Surnames from First Names

whitney1170

There's a lot of "hate" towards the trend of last names being used as first names, but if you think about it, isn't that how a lot of original last names became a last name??

Peterson
Jackson
Lawson

All "son of" someone's first name, also all what we think of as originally last names. So maybe the last name as a first name isn't really a trend.

Thoughts?

HoodRich

I'm from the south and surnames are commonly used as first names for both sexes, so I don't see a problem with it. Using Y to replace I or as random letter? That is strange to me. I have a cousin who named her daughter Chayse. She said the 'y' makes it feminine. Ok.

MrsMorrison2011

HoodRich:

I'm from the south and surnames are commonly used as first names for both sexes, so I don't see a problem with it. Using Y to replace I or as random letter? That is strange to me. I have a cousin who named her daughter Chayse. She said the 'y' makes it feminine. Ok.

 I too am from the south and this just made me laugh out loud! Why do people do such things. Now watch, when I fill out that birth certificate I will be hormonal and do something completely retarded myself.

apc1929

I first heard the name Jackson 10yrs ago when a friend who lives down south named her son this.  I always loved the name Jack and when I mentioned Jackson to my DH he loved it too.  I am shocked at how popular Jackson has become int he 5yrs since my DS was born but it doesn't bother me at all.  I think those names will be around a lot longer than most people who think they are trendy do...

plunderb

I'm on board with using a ln as a fn if it is a family name. There is a long history of using mom's maiden name as a son's first name (in England and America) and that doesn't bother me. It also makes sense to me if you use the last name of an unrelated hero/mentor/favorite author, etc.

I do think it's weird when people choose a random surname to use as a fn. The recent Emerson trend is not related to an explosion of Emerson family pregnancies, nor to an uptick in sales of "The American Scholar."

HoodRich

plunderb:

I'm on board with using a ln as a fn if it is a family name. There is a long history of using mom's maiden name as a son's first name (in England and America) and that doesn't bother me. It also makes sense to me if you use the last name of an unrelated hero/mentor/favorite author, etc.

I do think it's weird when people choose a random surname to use as a fn. The recent Emerson trend is not related to an explosion of Emerson family pregnancies, nor to an uptick in sales of "The American Scholar."

But it doesn't make Emerson any less a viable name for a child.

anna7602

I guess, but professions are also commonly used as last names and I don't like the trend of using those as fns either (Hunter, Rider, etc.)

LaurenSweat

I think that there is a lot of flexibility in names and I think that this crosses many nations.  I have a very good friend that is Malaysian.  Her name is (I am changing it slightly for internet use) Rashida Ramali.  One day she showed me a picture of her father, first name Ramali.  I then asked her dumbly if her father was Ramali Ramali. She laughed and explained that in her culture last names come from the father's first name.  

KtB0605

Eh, I think it's a trend and it's a trend that I don't necessarily mind. The weirdest though was hearing my last name used as a first name. I've heard it both for a boy and a girl. It's not a common last name (like Parker, Jackson, Harrison, etc) so I was surprised people found it appealing as a first name. 

HappyMrsK

I think it is a trend to pick a surname randomly without there being an actual family connection to the name. IMO, surnames are more about one's heritage so I just think it's weird to pick a surname for your child that you have no connection to. Sure, people have the right to pick whatever name they like, but that's just my opinion on the matter.

I don't mind it though if it is a surname from your own family. It's the random picking of a surname that you have no ties to that gets me.

The example's you gave of the names meaning "son of" again indicates one's lineage so there is a connection there.

catch2010

My mailden name happens to be one of those trendy "last name as a first name" picks, which is exactly why we aren't using it.  That, and I can't shake the feeling that it might lead into credit card fraud later.  "What's your mother's maiden name?"

ant8355

Exactly!!! I don't think it's weird at all and I actually love surnames as fns. That's fine if it's not for some people but I don't get why some ppl act like it's so absurd!?! Thank you for posting this, I made a similar comment on somebody else'spost awhile back.

mrskristend821

plunderb:

I'm on board with using a ln as a fn if it is a family name. There is a long history of using mom's maiden name as a son's first name (in England and America) and that doesn't bother me. It also makes sense to me if you use the last name of an unrelated hero/mentor/favorite author, etc.

