Sihombing, Sibutar-butar, Sinaga, or Sitohang. The family's name
5512-486: The caste system is not perpetuated through the education system, aligning with the larger movement that has shaped Tamil Nadu's approach to names and identity over the past century. This final ruling serves as an important reminder of the state's commitment to dismantling caste-based identity and promoting a more egalitarian social structure, further cementing Tamil Nadu's unique position in its approach to names, identity, and social justice. In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana,
5616-458: The cities and the need for new arrivals to choose a defining surname. In Portuguese-speaking countries , it is uncommon, but not unprecedented, to find surnames derived from names of countries, such as Portugal, França, Brasil, Holanda. Surnames derived from country names are also found in English, such as "England", "Wales", "Spain". Some Japanese surnames derive from geographical features; for example, Ishikawa (石川) means "stone river" (and
5720-732: The exception of the upper and some middle-class families). After surnames were commonly adopted in Azerbaijan in the 1920s, patronymics still remained parts of full names, i.e. Sardar Ilyas oğlu Aliyev ("Sardar Aliyev, son of Ilyas"). Nowadays in Azerbaijan, patronymics sometimes replace surnames in unofficial use. Normally in such case, they are spelled as one word (i.e. Eldar Mammadoğlu , Sabina Yusifqızı ). Many Azeri surnames are also derived from Persian-style patronymics ending in -zadeh ( Kazimzadeh , Mehdizadeh , etc.). They are found among both Caucasian and Iranian Azeris. However, unlike
5824-461: The family name may be referred to as "upper name" ( ue-no-namae ( 上の名前 ) ). When people from areas using Eastern naming order write their personal name in the Latin alphabet , it is common to reverse the order of the given and family names for the convenience of Westerners, so that they know which name is the family name for official/formal purposes. Reversing the order of names for the same reason
5928-591: The family of Wassa", while "Lucci" means "resident of Lucca ". Although some surnames, such as "London", "Lisboa", or "Białystok" are derived from large cities, more people reflect the names of smaller communities, as in Ó Creachmhaoil , derived from a village in County Galway . This is thought to be due to the tendency in Europe during the Middle Ages for migration to chiefly be from smaller communities to
6032-634: The female form Nováková, the family name is Novákovi in Czech and Novákovci in Slovak. When the male form is Hrubý and the female form is Hrubá, the plural family name is Hrubí (or "rodina Hrubých"). In Greece, if a man called Papadopoulos has a daughter or wife, she will likely be named Papadopoulou, the genitive form, as if the daughter/wife is "of" a man named Papadopoulos. Likewise, the surnames of daughters and wives of males with surnames ending in -as will end in -a, and those of daughters and wives of males with
6136-411: The first person to acquire the name, and stem from the middle class's desire for their own hereditary names like the nobles. They were generally acquired later in history and generally when those without surnames needed them. In 1526, King Frederik I of Denmark-Norway ordered that noble families must take up fixed surnames, and many of them took as their name some element of their coat of arms; for example,
6240-589: The form "Novákojc" as informal for both genders. In the culture of the Sorbs (a.k.a. Wends or Lusatians), Sorbian used different female forms for unmarried daughters (Jordanojc, Nowcyc, Kubašec, Markulic), and for wives (Nowakowa, Budarka, Nowcyna, Markulina). In Polish, typical surnames for unmarried women ended -ówna, -anka, or -ianka, while the surnames of married women used the possessive suffixes -ina or -owa. In Serbia, unmarried women's surnames ended in -eva, while married women's surnames ended in -ka. In Lithuania, if
6344-482: The former, Azeris in Iran do not generally use patronymics in oglu / qizi . Azeri patronymics are not to be confused with Turkish surnames in -oğlu and Greek surnames in -ογλού ( -oglou ), which do not have specific female versions and do not reflect names of fathers. A common feature of historical Semitic names is use of a patronymic system. Since ancient times, men and women have been named using this system. This
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#17327867978096448-404: The full name is R. Nikhilesh and is seldom expanded, even in official records. Only if absolutely necessary, such as when applying for an Indian passport, which does not usually allow initials, is the initial expanded and the name rendered in reverse order as "Nikhilesh Rajaraman" or sometime in the original order as "Rajaraman Nikhilesh". Some families follow the tradition of retaining the name of
6552-462: The gender of the bearer. In Slavic languages, substantivized adjective surnames have commonly symmetrical adjective variants for males and females (Podwiński/Podwińska in Polish, Nový/Nová in Czech or Slovak, etc.). In the case of nominative and quasi-nominative surnames, the female variant is derived from the male variant by a possessive suffix (Novák/Nováková, Hromada/Hromadová). In Czech and Slovak,
