

	Last names as we know them now originated in the Middle Ages from people’s occupations, where they lived, their father’s first name, or even their appearance or disposition.

Subject Areas
Art and Culture
	Anthropology
History and Social Studies
	World History - Asia/Far East
	World History - Europe

Time Required
	Activity 4: 60 minutes

Skills
	Interpreting and analyzing written and oral information Making inferences and drawing conclusions Vocabulary development Cross-cultural connections Research Working collaboratively Categorizing

Curriculum Unit
What’s In A Name? What’s In A Name? How Did Surnames Come to Be? What’s In A Name? British Surnames Derived from Places What’s In A Name? British Surnames Derived from Occupations or Professions What’s In A Name? Non-British Surnames

Additional Data
	Date Created: 06/17/03

Additional Student/Teacher Resources
	Descriptive Surnames Patronymic Names Locative Surnames Occupational Surnames Non-British Surnames Characteristic and Patronymic Names Second Game Third Game

Author(s)
	Suzanne Art ,
Date Posted
	8/7/2003

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What’s In A Name? Non-British Surnames

Lesson Four of Curriculum Unit:
What's in a Name?

Introduction:

Modern American society is known for its ethnic diversity, and this, of course, is reflected in a wide variety of surnames. In this activity, students will learn about the origins and meanings of surnames commonly used in the United States that derive from non-British cultures.

Guiding Questions:

What characteristics do non-British surnames have in common with British ones?

What are some of the differences?

Learning Objectives:

Students will learn some of the common characteristics of surnames around the world.

Students will also learn some of the unique characteristics of surnames in different countries.

Instructional Plan:

Access The Origins and Meaning of Names available through the Internet Public Library and scroll down to The Origins of Surnames Around the World (Most non-British surnames fall into the categories of patronymic, descriptive, locative, and occupational.) What are some of the differences? (Chinese names have only one syllable; many Greek names have a religious connection; recently created Hebrew names tend to be descriptive; all Italian surnames end in a vowel; most Japanese names are locative; and so on.)

Student Activity:

Have the students, working in pairs, find five examples of surnames and their meanings representing each culture group indicated on the chart (Non-British Surnames) also available in pdf format. For this task, they should consult the following links available through Internet Public Library:

1.Chinese surnames:

1. name:
2. name:
3. name:
4. name:
5. name: 1. meaning:
2. meaning:
3. meaning:
4. meaning:
5. meaning:

2. French surnames:

1. name:
2. name:
3. name:
4. name:
5. name: 1. meaning:
2. meaning:
3. meaning:
4. meaning:
5. meaning:

3. German surnames:

1. name:
2. name:
3. name:
4. name:
5. name: 1. meaning:
2. meaning:
3. meaning:
4. meaning:
5. meaning:

4. Greek surnames:

1. name:
2. name:
3. name:
4. name:
5. name: 1. meaning:
2. meaning:
3. meaning:
4. meaning:
5. meaning:

5. Hebrew surnames:

1. name:
2. name:
3. name:
4. name:
5. name: 1. meaning:
2. meaning:
3. meaning:
4. meaning:
5. meaning:

6. Hispanic surnames:

1. name:
2. name:
3. name:
4. name:
5. name: 1. meaning:
2. meaning:
3. meaning:
4. meaning:
5. meaning:

Assessment:

After the charts have been filled in, call upon students to share some of the names they have found, as well as their meanings. When each of the seven cultures is mentioned for the first time, have the student tell something about the origin of surnames in that culture.

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