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Guild of One-Name Studies

One-name studies, Genealogy

Is your surname here?

    • 2,555 members
    • 2,324 studies
    • 8,271 surnames

Countries: G

Abbreviations

ClN = clan name NN =Nickname f=father’s
DayN =Day Name PlN=Placename gf=grandfather’s
FamN= Family Name PT = patronymic m=mother’s
GN = Given name SN = Surname  
IN = Incidental name TN= Tribal name  
MN=Middle name wPN = Western Personal Name  
Country Languages Structure & (Example)
Ethnic groups-Types – History
Women (and on marriage)
Children Society
Terms of Address,
Further reading, Notes
Gabon French GN + SN

FamN examples :-

Bongo, Boussombo, M’Ba, Mocci, Rallum, Raoumbe, Tayot

Women adopt husband’s surname •Raponda-Walker (1993) ‘Etymologie des noms propres gabonais’ Isbn- 2850495743
Gambia English, Wolloff, Mandinka, Fula, Jola Mandinka 42%,Fula 18%, Wolloff 16%,Jola 10%, Serahuli 9%

•UK custom : family name last

•Non-English: Some Muslim name forms

Elements {PT + GN (+ pN) (+gpPN) (+Placename)}

These may be combined in a variety of ways

Yoroh Falai Alpha Baldeh

=GN + fPN =gfPN + PT

Traditionally retain maiden name: but changing to W practice Alhaji(i), Aja(rotou) = ma, woman been to Mecca

Bai, Fa= father

Ndey, Yai, Mba = mother

Georgia Georgian 71%

Russian 9%

Armenian 7%

Azeri 6%

Georgian 84%,Azeri 7%,Armenian 6%,Russian 2%

GN + SN

Giorgi Kekelidze Rusudan Kekelidze

Patronymic system abandoned: SNs have masc and feminine forms

Name endings can indicate area

-shvil i= E or central Georgia

-ua = W Georgia

-iani or –ur i= mountainous regions

  Mr =Batoni Mrs= Kalbatoni Miss= Kalbatoni

•Inal-ipa (2002) ‘Antroponimiia abkhazov’ Isbn-5799202104

•Axua*svili (1994) ‘Kartuli gvar-saxelebi : masalebi kartuli gvarebis

istoriisatvis ‘ Isbn- 5505014348 [Georgia PN Dictionary]

Germany   GN + SN

Katharina Schmidt

Prepositions : van, von, zu

In general. written forms of names became fixed c 1600

Three main dialect areas give rise to name variants

· Low German…..Pieper

· Central German….Piefer

· High German…Pfeifer

In more detail

· Low German

Low Saxon, Westphalian, Eastphalian, Brandenburgish,

Pomeranian, East Prussian

· Frisian

East Frisian, North Frisian

· Central/Middle German

Franconian, Hessian, Thuringian, Saxon, Silesian

Upper German

Alemannic (inc Swiss German and Alsatian), East Franconian, Bavarian (inc Austrian German)

South German, Austrian and Swiss names have characteristic diminutive endings -l -el, ‘-erl, -le or -li

Leading surnames: Müller, Schmidt, Schneider, Fischer, Meyer, Weber, Schulz, Wagner, Becker, Hoffman, Huber, Klein

  • Bahlow (1967) ‘Deutsches Namenlexikon : Familien- und Vornamen nach Ursprung und Sinn Erklart’

• Bahlow (2002) ‘Dictionary of German Names’

• Brechenmacher (1957) ‘Etymologisches Worterbuch der deutschen Familiennamen’

• Gottshald (2006) ‘Deutsche Namenkunde’ 6th ed

•Kleinteich (1992) ’Vornamen in der DDR, 1960-1990’ Isbn-3050019107

•Kohlheim (2000) ‘ Familiennamen: Herkunft und Bedeutung von 20000

Nachnamen’ Isbn 3-411-70851-4

• Kunze (1998) ‘DTV-Atals Namenkunde: Vor- und Familiennamen im deutschen Sprachgebiet’

•Linnartz (1958) ‘Unsere familiennamen’

• Naumann (1987) ‘Familiennamenbuch’

• Seibicke (ed) (1996-2003)

‘Historisches Deutsches Vornamenbuch’

Ghana English, Akan (Twi & Fante), Ewe, Ga, Hausa, Dagbani, Nzeme, Kazem, Adangme •Akan

Name elements {GN + DayN + IN + Adopted N+ SN }

These name elements can be combined in variety of ways e.g.

