Oz Eigo
   English Study, Travel & World Culture

May3

Western First Names

Western first names (also called given names and Christian names) have many different meanings.
Some names come from the bible (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and many others).
If you want to find out the origin of a Western first name you can try looking at
http://www.behindthename.com
Many English speakers are given a middle name as well, this is often a common [...]

Posted by Aidan under Culture, Culture - Western | Permalink | No Comments »
Apr28

English Family Names

English Family Names
Hundreds of years ago English family names (also called surnames or last names) often came from people’s jobs or where they lived.
Some examples of jobs that became family names -
Baker (パン屋の主人)
Smith (鍛冶屋)
Carpenter (大工)
Taylor (tailor, 仕立屋)
Cooper (樽類製造者)
Miller (粉屋)
Some examples of locations or natural features that became family names -
Underhill
Hill
Lake
Stone
Ford
Other family names mean son of.  TheO’ in [...]

Posted by Aidan under Culture, Culture - Western | Permalink | No Comments »