English names are personal names used in, or originating in, England. In England, as elsewhere in the English-speaking world, a complete name usually consists of one or more given names, commonly referred to as first names, and a (most commonly patrilineal, rarely matrilineal) family name or surname, also referred to as a last name. The given names after the first are often referred to as middle names.[1]

Given names

Few given names used in England have English derivations. Most traditional names are Hebrew (Daniel, David, Elizabeth, Susan), Greek (Nicholas, Dorothy, George, Helen), Germanic names adopted via the transmission of Old French/Norman (Robert, Richard, Gertrude, Charlotte), Latin (Adrian, Amelia, Patrick) or Celtic.

A small fraction of given names have an actual English derivation (see Anglo-Saxon names), such as Alfred, Ashley, Edgar, Edmund, Edward, Edwin, Harold and Oswald. A distinctive feature of Anglophone names is the surnames of important families used as given names, originally to indicate political support or patronage. Many examples have now become normal names chosen because parents like them, and any political sense lost. Most are male names like Cecil, Gerald, Howard, Percy, Montague, Stanley or Gordon, though some of those some have female versions like Cecilia or Geraldine. Other languages have few equivalents, although the saint's surname Xavier is often used by Roman Catholics.

During the majority of the 19th century, the most popular given names were Mary for girls and either John or William for boys. Throughout the Early Modern period, the diversity of given names was comparatively small; the three most frequent male given names accounted for close to 50% of the male population throughout this period. For example, of the boys born in London in the year 1510, 24.4% were named John, 13.3% were named Thomas and 11.7% were named William.[2] A trend towards more diversity in given names began in the mid-19th century, and by 1900, only 22.9% of the newborn boys, and 16.2% of the newborn girls in the UK shared the top three given names for each gender. The trend continued during the 20th century, and by 1994, these figures had fallen to 11% and 8.6%, respectively. This trend is a result of a combination of greater individualism in the choice of names, and the increasing ethnic heterogeneity of the UK population, which led to a wider range of frequent given names from non-European traditions. Oliver and Olivia were the most popular baby names in England and Wales[3] in 2018.

