What Does My Name Mean?

What does my name mean? People name their children certain names for certain reasons. They will pick a special first or middle name for their special child, or honor a relative by using their name. Surnames, your last name, can also have meaning, and can also show your heritage and culture.

Last Name

Want to know the origin of a particular last name? There are several Internet databases which can be used at no cost to find the original and meaning of a particular last name:

• Surname Database - An easy-to-use database

• Family Education Name Lab - A very large database of family name history

Surnames, or last names, have not been around that long. It is interesting to note that in the 13th century, about one third of males were named Richard, John, or William; so it was difficult, if not impossible, to tell them apart. People would add a description of the person to his name, or perhaps include his occupation. So, one might be “Richard the Cobbler” or “Richard the Tall.”

He might also have been “Richard, son of David” or “Richard from the Meadow.”  Eventually, these descriptions turned into surnames, like Davidson, or Meadows.  So to answer the question, “What does my name mean?” it can mean you come from a line of people in a certain occupation, or that your ancestors lived in a certain locale.

There are four types of surnames, depending on how they originated.

• Names that come from other names could include Johnson, Peterson, or Richardson.
• Names referring to occupations include Baker, Potter, or Smith.
• Woods, Brooks, and Hill would be examples of location based names.
• Names based on nicknames could include Armstrong, Short, or Young.

Your name may show is that your ancestors moved. Many times, when a person moves to a new country, they will change their last name to make it easier to say or spell or just to help them fit in.

One final tip: Down through the years, spelling of names also changed sometimes, so the spelling of your name may not be the same as the way your forefathers spelled it.

First Name

Your parents are the best source for why they picked your name and what your name means. YourDictionary is also a great source for learning the meaning of your first name. For example, if your first name is "Susan" you can learn that your name means "Lily" by searching for the definition of Susan on YourDictionary.

If you were given a family name for your first name, your name can continue your lineage back many generations. Sometimes names are chosen for:

• Favorite relatives
• Good friends
• Famous people
• Historical figures
• Names in a book, movie, or song

Sometimes first names are given by parents because they were popular for the time. For example, here are the five top names for babies in 2009. The meaning of the name is in parentheses.

The five most popular names for baby girls were:

• Isabella (my God is a vow)
• Emma (universal)
• Olivia (elf army or olive)
• Sophia (wisdom)
• Ava (voice)

Popular boy’s names were:

• Jacob (supplanter)
• Ethan (strong, firm)
• Michael (who is like God)
• Alexander (defending men)
• William (will, protection)

Many people search for that perfect name for their baby, and will look at hundreds of names to see their meaning before selecting that perfect name for their child.

Genealogy for Name Meanings

Tracing your ancestry can also give you insight about the meaning of your first and last name. You may find that your first name is the same as a great grandparent or that your last names reflects the occupation of an your ancestor in the very early years.

Genealogy is the study of family ancestries and also the record of an individual’s ancestry. There has been a lot of interest in genealogy recently, and there are many websites on the Internet which can start you on your journey.