Lesson 4: Non-British Surnames

Become familiar with the materials used in the lesson plan. Locate and bookmark websites you plan to use. Download and duplicate charts used in the activities.

You can find additional background information about surnames at the following sites:

• A Brief Introduction to Medieval Bynames 
• The Origins of Family Names 

• Access The Origins and Meaning of Names and scroll down to The Origins of Surnames Around the World (Most non-British surnames fall into the categories of patronymic, descriptive, locative, and occupational.) What are some of the differences? (Chinese names have only one syllable; many Greek names have a religious connection; recently created Hebrew names tend to be descriptive; all Italian surnames end in a vowel; most Japanese names are locative; and so on.)

Activity 1. Non-British Surnames

• Have the students, working in pairs, find five examples of surnames and their meanings representing each culture group indicated on the chart (Non-British Surnames) also available in .pdf format. For this task, they should consult the following links:
  • Last Name Meanings
  • Origin of Chinese Names
  • The Truth about Hispanic Surnames

1.Chinese surnames:

1. name:
2. name:
3. name:
4. name:
5. name: 1. meaning:
2. meaning:
3. meaning:
4. meaning:
5. meaning:

2. French surnames:

1. name:
2. name:
3. name:
4. name:
5. name:1. meaning:
2. meaning:
3. meaning:
4. meaning:
5. meaning:

3. German surnames:

1. name:
2. name:
3. name:
4. name:
5. name: 1. meaning:
2. meaning:
3. meaning:
4. meaning:
5. meaning:

4. Greek surnames:

1. name:
2. name:
3. name:
4. name:
5. name:1. meaning:
2. meaning:
3. meaning:
4. meaning:
5. meaning:

5. Hebrew surnames:

1. name:
2. name:
3. name:
4. name:
5. name:1. meaning:
2. meaning:
3. meaning:
4. meaning:
5. meaning:

6. Hispanic surnames:

1. name:
2. name:
3. name:
4. name:
5. name: 1. meaning:
2. meaning:
3. meaning:
4. meaning:
5. meaning:

• After the charts have been filled in, call upon students to share some of the names they have found, as well as their meanings. When each of the seven cultures is mentioned for the first time, have the student tell something about the origin of surnames in that culture.

Selected EDSITEment Website

• Last Name Meanings
• Origin of Chinese Names
• The Truth about Hispanic Surnames