The Story of Last Names
Social Studies and Ancient History
Grade 3- 5
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Students learn about the origins of last names in Medieval times.
Introduce to students “The Story of Last Names.”
A long time ago, four men named Thomas lived in a little town. That was the only name any of them had. In those days, only kings and nobles had last names; most men and women had only first names.Because the men had the same name, here’s how people told them apart.
One Thomas had a father named John, so he was called “Thomas, John’s son.” Another Thomas, a baker, was called “Thomas the Baker.” The third Thomas had light-colored hair, so he was known as “Thomas the White.” And the fourth Thomas lived next to the village green, so he was known to everyone as “Thomas of the Green.”Time went on. Thomas the Baker married a girl named Elaine. She became known as “Elaine, Thomas the Baker’s wife.” They had a little boy named John, and he was known as “John, Thomas the Baker’s son.” But after a while, people got tired of saying all those words. So they simply called Thomas the Baker, “Thomas Baker.” His wife became Elaine Baker, and their son was John Baker.
That’s how last names came to be. People took their fathers’ first names, the names of their fathers’ jobs, the names of the places where they lived, or names that told how they looked. They put these names after their first names. When a man married, his wife and children took his last name. Sometimes, a widow or single woman might adopt children and give them her last name. So, today, our last names can tell us something about the people we got them from long ago.
Ask students to pay close attention to see if their last names are on one of the following lists.
Here are some examples of patronymics, last names that come from first names:
Adding son or sen
Adding es, ez, or is
People who spoke different languages sometimes added sohn, wicz, vich, or ak to the end of a name. All of these mean “son.” People from some countries put son in front of their fathers’ names. Mac, Mc, and Fitz all mean “son of.”
Here are examples of some last names that came from the jobs that people held:
Here are some last names that were taken from the places where people lived:
By a Hill
By a Stream
Near a Small Forest
Wood and Woods
By a Grassy Field
Field and Fields
By a Castle
By a Main Road
Here are some names that were taken from the way people looked:
Here are some names that described animal characteristics:
Kinds of Birds
Distribute the What’s in a Name? activity sheet to complete activity.
Story of Last Names handout
What’s in a Name? activity sheet
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