Translations

Translations of male English given names
English French German Greek Italian Portuguese Spanish
AaronAaronAaron-AronneArãoAarón
AdamAdamAdamAdámAdamoAdãoAdán
AdolphAdolpheAdolf-AdolfoAdolfoAdolfo
AdrianAdrienAdrianAdrianósAdrianoAdrianoAdrián
AlexanderAlexandreAlexanderAléxandrosAlessandroAlexandreAlejandro
AlfredAlfredAlfred-AlfredoAlfredoAlfredo
AlphonseAlphonseAlfons-AlfonsoAfonsoAlfonso
AmadeusAmédéeAmadeus-AmedeoAmadeuAmadeo
AndrewAndréAndreasAndréasAndreaAndréAndrés
Angel AngeEngelÁngelosAngeloAnjoÁngel
AnthonyAntoineAntonAntóniosAntonioAntônioAntonio
ArcadiusArcadiusArkadiusArkádiosArcadioArcádioArcadio
Archangel ArchangeErzengelArchángelosArcangeloArcanjoArcángel
ArthurArthurArthur-ArturoArturArturo
CharlesCharlesKarl-CarloCarlosCarlos
ChristianChristianChristianChristianósCristianoCristianoCristián
ChristopherChristopheChristophChristóforosCristoforoCristóvãoCristóball
CorneliusCorneilleCornelius-CornelioCornélioCornelio
DamianDamienDamianDamianósDamianoDamiãoDamián
DavidDavidDavidDavídDavideDaviDavid
DennisDenisDennisDionýsiosDionisioDionísioDionisio
EdmundEdmondEdmund-EdmundoEdmundoEdmundo
EdwardÉdouardEduard-EdoardoEduardoEduardo
ElijahÉlieEliasIlíasEliaElíasElías
EmmanuelEmmanuelEmanuelEmanouílEmanueleManuelManuel
EugeneEugèneEugenEvgéniosEugenioEugênioEugenio
EustaceEustacheEustachiusEfstáchyosEustachioEustácioEustaquio
EvansÉvangélos-EvángelosEvangelo--
FrancisFrançoisFranz-FrancescoFranciscoFrancisco
FrederickFrédéricFriedrich-FedericoFredericoFederico
GavinusGabinGabinus-GavinoGavinoGabino
GeorgeGeorgesGeorgGeórgiosGiorgioJorgeJorge
GeraldGéraldGerhold-GiraldoGeraldoGeraldo
GerardGérardGerhard-GerardoGerardoGerardo
GregoryGrégoireGregorGrigóriosGregorioGregórioGregorio
HaroldHaroldHarald-AroldoHaroldoHaroldo
HenryHenriHeinrichEnríkosEnricoHenriqueEnrique
HerbertHerbertHeribert-ErbertoHerbertoHerberto
HonoriusHonoréHonorius-OnorioHonórioHonorio
HoraceHoraceHoraz-OrazioHorácioHoracio
HughHugoHugo-UgoHugoHugo
IsaiahIsaïeJesajaIsaíasIsaiaIsaíasIsaías
JacobJacquesJakobIákovosGiacobbeJacóJacobo
JamesJacquesJakob-GiacomoThiagoSantiago
JeremiahJérémieJeremiasIeremíasGeremiaJeremiasJeremías
JeromeJérômeHieronymusIerónymosGerolamoJerônimoJerónimo
JohnJeanJohannIoánnisGiovanniJoãoJuan
JonahJonasJonaIonásGionaJonasJonás
JosephJosephJosefIosífGiuseppeJoséJosé
JulianJulienJulian-GiulianoJulianoJulián
JuliusJulesJulius-GiulioJúlioJulio
LaurenceLaurentLorenz-LorenzoLaurêncioLorenzo
LazarusLazareLazarusLázarosLazzaroLázaroLázaro
LouisLouisLudwig-LuigiLuísLuis
MarcusMarcMarkusMárcosMarcoMarcosMarcos
MartinMartinMartin-MartinoMartinhoMartín
MichaelMichelMichaelMichaílMicheleMiguelMiguel
MosesMoïseMoseMoisísMosèMoisésMoisés
NathanNathanNatanNathanaílNatanNatãNatán
NicholasNicolasNikolausNikòlaosNiccolòNicolauNicolás
NoahNoéNoach-NoèNoéNoé
OctaviusOctaveOktavian-OttavioOtávioOctavio
OrpheusOrphéeOrpheusOrféasOrfeoOrfeuOrfeo
OscarOscarOskar--ÓscarÓscar
OswaldOsvaldOswald-OsvaldoOsvaldoOsvaldo
PatrickPatricePatrick-PatrizioPatrícioPatricio
PaulPaulPaulPávlosPaoloPauloPablo
PeterPierrePeterPétrosPietroPedroPedro
PhilipPhilippePhilippFílipposFilippoFilipeFelipe
PlutarchPlutarquePlutarchPloútarchosPlutarcoPlutarcoPlutarco
ProsperProsperProsper-ProsperoPrósperoPróspero
RalphRaoulRalph-RaulRaulRaúl
RaphaelRaphaëlRaphaelRafaílRaffaeleRafaelRafael
RichardRichardRichard-RiccardoRicardoRicardo
RobertRobertRobertRoberto-RobertoRoberto
RoderickRodrigueRoderich-RodrigoRodrigoRodrigo
RudolphRodolpheRudolf-RodolfoRodolfoRodolfo
StanislausStanislasStanislaus-StanislaoEstanislauEstanislao
StephenÉtienneStephanStéfanosStefanoEstevãoEsteban
ThomasThomasThomasThomásTommasoTomásTomás
Vangel--VangélisVangeli--
VictorVictorViktorVíktorasVittorioVítorVíctor
WilliamGuillaumeWilhelm-GuglielmoGuilhermeGuillermo
Translations of female English given names
English French German Greek Hungarian Italian Portuguese Spanish
AlexandraAlexandraAlexandraAlexándraAlexandraAlessandraAlexandraAlejandra
AmyAimée-AmántaAmántaAmataAmadaAmada
AngelaAngèleAngelaÁntzelaAngélaAngelaÂngelaÁngela
AngelicaAngéliqueAngelika-AngyalkaAngelicaAngélicaAngélica
AnnaAnneAnnaÁnnaAnnaAnnaAnaAna
AnnabelAnnabelle----AnabelaAnabel
CharlotteCharlotteCharlotte-SaroltaCarlottaCarlotaCarlota
ChristinaChristineChristinaChristínaKrisztinaCristinaCristinaCristina
DorothyDorothéeDorotheaDorothéaDorottyaDoroteaDoroteiaDorotea
EleanorÉléonoreEleonoraEleonóraEleonóraEleonoraLeonorLeonor
ElizabethÉlliezetElisabethElisávetErzsébetElisabettaElisabeteElisabet
FelicityFélicitéFelicitas-FelicitásFelicitaFelicidadeFelicidad
JosephaJosèpheJosepha-JozefaGiuseppaJosefaJosefa
JosephineJoséphineJosephineIosifínaJozefinaGiuseppinaJosefinaJosefina
LouisaLouiseLouisaLouízaLujzaLuisaLuísaLuisa
LucyLucieLucia-LucaLuciaLúciaLucía
MagdaleneMadeleineMagdalenaMagdaliníMagdalénaMaddalenaMadalenaMagdalena
MargaretMargueriteMargaretaMargarítaMargarétaMargheritaMargaridaMargarita
MaryMarieMariaMaríaMáriaMariaMariaMaría
PaulaPaulePaulaPolínaPaulaPaοlaPaulaPaula
PaulinaPaulinePaulinaPavlínaPaulinaPaolinaPaulinaPaulina
SophiaSophieSophiaSofíaZsófiaSofiaSofiaSofía
SusanSuzanneSusanneSouzánaZsuzsannaSusannaSusanaSusana
SylviaSylvieSylviaSýlviaSzilviaSilviaSílviaSilvia
TheresaThérèseTheresa-TeréziaTeresaTeresaTeresa
Vicko VictoriaViktoriaViktoríaVictoriaVittoriaVitóriaVictoria
Vicky BasiliqueBasilikaVasilikíBazilikaBasilicaBasílicaBasílica
Victoria VictoriaViktoriaViktoríaVictoriaVittoriaVitóriaVictoria