6656-456: The group. Female praenomina were less common, as women had reduced public influence, and were commonly known by the feminine form of the nomen alone. Later with the gradual influence of Greek and Christian culture throughout the Empire, Christian religious names were sometimes put in front of traditional cognomina , but eventually people reverted to single names. By the time of the fall of
6760-429: The hometown, the grandfather's name, or both as initials. The celebrated Indian English novelist R. K. Narayan 's name at birth was Rasipuram Krishnaswami Ayyar Narayanaswami, which was shortened at the behest of his writer friend Graham Greene . Rasipuram is a toponym , and Krishnaswami Ayyar is a patronym. In Tamil Nadu, the patronymic naming convention diverges significantly from other regions of India, influenced by
6864-488: The husband is named Vilkas, his wife will be named Vilkienė and his unmarried daughter will be named Vilkaitė. Male surnames have suffixes -as, -is, -ius, or -us, unmarried girl surnames aitė, -ytė, -iūtė or -utė, wife surnames -ienė. These suffixes are also used for foreign names, exclusively for grammar; Welby, the surname of the present Archbishop of Canterbury for example, becomes Velbis in Lithuanian, while his wife
6968-542: The inhabited location associated with the person given that name. Such locations can be any type of settlement, such as homesteads, farms, enclosures, villages, hamlets, strongholds, or cottages. One element of a habitation name may describe the type of settlement. Examples of Old English elements are frequently found in the second element of habitational names. The habitative elements in such names can differ in meaning, according to different periods, different locations, or with being used with certain other elements. For example,
7072-593: The introduction of family names is generally attributed to the preparation of the Domesday Book in 1086, following the Norman Conquest . Evidence indicates that surnames were first adopted among the feudal nobility and gentry, and slowly spread to other parts of society. Some of the early Norman nobility who arrived in England during the Norman conquest differentiated themselves by affixing 'de' (of) before
7176-562: The introduction of the European-style surname system but still remains part of traditional cultural practices, particularly in the case of chieftains and royalty where reciting lineages forms a part of many ceremonial occasions. Atayal people 's given names are followed by the name of their father; both son and daughter use patronymics. Amis people 's sons’ given names are also followed by their father's name, while daughters’ given names are followed by their mother's name. By contrast,
7280-441: The mandate to have a surname. During the modern era many cultures around the world adopted family names, particularly for administrative reasons, especially during the age of European expansion and particularly since 1600. The Napoleonic Code, adopted in various parts of Europe, stipulated that people should be known by both their given name(s) and a family name that would not change across generations. Other notable examples include
7384-502: The more widespread style of passing the father's last name to the children (and wife) as their own. In Iceland , family names are unusual; Icelandic law favours the use of patronyms (and more recently, matronyms) over family names. Traditionally Muslim and non-Arabic speaking African people, such as Hausa and Fulani people, usually (with some exceptions) follow the Arab naming pattern. The word or phrase meaning "son of" is, however, omitted. As such, Mohamed son of Ibrahim son of Ahmed
7488-638: The name of their village in France. This is what is known as a territorial surname, a consequence of feudal landownership. By the 14th century, most English and most Scottish people used surnames and in Wales following unification under Henry VIII in 1536. A four-year study led by the University of the West of England , which concluded in 2016, analysed sources dating from the 11th to the 19th century to explain
7592-576: The name-in-religion of their father. For example, the son of Ter (Reverend) Bartev would change his last name to Ter Bartevian. In Azeri , patronymics are formed through -oğlu (sometimes transliterated as ogly ) for males and qızı (often transliterated as gizi or kizi ) for females. Before the late 19th–early 20th century, patronymics were used as an essential part of a person's full name, i.e. Sərdar İlyas oğlu ("Sardar, son of Ilyas") and Mina Nebi qızı ("Mina, daughter of Nabi"), since surnames were mostly non-existent before Sovietization (with
7696-433: The naming pattern is a family name, given name and caste name in that order, but sometimes the caste name is omitted. If a name appears like Alugupally Sudhir Reddy, Alugupally is the family name, Sudhir is the given name and Reddy is the caste name. If you find a name like Gorle Sunil Kumar, Gorle is the family name, and Sunil Kumar the given name. Here, the caste name is omitted. Of late, some people are writing their names in
