Chrysti The Wordsmith: Dictionary of Surnames - 3

From Montana State University in Bozeman I'm Christie the wordsmith. Recently on this series we've been turning the pages of a remarkable lexicon called a dictionary of surnames an 800 page examination of the origins and meanings of European last names. The editors of this remarkable dictionary Patrick Hanks and Flavia Hodges identified 70000 surnames scattered throughout Europe. Hanks and Hodges examined these names according to their frequency and distribution then consulted linguists geographers and historians about their findings and ultimately a dictionary of surnames was born in their introduction to the dictionary the editors state several conclusions they've made about surnames. First that European surnames were invented in the 13th and 14th centuries with the emergence of tax collecting bureaucracies seeking ways to identify local individuals for taxation purposes. So for example the WM who made and sold bread from his home became officially William the baker or William Baker his surname distinguished him from the other William

William Taylor down the road. A dictionary of surnames has categorized surnames. There are topographic and habitation names. Occupational anecdotal and seasonal surnames and a whimsical grouping called simply nicknames. Next time on the series we'll look at a collection of surnames derived from the occupations of their first bearers. Names such as Stella mocker Brewster and lavender. I'm Christie the wordsmith Christie the wordsmith a sponsored by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Zoot enterprises a high tech firm in Bozeman Montana offering challenging careers and innovative solutions for the financial services industry. Zoot web dot com.