I do think it's weird when people choose a random surname to use as a fn. The recent Emerson trend is not related to an explosion of Emerson family pregnancies, nor to an uptick in sales of "The American Scholar."

This. I only like it if it's a ln that actually means something to the parents.

soralette

mrskristend821:

plunderb:

I'm on board with using a ln as a fn if it is a family name. There is a long history of using mom's maiden name as a son's first name (in England and America) and that doesn't bother me. It also makes sense to me if you use the last name of an unrelated hero/mentor/favorite author, etc.

I do think it's weird when people choose a random surname to use as a fn. The recent Emerson trend is not related to an explosion of Emerson family pregnancies, nor to an uptick in sales of "The American Scholar."

This. I only like it if it's a ln that actually means something to the parents.

I totally agree with this statement. But, then, we're strongly considering a family LN (DH's grandmother's maiden name) for our LO's first name, if it's a boy.

queenbone

The LN as FNs that I really don't like are occupation names.  I'm waiting for Doctor, Lawyer, and Shoemaker to appear on birth announcements.  Baby Shoey just sounds so cute, don't you think?

While it is nms to have a LN as FN, we have used LNs* as MNs for both our sons.  

The '-son' of trend to which you are referring doesn't bother me if that is the father's name ie John has a son and names him Johnson.  What does bother me if it is 1) a random name or 2) used on a daughter.

*ETA: Family surnames

capulet

HappyMrsK:

I think it is a trend to pick a surname randomly without there being an actual family connection to the name. IMO, surnames are more about one's heritage so I just think it's weird to pick a surname for your child that you have no connection to. Sure, people have the right to pick whatever name they like, but that's just my opinion on the matter.

I don't mind it though if it is a surname from your own family. It's the random picking of a surname that you have no ties to that gets me.

The example's you gave of the names meaning "son of" again indicates one's lineage so there is a connection there.

All this.  Three of DH's siblings have family surnames as first names.  DD's name is my mom's maiden name.  These are all meaningful names to us, and a way of honoring our family heritage.  But I would find it odd if someone else used any of those names without sharing that heritage - not that anyone would with our family names in particular, since they're not among the trendy surnames-as-first-names, but it happens with other surnames.

capulet

catch2010:

My mailden name happens to be one of those trendy "last name as a first name" picks, which is exactly why we aren't using it.  That, and I can't shake the feeling that it might lead into credit card fraud later.  "What's your mother's maiden name?"

I do worry about this (which is one reason I don't ever mention DD's name on this board), but I do hope that this kind of security question is losing ground, since so many women keep their maiden names when they get married nowadays.  My mom reverted to her last name when she divorced my dad, so when I say my DD's name is my mom's maiden name, I actually mean it's her legal surname, too.  So it's not like some big secret which you couldn't find out in about five seconds with Google if you looked up my name - I'm FB friends with her and all that.

Clerk9

We're going to be using a surnamey FN for our little girl.  (It's also a location in England, which I know tends to be frowned upon here, too.)  

There's no special meaning for us or family history involved.  It all came down to compromise:  I found this name while digging around (it was on a website as a girl's FN), mentioned it to DH, & it's the ONLY name we could agree on.  

I think that because it's been a tradition in so many different areas, using this sort of name can give off a traditional/vaguely preppy vibe without being as repetitive as it would be if you used a classic FN (ex. Charlotte, Ava, Eleanor, etc. which are all beautiful but used a lot).  Our LO's name was only used by 50 girls last year, so she won't likely run into many others her age.  (We have a VERY common LN, so FN popularity was definitely something I took into consideration.)

HAVING SAID THAT, I definitely think this works better for some names than others!!!  I'd never name my child Smith, Williams or Jones.  But everyone's going to have different opinions on what sounds weird & what doesn't.     

ETA:  And, FWIW, our daughter's FN does NOT end in -son, & she has a very feminine, "classic" MN.