7800-465: The naming system to facilitate census-taking, and the use of census information. Originally, Chinese surnames were derived matrilineally, although by the time of the Shang dynasty (1600 to 1046 BC) they had become patrilineal. Chinese women do not change their names upon marriage. In China, surnames have been the norm since at least the 2nd century BC. In the early Islamic period (640–900 AD) and
7904-412: The occupation of smith . There are also more complicated names based on occupational titles. In England it was common for servants to take a modified version of their employer's occupation or first name as their last name, adding the letter s to the word, although this formation could also be a patronymic . For instance, the surname Vickers is thought to have arisen as an occupational name adopted by
8008-658: The oldest and most common type of surname. They may be a first name such as "Wilhelm", a patronymic such as " Andersen ", a matronymic such as " Beaton ", or a clan name such as " O'Brien ". Multiple surnames may be derived from a single given name: e.g. there are thought to be over 90 Italian surnames based on the given name " Giovanni ". This is the broadest class of surnames, originating from nicknames, encompassing many types of origin. These include names based on appearance such as "Schwartzkopf", "Short", and possibly "Caesar", and names based on temperament and personality such as "Daft", "Gutman", and "Maiden", which, according to
8112-496: The order of given name, caste name, and family name. Sometimes, the caste name is omitted here too. It can be seen in names like Satyanarayana Bandi, where Satyanarayana is the given name, and Bandi the family name. In Maharashtra , Karnataka, and Gujarat , a very common convention among the Hindu communities is to have the patronymic as the middle name. Examples: This system works for both boys and girls, except that after marriage,
8216-412: The origin describes the original bearer such as Brown, Short , or Thin – though Short may in fact be an ironic 'nickname' surname for a tall person." In the modern era, governments have enacted laws to require people to adopt surnames. This served the purpose of uniquely identifying subjects for taxation purposes or for inheritance. In the late Middle Ages in Europe, there were several revolts against
8320-663: The origins of the surnames in the British Isles . The study found that over 90% of the 45,602 surnames in the dictionary are native to Britain and Ireland, with the most common in the UK being Smith , Jones , Williams , Brown , Taylor , Davies , and Wilson . The findings have been published in the Oxford English Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland , with project leader Richard Coates calling
8424-410: The own given name, and then the family name. In Iraq, for example, full names are formed by combining the given name of an individual with the given name of their father (sometimes the father is skipped and the paternal grandfather's given name is used instead, sometimes both father and paternal grandfather are used), along with the town, village, or clan name. For instance, Hayder Karar Hussein al-Mousawi
8528-455: The patronym serves as a marker of lineage or social status , Tamil Nadu's system allows for the patronym to change with each generation, ensuring that no permanent surname is passed down. This shift reflects the state's broader efforts to dismantle caste markers in society, a key initiative of the Dravidian movement led by figures like Periyar E.V. Ramasamy in the 20th century. However,
8632-1336: The patronymic system. The last one or two syllables of the father's name transfers to become the first one or two syllables of the son's name. The last one or two syllables of the son's name is then used as the first one or two syllables of the grandson's name. The naming tradition is closely tied to Tibeto-Burman traditions. This system can be seen in the names of Nanzhao, Dali and Lijiang rulers. Nanzhao kings: Xinuluo (細奴邏)－ Luo sheng (邏盛)－ Sheng luopi (盛邏皮)－ Pi luoge (皮邏閣)－ Ge luofeng (閣邏鳳)－ Feng jiayi (鳳迦異)－ Yi mouxun (異牟尋)－ Xun gequan (尋閣勸)－ Quan longsheng (勸龍晟) Dali kings: Duan Zhixiang (段智祥)－Duan Xiang xing (段祥興)－Duan Xing zhi (段興智) Regents of Dali Kingdom : Gao Shengtai (高升泰)－Gao Tai ming (高泰明)－Gao Ming shun (高明順)－Gao Shun zhen (高順貞)－Gao Zhen shou (高貞壽)－Gao Shou chang (高壽昌) Lijiang chiefs : A-ts'ung A-liang (阿琮阿良)－ A-liang A-hu (阿良阿胡)－ A-hu A-lieh (阿胡阿烈)－ A-lieh A-chia (阿烈阿甲)－ A-chia A-te (阿甲阿得)－ A-te A-ch'u (阿得阿初)－ A-ch'u A-t'u (阿初阿土)－ A-t'u A-ti (阿土阿地)－ A-ti A-hsi (阿地阿習)－ A-hsi A-ya (阿習阿牙)－ A-ya A-ch'iu (阿牙阿秋)－ A-ch'iu A-kung (阿秋阿公)－ A-kung A-mu (阿公阿目)－ A-mu A-tu (阿目阿都)－ A-tu A-sheng (阿都阿勝)－ A-sheng A-chai (阿勝阿宅)－ A-chai A-ssu (阿宅阿寺)－ A-ssu A-ch'un (阿寺阿春)－ A-ch'un A-su (阿春阿俗)－ A-su A-wei (阿俗阿胃)－ A-wei A-hui (阿胃阿揮)－ A-hui A-chu (阿揮阿住) A patronymic
