Words & names · 3 min read
Freeman: the history and meaning of a surname
An English status word became a hereditary surname, but its meaning does not provide a ready-made biography of everyone who bears it.
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Words & names
The stories behind familiar expressions, names, and written language.
14 histories to explore
Words & names · 3 min read
Johnson: how ‘son of John’ became a widespread surname
Johnson began as a patronymic, but migration and the adaptation of related names helped give it a much wider history.
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King: why a royal word became an ordinary surname
The surname King does not automatically indicate royal descent. Nicknames, translation, and several unrelated naming traditions explain its wider history.
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Taylor: the history of an occupational surname
Taylor began with the craft of cutting and making clothes. Its later spread shows how an occupation can outlive itself inside a family name.
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Wilson: the history of a surname built from Will
Wilson usually means ‘son of Will’. Its many family histories extend beyond that simple linguistic explanation.
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The word ‘picnic’: its French origins and a persistent myth
Picnic came into English from French. A false racist etymology should be rejected without minimising the real history of public lynching.
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The History of Human Language: What Evidence Can—and Cannot—Tell Us
Spoken and signed language developed long before writing. Researchers can investigate its biological foundations and trace language families, but cannot identify the first conversation or name the first language.
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The History of ‘Break a Leg’: A Theatre Wish with Uncertain Origins
‘Break a leg’ means good luck in performance. Its meaning is clear, but its origin has attracted more confident stories than the documentary evidence can support.
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The History of the Honeymoon: A Word Before It Was a Holiday
Honeymoon first described the early sweetness of marriage. Its later association with a wedding trip is better documented than popular stories about an obligatory month of honey wine.
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Garcia: The History of a Widespread Iberian Surname
García developed from a medieval personal name into one of the Spanish-speaking world’s most widespread surnames. Its deeper linguistic origin remains uncertain.
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‘Raining Cats and Dogs’: The Records Behind an Uncertain Origin
The expression describes a heavy downpour. Its early printed history is easier to establish than the reason cats and dogs became its memorable image.
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Reading: A History of Texts, Objects, and Access
Reading developed with writing, but its practices changed with the form of the text and the people allowed to use it. Tablets, rolls, books, print, and screens create different encounters with words.
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Michael: The History and Meaning of a Biblical Name
Michael comes from a Hebrew name formed as a question: ‘Who is like God?’ Religious texts, translations, and local naming traditions helped carry it across many languages.
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Jesus: How a Semitic Name Became an English Form
Jesus, Yeshua, and Joshua are connected through the history of translation and transliteration. The English form developed through Greek and Latin rather than appearing suddenly with the modern letter J.
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