John Kwame Yeboah

GN + DayName + SN

Dabiel Mensa Obeng

Name element

· Akeradini = Day Name assigned by midwife at birth

Kofi (masc) =Friday = Afua (fem)

Kwame (masc) = Saturday =Ama (fem)

· Agyadini (assigned by father on the 7th morning after birth)

e.g. Ahonya = prosperity (masc)

Anika = goodness (fem)

Mensa= incidental name = third of 3 boys

i.e. generally UK style, with tribal influences

Leading female PN = Adjuah, Korkor, Dede

Leading male PN= Lante, Niiaddy, Kofi

Leading SNs= Allotey, Nartey, Appiah

•Hausa

Arabic name forms

Women adopt husband’s family name-usually; some retain maiden name or affix it to husband’s

Children usually take

Father’s surname

Tadd (Akan)

Mr = Owura Mrs (& Miss) = Awura

•Christaller (1991,1933) ‘A dictionary of the Asante and Fante language called Tshi (Chwee, Twi)’

•Grottanelli (1977) ‘ Personal names as a reflection of social relations among the Nzema of Ghana’ L’Uomo 1

(Nzema complex system 0f 8 categories of names, including soul name, birth name, patronymic, givewn name, nickname, baptismal name, surname and praise appellation)

•Obeng (2002) ‘African anthoponomy’

[personal names in Akan]

• Agyekum (2006) ‘The sociolinguistic of Akan personal names’

Nordic Journal of African Studies

Gibraltar

  As UK    
Greece Greek GN + fPN(suffixed) and/or (gfPNsuffixed)

Stelios Theodoros Kleanthous or Stelios Theodorou

Personal names used as Surnames, have different

endings (and differ by gender) e.g. Helen Iacovou , sister to Andreas Iacovies

Certain suffixes have strong regional distributions:-

-akis = Crete

-idis/-adis = Asia Minor

-atis = Black Sea

-atos = Cephallonia/Ithaca

-eas, -akos = Mani

-elis = Lesbos

-oudis = Macedonia, Thrace, Aegian Islands)

-ousis (Chios), -oglou= Asia Minor

-opoulos= Peloponnese

Women adopt husband’s family name – usually. Or to take female form of of husband’s personal name e.g.

Mr Marcos Ž Mrs Marcou

Growing tendency to hyphenate

UK largest concentration = London

Mr =Kyrios Mrs= Kyria Miss = Despoinida

Correspondence abbrev. To k., Ka and Dis , respectively

•Herzfield (1982) ‘When exceptions define the rules: Greek baptismal names and the negotiation of identity’ Journal of Anthropological Research 38

•Triandafyllidis (1981) ‘Ta Oikogeneiaka-mas Onomata’

•Stahl ed. (xxxx) ‘Names and social structure : examples fron south east Europe’ Isbn- 0-88033-404-5

Grenada

  As UK    
Guadeloupe French (Official)

Creole patois

Black/mulatto 90%, white 5%

As France

   
Guam English 38%, Chamorro 22%, Philippine languages 22%, other Pacific island languages 7%, Asian languages 7% Chamorro 38%, Filipino 26%, other Pacific islander 11.%, white 7%, other Asian 6%   •Lorenz (1996) ‘The Pacific islander’s book of names : a dictionary of modern and ancient first names used by people from Guam and other Pacific islands’ Isbn-0965071510
Guatemala Spanish 60%

Amerindian Languages 40%

Mestizo/European 60%,K’iche 10%, Kaqchikel 8%, Mam 8%,Q’eqchi 6%

•Spanish

Father’s : Mother’s surnames

FamN example: Carrera

  Amerindian languages, = Quiche, Cakchiquel, Kekchi,

Mam, Garifuna, and Xinca plus others

Guiana, French

French      
Guinea French (Official) Peuhl 40%, Malinke 30%,Soussou 20% Some hyphenation of surnames on marriage  
Guinea-Bissau Portuguese (Official)

Crioulo,

African languages

Balanta 30%,Fula 20%, Manjaca 14%,Mandinga 13%

Papel 7%

   
Guyana English

Amerindian dialects, Creole, Hindi, Urdu

EastIndian 50%,Black 36%,Amerindian 7%

UK name forms

   

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Modern British Surnames

ww1

  • Modern British Surnames
    • About the research
    • Distribution
    • Variance
    • Statistics
    • Bibliography
    • Teaching
    • Taxonomy
      • Personal names
      • Relationship names
      • Occupation names
      • Topographic names
      • Toponyms
      • Nicknames
      • Cross-facets
      • Naming systems
        • Countries: A
        • Countries: B
        • Countries: C
        • Countries: D
        • Countries: E
        • Countries: F
        • Countries: G

Other Guild Websites

You may find our other Guild websites of interest:

  • Members’ Websites Project
  • Surname Cloud
  • Guild Members’ records on FamilySearch
  • Guild Marriage Locator

Contact Us

Email: guild general contact
Address for correspondence:
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