FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | MAY 2015 37
7HAT DOES MY LAST NAME MEAN
%VER WONDERED ABOUT THE MEANING OF YOUR LAST NAME OR
WHERE YOUR FAMILY SURNAME CAME FROM /R ABOUT WHAT YOUR
ANCESTORS DID HOW THEY LOOKED OR WHERE THEY LIVED 3URNAME
MEANINGS CAN OFTEN TELL THE STORY
4HE STUDY OF THE ORIGINS AND MEANINGS OF WORDS AND NAMES
AND HOW THEYVE CHANGED THROUGH TIME IS CALLED %TYMOLOGY
DERIVED FROM A 'REEK WORD MEANING hTHE STUDY OF TRUE SENSEv
.AMES CHANGE OVER TIME &OR EXAMPLE THE SURNAME +ENNEDY
MIGHT HAVE BEEN SPELLED +ENEDY #ANADY +ANADA +ENNEDAY
+ENDY OR EVEN -AC +ENEDE
"UT THE +ENNEDY NAME ALSO HAS A MEANING )TS AN ANGLICIZED
FORM OF THE /LDE 'AELIC NICKNAME #INNEIDIGH OR #INNEIDE A
COMBINATION OF hCINNv MEANING hHEADv AND hEIDEv MEANING
hGRIMv OR hHELMETEDv 4HUS IT COULD MEAN SOMETHING LIKE hGRIM
HELMETED HEADv AND FROM THAT YOU COULD IMAGINE A WARRIOR
)F YOU FOLLOWED JUST THIS ONE NAME BACK IN HISTORY YOU WOULD
lND PLACES THEY LIVED WHAT THEY DID THEIR LANGUAGE AND SO
FORTH 4HIS IN TURN WOULD HELP YOU TO KNOW WHERE TO LOOK FOR
YOUR DISTANT RELATIVE
4HERE ARE SEVERAL )NTERNET SITES THAT WILL GIVE YOU A GOOD IDEA
OF WHAT YOUR SURNAME MEANS 4RY A FEW AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS
n YOU MIGHT BE SURPRISED AT WHAT YOU lND
)NFO 7ILLIS AT OR EMAIL WEFBEV VERIZONNET
~ Willis Fagan
Discovery Club
