Names, one

 
 
 
 
Everyone has a name. Some people have many names. In most countries people have at least two names, a given name and a family name.

The family name is a hereditary name borne by all the members of the family. It is also called a surname or last name, because in some countries it comes after the given name. A given, or first name, distinguishes between the members of a family.

The given names, and the family name together make up a person’s legal name.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 

Names and Surnames

1. The most common first names (given names) in my country are Mary, John, Robert, Ann, Beth and William. True or false? What are the most common names in your country?

2. Why are these names common?

3. What are the most common surnames or family names in your country?

4. Most people have middle names, or more than two names. Yes or no? When does this occur?

5. In your country, what is the order of a person’s legal name? Is it the given name followed by the surname, or the surname followed by the given name?

6. Do some people have many names? Who are they? Why do they have many names?

7. All my friends and I have nicknames. True or false? What can you say about nicknames?
 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 

Origin of Names

7. What are the origins of the given names in your country? Do some people in your country have “foreign names?

8. Do given names have meanings, or are they simply “names”? Or have the original meaning or origin changed in spelling or meaning over time?

9. What are the origins of family names or surnames in your country? Do some people have “foreign” surnames in your country?

10. Do they have meanings, or are they simply “names”? Or have the original meaning or origin changed in spelling or meaning over time?

11. Names have changed over time. True or false? Have names changed over the course of history?

12. Approximately when did surnames (first) appear in your nation?