Questions tagged [surname]
The surname tag has no usage guidance.
9
questions
5
votes
1
answer
647
views
What was Prince Philip’s surname (prior to Mountbatten)?
Prince Philip took the surname of Mountbatten when he became a naturalised British citizen in 1947. His name prior to that was Schleswig Holstein Sonderburg Gluckburg. Did he use the full name while ...
- 69
8
votes
1
answer
132
views
What was the real name of Bishop Contumeliosus of Riez?
History has recorded the name of an allegedly badly-behaved bishop of Riez as Bishop "Contumeliosus of Riez" (he was later absolved of his accusations).
Now, Contumeliosus is definitely not the real ...
- 2,039
7
votes
1
answer
251
views
Were surname upgrades a well known practice in the Spanish Empire?
People everywhere have names, and some seek to change their name. Spanish speaking people in particular generally have two surnames, paternal and maternal, in that order. Whether the maternal one ...
- 27.5k
1
vote
0
answers
168
views
How and when did the surname "Apibus" become "de Apapis"?
The Maltese surname Apap derives from "De Apapis", and the family crest features bees. Family lore tells that the surname originates from a person who kept bees.
In Latin, Apis is bee, and the most ...
- 2,979
3
votes
1
answer
151
views
New surnames for baptized natives
During the colonial era, Christian missionaries on remote frontiers around the world chose new Christian names for the natives they baptized.
Apparently the monks who missionized Kamchatka also ...
- 27.5k
9
votes
5
answers
4k
views
When did last names start being used, and who introduced the concept?
It's interesting that people from long ago were often only known for their only name, such as Socrates, Jesus, and Constantine I. But in our current society, almost everyone has a first name and a ...
- 920
35
votes
4
answers
11k
views
Why is it that the maiden name is traditionally dropped when a woman is getting married?
Haven't seen anything online, even after googling. Wikipedia seems to only list the countries that support the practice, but offers no history.
Why is it that the maiden name is traditionally dropped ...
- 920
7
votes
1
answer
594
views
Evolution of the names of slaves
I'm curious to know how the names of African slaves in the US changed from that of traditional names used by their tribes eventually to their modern, (mostly Christian) names. In other words, how did ...
- 6,650
14
votes
1
answer
1k
views
The diminishing role of the "family name" throughout the Byzantine Empire
Why did the use of the family name (Cognomen), as one's surname, diminish and nearly disappear entirely during the 4th - 11th centuries throughout the Eastern Roman Empire?
Brief history of the early ...
- 3,810