1. Characteristics of surnames in Anglo-American countries. Around AD 449, three Germanic tribes living in northwest Europe, namely Angles, Saxons and Jutes, He sailed across the North Sea and invaded the British Isles. In the course of a century and a half, they almost exterminated the local Celts who resisted tenaciously and became the main ethnic group in Britain. What we generally call the British and the British immigrants who later immigrated to the United States mainly refer to descendants of Anglo-Saxon ancestry. The British aristocracy and the upper class of society began to feel the need to have a "surname" when the Crusades rose in the 13th century. Initially it was used as a personal "nickname", and later its descendants began to use it and it was passed down one after another. In English, the surname is called surname [also known as family name (family name) or last name (last name)]. The origins of British and American surnames are mainly divided into the following four categories: (1) Surnames formed from the name of the industry in which the ancestors were engaged. For example: Miller (miller), Smith (blacksmith), Baker (baker), Fisher (fisherman), Farmer (farmer), Taylor (variation of Tailor, tailor) Taylor , Barber (Barber) Barber, Carpenter (Carpenter) Carpenter, Cook (Chef) Cook, Singer (Singer) Singer. (2) Surnames formed from the names of mountains, waters, animals and plants in nature. For example: Brook, Bush, Wood, Stone, Lake, Hill, Rice, Field ) Field, Fox (Fox) Fox, Wolf (Wolf) Wolf, Bird (Bird) Bird. (3) A surname formed by a nickname given to someone in the ancestors who had certain physical characteristics. For example: Red, Brown, Black, White, Long, Short, Strong, Young (Young) Young, Russell (= redhaired, red hair) Russell. (4) A surname derived from the name of a grandfather or father. For example: Johnson (John son, John's son) Johnson, Richardson (Richard's son) Richardson, Judson (Judd's son) Judson, Edson (edgar son Edgar's son) Edson, Wilson (william, son, son of William) Wilson, McGregor [Mc also means son, mostly used in Scotland and Ireland] McGregor, O'Brien [O'descendant (meaning descendant, mostly used in Ireland)] O'Brien Berlin. Among the above four categories, the second category accounts for the largest proportion, accounting for about 40% of the total surnames in Britain and the United States. Compared with the meanings of Chinese surnames, British and American surnames appear to be all kinds of strange, diverse, tens of thousands, and everything. Even words that the Chinese consider unlucky or unpleasant are passed down from generation to generation as surnames in British and American countries. For example: Wolf, Poison, Deadman, Tomb, Butcher, Raper, this Maybe it has to do with the fact that the cultural origins of the British and American countries are relatively late, and their ancestors only emphasized their unique personalities and pursued novelty, but did not pay attention to the meaning of their surnames? It is said that there are more than 3,000 surnames with more than 10,000 people in the United States.
The top ten surnames in the United States are: Smith, Johnson, Williams, Brown, Jones, Miller, Davis, Martinson Martinson), Anderson (Anderson) and Wilson (Wilson), of which Smith ranks first, there are approximately more than 2 million people in the United States. 2. Characteristics of personal names in British and American countries. The name we Chinese call a person is called first name in English [also known as given name, Christian name, baptismal name, That is, the first name as opposed to the surname]. Most British and Americans express their names in the order of first name first and then last name, which is exactly the opposite of our Chinese habits. In addition, Westerners such as the United Kingdom and the United States also use midname (middle name), which is between first name (first name) and surname (surname). This middle name can usually be omitted except when signing legal documents. For example: Mr.William Somersef Maugham. Compared with the complexity of surnames, British and American names are much simpler. Although it is said that there are about 3,500, there are usually about 500 for women and about 800 for men. Parents in the United Kingdom and the United States are quite particular about the meaning of the name when naming their newborn babies. Generally speaking, parents in British and American countries, like parents in China, often place their own hopes and blessings when naming their children. They are willing to choose names that represent peace and happiness, kindness and joy, bravery and tenacity, beauty and health, wisdom and courage, excellence, A name with auspicious and elegant meanings such as bright, upright, gentle and elegant. In British and American countries, close relationships such as husbands and wives, brothers, sisters, and friends usually call each other by their first name or nickname without a surname to express closeness.