To find a particular name, click the letter at the top of the page. The meanings of the names can be added to the Descriptive Surnames chart (PDF). Instruct the students to look up the following names: Armstrong, Black, Fairchild, Giddy, Green, Merry, Noble, Sharp, Truman, and White. Access Surname Origin List available through EDSITEment-reviewed resource Internet Public Library.Perhaps there are some good examples in your own classroom. Make a list on the board of some common modern surnames that might describe a person's appearance or character.In later years, as the population grew, certain bynames became permanent family names, or surnames. Explain that these are the very criteria used by people in medieval times to create second names (called bynames). If they have no last names, how might their friends refer to them to distinguish one from the other? Possibilities would include physical descriptions (John with the freckles) place of residence (Mary, who lives in the woods) hobby (John, the hockey player) and names of parents (Mary, the daughter of Archibald). Have them envision a situation in which there are two boys named John, or two girls named Mary. Brainstorm with the students about how surnames might have originated.And Palmer described a pilgrim who had returned from the Holy Land (it was traditional for such pilgrims to bring back a palm as a sort of souvenir). John Peacock must have been rather vain! A name might also refer to social status, such as Squire, Knight, or Bachelor. Names such as Stern and Stout (meaning stout-hearted, not fat) described temperament, while Drinkwater implied someone with a powerful thirst.

Sometimes, an adjective was combined with a noun to form a byname, like Longfellow or Blackbeard. Common adjectives used as bynames often referred to size - such as Little, Short, or Long-or to hair color or complexion-such as White, Black, or Red (which evolved into Reed). As the population expanded and the towns grew, however, a need arose to find ways to differentiate between two people who shared the same first name.īecause the British were among the first Europeans to settle in North America, many modern American surnames can be traced back to medieval England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. During the Middle Ages, the feudal system meant that most people in Europe lived in small farming villages.

Medieval last names female