8736-497: The place of origin. Over the course of the Roman Republic and the later Empire, naming conventions went through multiple changes. ( See Roman naming conventions . ) The nomen , the name of the gens (tribe) inherited patrilineally, is thought to have already been in use by 650 BC. The nomen was to identify group kinship, while the praenomen (forename; plural praenomina ) was used to distinguish individuals within
8840-429: The practice has largely dropped off with the use of just the father's last name as a surname. Kalenjin use 'arap' meaning 'son of'; Kikuyu used 'wa' meaning 'of'. Because of polygamy, matronyms were also used and 'wa' used to identify which wife the child was born of; Maasai use 'ole' meaning 'son of'; Meru use 'mto' abbreviated M' thus son of Mkindia would be M'Mkindia, pronounced Mto Mkindia. Patronymic naming
8944-569: The prefix as a separate word, yielding "Ó Briain" or "Mac Millan" as well as the anglicized "O'Brien" and "MacMillan" or "Macmillan". Other Irish prefixes include Ní, Nic (daughter of the son of), Mhic, and Uí (wife of the son of). Patronymic Patronymics are used, by custom or official policy, in many countries worldwide, although elsewhere their use has been replaced by or transformed into patronymic surnames . Examples of such transformations include common English surnames such as Johnson (son of John). The usual noun and adjective in English
9048-563: The pure possessive would be Novákova, Hromadova, but the surname evolved to a more adjectivized form Nováková, Hromadová, to suppress the historical possessivity. Some rare types of surnames are universal and gender-neutral: examples in Czech are Janů, Martinů, Fojtů, Kovářů. These are the archaic form of the possessive, related to the plural name of the family. Such rare surnames are also often used for transgender persons during transition because most common surnames are gender-specific. The informal dialectal female form in Polish and Czech dialects
9152-502: The rest of the country where caste names are mostly employed as surnames. This came into common use during the 1950s and 1960s when the Dravidian movement campaigned against the use of one's caste as part of the name. However, rather than using the father's full name, only the first letter, popularly known as the initial, is prefixed to the given name. For example, if a person's given name is Nikhilesh and his father's Rajaraman , then
9256-699: The servant of a vicar, while Roberts could have been adopted by either the son or the servant of a man named Robert. A subset of occupational names in English are names thought to be derived from the medieval mystery plays . The participants would often play the same roles for life, passing the part down to their oldest sons. Names derived from this may include King , Lord and Virgin . A Dictionary of English Surnames says that "surnames of office, such as Abbot , Bishop , Cardinal and King, are often nicknames". The original meaning of names based on medieval occupations may no longer be obvious in modern English. Location (toponymic, habitation) names derive from
9360-549: The sole surname is also possible, with the example being named Adamu Abdulkabiru with "Abdulkabiru" acting as his surname. Somalis use their paternal grandfather's given name as their legal surname for documentation purposes. They also use the term "ina" or "iña" meaning "the son of" or "the daughter of," which is similar to other African and Arab naming patterns. For example, the name "Ahmed Mohamed Ali Farah" means "Ahmed son of Mohamed son of Ali son of Farah." When stating one's lineage, one will say "Ahmed ina Mohamed" (meaning Ahmed,
9464-497: The son of Mohamed). To identify themselves and the sub-clan they belong to, Somalis memorize their long lineage back to a common ancestor. Women never adopt their husband's patronym but keep their own for life. Among the Zulu , patronymics were used in the pre-colonial era. The prefix "ka" was attached to the father's name, for example Shaka kaSenzangakhona means Shaka son of Senzangakhona. The practice disappeared from everyday use with
9568-547: The street/place they were found (Union, Liquorpond (street), di Palermo, Baan, Bijdam, van den Eyngel (shop name), van der Stoep , von Trapp), the date they were found ( Monday , Septembre, Spring, di Gennaio), or festival/feast day they found or christened (Easter, SanJosé). Some foundlings were given the name of whoever found them. Occupational names include Smith , Miller , Farmer , Thatcher , Shepherd , Potter , and so on, and analogous names in many other languages, see, e.g., various surnames associated with
9672-432: The study "more detailed and accurate" than those before. He elaborated on the origins: "Some surnames have origins that are occupational – obvious examples are Smith and Baker. Other names can be linked to a place , for example, Hill or Green, which relates to a village green . Surnames that are 'patronymic' are those which originally enshrined the father's name – such as Jackson , or Jenkinson . There are also names where