Surnames

According to Christopher Daniell, in From Norman Conquest to Magna Carta, 1140 marked what might be the first recorded use of a modern surname, inherited by multiple generations. These were not always regularly formed: for example, the sons of a certain Norman named Robert used a modern inheritable surname, FitzGerald, in honour of an earlier relative, named Gerald.[4]

While it is normal for a child to be given one of their parents' surnames, traditionally the father's (or increasingly some combination of the two), there is nothing in UK law that explicitly requires this. Under English common law, a person may use any name as a legal name, though most people use their birth name (as registered on the Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, regulated by the Registration of Births and Deaths Regulations 1987, which allows only characters that are used in English or Welsh), often using a spouse's surname (proved with a marriage certificate), or (if an adult) a name formally declared by deed poll. No regulations include any specific provisions regarding what names are acceptable. Nonetheless, the General Register Office and various organizations that help with creating and enrolling deed polls will reject anything that is unreasonable (racist, offensive, fraudulent, implying a title of nobility not held, unpronounceable, not in the Latin script, etc.).

Compound surnames

Double-barrelled names may be formed for a variety of reasons, including combining of spouses' surnames upon marriage or, more commonly in the past, adding another family's surname as a condition of inheritance.[5]

Compound surnames in English feature two or more words, often joined by a hyphen or hyphens: for example Henry Hepburne-Scott. A few families have three or four words making up their surname, such as Charles Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefusis, 21st Baron Clinton and Alexander Charles Robert Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 9th Marquess of Londonderry. However, it is not unusual for compound surnames to be composed of separate words not linked by a hyphen, for example Iain Duncan Smith, a former leader of the Conservative Party, whose surname is "Duncan Smith".

See also

References

  1. "English Names". www.behindthename.com.
  2. Douglas A. Galbi. Long-Term Trends in Personal Given Name Frequencies in the UK, 2002
  3. "Baby names in England and Wales - Office for National Statistics". www.ons.gov.uk.
  4. Christopher Daniell (2013). From Norman Conquest to Magna Carta: England 1066–1215. Routledge. p. 33. ISBN 9781136356971. Retrieved 2017-10-26.
  5. Denison, David; Hogg, Richard (2008). A History of the English Language. Cambridge University Press. p. 334.
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