What’s in a name? Every name means something. Most people seek out information about the meaning of names when they are looking for the perfect name for a baby that is on the way. Surnames, or last names, also have their own meanings. What do the surnames in your family mean?
One of the things that makes genealogy fun and interesting is learning about the meanings behind some of the names. Sometimes you find out that a certain first name has been handed down through several generations. It can be both entertaining and enlightening to learn what your last name means. Discovering the meaning of surnames is extremely easy to do. Children who are interested in genealogy will not have much difficulty doing this exercise, and, unlike some aspects of genealogy, this activity is appropriate for children.
There are several online resources that will allow you to quickly look up the meaning of the surnames in your family. Today, I learned that my last name, Thorpe, means “village” and comes from English. My last name before I got married, or my maiden name, was Dahlberg. I learned that this surname is Norwegian and Swedish. This name is made up of the word for “valley” and the word for “mountain”. One of my grandmothers had the maiden name of Steinberg. This is Swedish or German, and is made up from the words “stone” and “mountain”. My other grandmother had the maiden name of Darcy. This name comes from English and Irish. The meaning is “descendant of the dark one” or “dark” or “gloomy”. Put all of these meanings together, and it makes a strong image that one could be used to create an interesting story!
It is tempting to look at the meaning of a surname and assign it as the reason why some members of your family act in certain ways. Keep in mind that just because a name means a certain thing, it does not automatically cause the person to be controlled, or shaped, by the hidden meaning of their surname. In other words, if you don’t happen to like what the surnames in your family mean, it is not something to be concerned about. In our society, people do not feel the need to judge other people based on the meanings behind their surname. In fact, most people are completely unaware that their own last name has a specific meaning behind it.