Elsdon Smith begins this work with a discussion of the development of hereditary surnames and then he divides his subject into six broad categories: Classification of Surnames, Surnames from Father's Name (patronymics), Surnames from Occupation or Office, Surnames from Description or Action (nicknames), Surnames from Places, and Surnames Not Properly Included Elsewhere. In these areas he expounds on such subjects as abbreviated names, surnames derived from animals, changes of names by immigrants, ethnic names, names indicating nationality, surnames from place names, European names, Asian names, names of Blacks and Indians, surnames without vowels, surnames from Christian names, landscape names, Jewish names, surnames from history, garbled names, comic or odd names, and hyphenated names. The list is almost endless and Mr. Smith is unstinting in his explanation of the roots and meaning of these names. In addition, he provides a list of the 2,000 most common surnames in the United States today, ranked in order of frequency with an estimate of the number of persons bearing each name.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
solid resource, interesting read,
By Bruce J (PA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: American Surnames (Hardcover)
I'm sorry to see that the only reviewer so far allowed himself to become so offended at the usage of the term "American" in the title that he was unable to appreciate or assess the quality and usefulness of the book's CONTENTS! On that score, it is a nice solid entry. The topical organization of the book, beginning with the main sources of surnames -- parentage/relationships, occupation, actions and attributes (nicknames), and places --and ending with an indexed list of surnames, serves to make it useful for general reference, yet much more interesting than it might have been in a dictionary format. This structure also encourages the reader to understand a particular name in relation to others of the same culture and/or invented in a similar manner, rather than in isolation. Along the way we are treated to many a fascinating historical and cultural nugget, rich vignettes of the societies and situations from which the names developed.
Mr Nazario's point is off the mark in another respect. He implies that the range of names is 'limited' to those of the U.S. But this is hardly the case. From the beginning Smith discusses the wide variety of names brought to the U.S. from all over the world, ALL of which he considers to now be "American". As a result the book DOES cover a great many names found in other parts of the Americas.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great resource and a fun read,
By Dahlin (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: American Surnames (Paperback)
I have had this book for any number of years and find it a continuing useful resource. What is especially remarkable besides the author's vast knowledge, is that he had taken his material and turned it into an entertaining book
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
American Surnames,
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
AFTER THE ROMAN three-name system deteriorated into the single cognomen by the fourth century A.D., it was not until the tenth century that modern hereditary surnames first developed among the Venetian patricians. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
surname period, fixed family names, pet form, hereditary family names, time surnames, many surnames, occupational names, such surnames, many family names, contributory source, original bearer, place name elements, diminutive ending, other surnames, common family names, farm names, various spellings Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, Middle Ages, Old French, Rank Surname Persons Rank Surname Persons, Middle English, New York, Old German, Old Norse, Social Security, Old Testament, World War, New Testament, British Isles, William the Conqueror, Old World, The Swedes, West Riding of Yorkshire, Domesday Book, German Jews, Holy Land, Robin Hood, Some Irish, Archbishop of Canterbury New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
AFTER THE ROMAN three-name system deteriorated into the single cognomen by the fourth century A.D., it was not until the tenth century that modern hereditary surnames first developed among the Venetian patricians. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
surname period, fixed family names, pet form, hereditary family names, time surnames, many surnames, occupational names, such surnames, many family names, contributory source, original bearer, place name elements, diminutive ending, other surnames, common family names, farm names, various spellings Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, Middle Ages, Old French, Rank Surname Persons Rank Surname Persons, Middle English, New York, Old German, Old Norse, Social Security, Old Testament, World War, New Testament, British Isles, William the Conqueror, Old World, The Swedes, West Riding of Yorkshire, Domesday Book, German Jews, Holy Land, Robin Hood, Some Irish, Archbishop of Canterbury New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 44
books:
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44
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cite this book:
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- Making of Britain: Middle Ages (The making of Britain) by Lesley M. Smith on page 38, page 100, and page 116
- The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning and History by George F. Black on page 126, page 165, and Back Matter
- Social Security Legislation: V. 4 by Nick Wikeley on page 276, page 296, and page 299
- Treasury of Name Lore by Elsdon Coles, Smith in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- The American Language by H.L. Mencken on page 23, and page 297
See all 44 books this book cites
- The Intimate Life of L.M. Montgomery by Irene Gammel on 7 pages
- Hispanic Surnames and Family History by Lyman D. Platt on page 15, page 19, and page 20
- After Green Gables: L.M. Montgomery's Letters to Ephraim Weber, 1916-1941 by Hildi Froese Tiessen on page 63, page 84, and page 228
- The Wheel of Things: A Biography of Lucy Maud Montgomery (Goodread Biographies) by Mollie Gillen on page 75, page 197, and Back Matter
- The Selected Journals of L.M. Montgomery, Vol. 1: 1889-1910 by L. M. Montgomery in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
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