9776-467: The suffix "-ian" was also appended to trades, as in Adakhtsakordz ian (issued from the carpenter), Chal ian (issued from the candlemaker), Darbin ian (issued from the smith). Of particular note are the surnames of the children of married priests, or kahanas . Though not as common nowadays, it was customary for a long time for these children (particularly the sons) to change their last names to
9880-676: The surname Lee is used in English culture, but is also a romanization of the Chinese surname Li . In the Russian Empire , illegitimate children were sometimes given artificial surnames rather than the surnames of their adoptive parents. In many cultures (particularly in European and European-influenced cultures in the Americas, Oceania, etc., as well as West Asia/North Africa, South Asia, and most Sub-Saharan African cultures),
9984-447: The surname include: Surname A surname , family name , or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several given names and surnames are possible in the full name. In modern times the "hereditary" requirement is a traditional, although common, interpretation, since in most countries
10088-611: The surname or family name ("last name") is placed after the personal, forename (in Europe) or given name ("first name"). In other cultures the surname is placed first, followed by the given name or names. The latter is often called the Eastern naming order because Europeans are most familiar with the examples from the East Asian cultural sphere , specifically, Greater China , Korea (both North and South) , Japan , and Vietnam . This
10192-529: The times of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. Before that period, the use of patronymics was very limited. Patronymics are usually formed by the addition of "i" ("of", pronounced as ee ) to the father's name, e.g. if the father's name is "Armen", the corresponding patronymic would be "Armeni" (of Armen). The Russified version of the same patronymic would be "Armenovich" for males and "Armenovna" for females. After Armenia regained its independence from
10296-564: The usage of caste names as surnames/last names is discouraged (but not banned) in Tamil Nadu, such usage by out-of-state people is greeted with indifference. So, Lakshmi Menon, Shilpa Shetty, etc. are referred by their preferred names which include their caste names. Likewise, old Tamil names with the caste in them are also fully used while referring to them such as Pasumpoan Muthuramalinga Thevar , U.Ve. Swaminatha Iyer , V.O Chidambaram Pillai etc. To further reinforce Tamil Nadu's efforts in promoting social equality through its naming conventions,
10400-579: The use of initials and surnames in Tamil Nadu remains flexible, leaving it to the individual's discretion. For instance, the late Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi preferred to be addressed as M. Karunanidhi, where "M" stood for his father, Muthuvel's, name. His son, M. K. Stalin , incorporates both his father's and grandfather's names, while Stalin's son chooses to go by Udhayanidhi Stalin , using his father’s name as his surname rather than as an initial. This flexibility extends beyond political figures. In sports, cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin , whose father's name
10504-404: Was also -ka (Pawlaczka, Kubeška). With the exception of the -ski/-ska suffix, most feminine forms of surnames are seldom observed in Polish. Generally, inflected languages use names and surnames as living words, not as static identifiers. Thus, the pair or the family can be named by a plural form which can differ from the singular male and female form. For instance, when the male form is Novák and
10608-538: Was not limited to any certain region or religion. It was only in the 17th and 18th centuries when laws were put in place in European nations demanded that those of Semitic descent abandoned the patronymic naming scheme in favor of consistent legal surnames. It was only after these laws were ratified that most of the Jews and Muslims in these nations received surnames. In Arabic, the word ibn ( ابن or بن : bin , ben and sometimes ibni and ibnu to show
10712-511: Was originally used to form adjectives with the sense 'pertaining to' (thus 'pertaining to the father's name'). These forms are attested in Hellenistic Greek as πατρώνυμος ( patrōnymos ) and πατρωνυμικός ( patrōnymikos ). The form patronym , first attested in English in 1834, was borrowed into English from French patronyme , which had previously borrowed the word directly from Greek. Patronymic , first attested in English in 1612, has
10816-547: Was the norm . Recently, integration into the EU and increased communications with foreigners prompted many Samis to reverse the order of their full name to given name followed by surname, to avoid their given name being mistaken for and used as a surname. Indian surnames may often denote village, profession, and/or caste and are invariably mentioned along with the personal/first names. However, hereditary last names are not universal. In Telugu -speaking families in south India, surname
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