The origin of your surname?

EMFCRACKSHOT

Not quite Cthulhu
May 25, 2009
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Well, i decided to stop being lazy. So, here is mine :D
<spoiler=MacDonald>The surname, MacDonald, means the son or descendant of Donald. Donald is a well-known northern personal name. By some etymologists it is thought to be derived from the Gaelic "donhuil," which means "browneyed." Others say that it comes from two Gaelic words, "domhan"-the world-and "all"-mighty. In Scotch histories of the family the name is always written Macdonald or MacDonald, while those of the clan who have come to America usually use the abbreviation, McDonald.

The clan MacDonald is certainly one of the oldest and most important in Scotland. Its chiefs descended from Somerled, Thane of Argyle, but sometimes styled King of the Isles, who flourished in the twelfth century. [See Chapter (C)].

This clan has been known for centuries for its fearlessness and bravery, and also for its ancient and unbroken lineage. It is well represented today throughout Great Britain and the United States.

The Macdonald clan also styled themselves lords of the isles (meaning the scottish isle) and claimed all taxes and tithes from them

And there you have it
 

Triforceformer

New member
Jun 16, 2009
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1) A descriptive name or nickname signifying a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion, deriving from the Old English read meaning "red."

2) A topographical surname for someone who lived in a clearing in woodland, deriving from the Olde English ried, ryd.

3) A geographical name from any of the various places called Read or Reed.
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And I strangely have brown hair and an almost Michael Jackson complexion.
 
Dec 29, 2007
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well, mine is Jessing, but I can't find any references to it. I know it's Norwegian/Scandinavian in origin and I think it might be a variation of Jessen (son of Jess). If someone could find out more about it, I'd be very grateful.
 

elemenetal150

New member
Nov 25, 2008
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my last name is Boyd, which means "of the blond" which came from a word to describe people with a fair complexions and fair hair.....It's Scottish

My clans whole goal was to have a shit ton of daughters and marry them off to more powerful clans like the royal Stewarts so if any one messed with us they had to deal with all the connections we had too.....that is until we got kicked out of Scotland and exiled to Ireland
 

VeganG

New member
Apr 29, 2009
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My last name is Knight, which is so common it could be anything. Do I have knighted ancestors? Who the hell knows.
 

Lukeje

New member
Feb 6, 2008
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"Son of Edward"... pretty boring.

Edit: though apparently 'Edward' means 'prosperous guardian or guard'.
 

Berethond

New member
Nov 8, 2008
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Ooohhh
My surname is derived from the gaelic word for wolf.
And I'm a Pict.
That is the coolest thing ever.
 

Ancalagon

New member
May 14, 2008
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My surname is Burnett, which is a Scottish corruption of the Norman name Burnard. The Burnetts first moved to Scotland in the twelfth century, and were awarded lands around Aberdeen by Robert the Bruce, in thanks for the Burnett's support against the English at Bannockburn. It's a pretty common surname still in Aberdeen, where I'm from.
 

Ray De Ation

New member
Jun 5, 2009
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I am Whitehorn. I have been told this is a Viking name, but on reflection I think that person was joking :p
 

Gormers1

New member
Apr 9, 2008
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Lundestad. No idea, its not I once saw it engraved in the wall in a local museum 8D.
 

Ben7

New member
Apr 15, 2009
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My surname is Watson and i found this with a google search, not sure if theres anything to it:


"A patronymic surname meaning "son of Watt." The popular Middle English given names Wat or Watt were pet forms of the name Walter, meaning "ruler of the army." From the elements "wald" = rule and "heri" = army. "
 

Clirck

New member
Mar 19, 2009
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Well I know how I got my surename, my mother marr...oh.
Well my surename is Raja and as pure estonian surename our family got it way back in 19th century when just name didn't halp categorizing people country took a law to put usernames after farms, villages forests stones whatever they could. Mine comes from village of Raja It was put randonmly but it's short and nice.
 

Skuffyshootster

New member
Jan 13, 2009
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My last name is Chernoff, and the only thing with any significance to it is the chernoff bound.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernoff_bound