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Take this Origin of Surnames Quiz! Tough Trivia | Names

Surnames refer to where an ancestor lived, what he was like, what job he did or who his dad or mum were. Many of those everyday surnames haven surprising origins.See if you can decipher any.

A multiple-choice quiz by flem-ish. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
flem-ish

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
66,431

Updated
Aug 05 22

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
4997

Last 3 plays: Guest 172 (6/10), WulingShirro (3/10), Guest 86 (3/10).

This quiz has 2 formats: you can play it as a or as shown below.
Scroll down to the bottom for the answer key.

1. All of these surnames are related to forms of the first name John (Latin: Johannes).Which of them can also be read as referring to the French for James? Hint

Hancock

Jones

Jackson

Jenkins

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2. Only one of these names does *not* derive from Roger or from a nickname for Roger. Which is it? Hint

Rogers

Dodgson

Dobbin

Roget

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3. True or false? Evans is a matronym (mother's name) meaning Eve's child.

True

False

4. Though at first sight the name Summerbee seems to refer to a bee-in-summer the actual origin is SummerBY in which -by is a Viking word that also occurs in names such as Whitby, Rigby, Willoughby etc. What does 'BY' mean in English place names? Hint

castle

barn

farm

church

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5. A Wainwright made the same kind of vehicle as a Carter or Cartwright did. The word 'wain' can still be found in the word Haywain (Hay-cart), which is the title of a famous painting by John _________

Answer: (One Word)

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6. Which of these names is the only one that does *not* refer to what you can, strictly speaking, call a job? Hint

Palmer

Tubman

Whitebread

Wheeler

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7. Norman Tebbitt's name was equivalent to such names as Tip (O'Neill?), Tippett ... and, hard to believe, Tipple. What is the full name from which these names derive? Hint

Theobald

Tiffany

Theodore

Tidbit

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8. Win is Germanic for 'friend' in all of these names *except one*. Which one? Hint

Godwin

Unwin

Goodwin

Winchester

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9. Larry, Laurie and Larkin all are petnames for the same first name which happens to be the surname of at least two famous English writers, D.H. and T.E. _____________

Answer: (8 letters)

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10. Which of these 'Weavers' was a female weaver? Hint

Webster

Webber

Webb

Weaver

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. All of these surnames are related to forms of the first name John (Latin: Johannes).Which of them can also be read as referring to the French for James?

Answer: Jackson

Han occurs in foreign names such as Hansen, Hamsun, etc. and is equivalent to Johnson. Jenkins has the typical Flemish diminutive 'kin', which occurs quite frequently in areas such as Pembrokeshire where there was a strong Flemish influence. Surprise of surprises, -cock occasionally means 'son of'. Han-cock funnily enough sounds like Hen-cock. Hitch-cock derives from Hig,Hick.. all alternatives for the petname Dick which derives from Richard. Jones has its root in the Welsh alternative for John: Ioan. Worth mentioning: one of the explanations for 'Yankee' also derives from the Flemish diminutive -kin , nl. Janikin.

A nickname for the Dutch in the New York area ?

2. Only one of these names does *not* derive from Roger or from a nickname for Roger. Which is it?

Answer: Dobbin

Dobbin -and also Dobie -are related to Robert. Further links: Robson, Robeson, Robertson ,etc.Also Hobbes and Hobson derive from Robert. Petforms of Roger were Hodge and Dodge. Even Hotchkiss (!) is a derivation from Roger.

3. True or false? Evans is a matronym (mother's name) meaning Eve's child.

Answer: False

Evans cannot be linked to a 'mother's name' Eve. It's simply another Welsh form for Johannes: Ewan or Evan.

Answer: farm

-BY had as its basic meaning :'fenced-in domain, farm '. Whitby was a white farm, Rigby a farm built on a ridge, and Willoughby a farm surrounded by willow-trees. A summer-by was the opposite of a winter-by. Winter-bys were farms in places where farming could go on in winter. Usually in a lower part of the countryside.

The name Winter-bottom refers to such a place where people and cattle withdrew to hibernate. Bottom has the meaning of dale,valley.

Answer: Constable

It can be safely concluded that also John Wayne was a Cartwright ... In fact there was a 'bonanza' of 'wright'- names in medieval England. Wheelwrights, Cheesewrights, Sievewrights, etc.

6. Which of these names is the only one that does *not* refer to what you can, strictly speaking, call a job?

Answer: Palmer

Palmers were Pilgrims. Both names survived. A Tubman made tubs and could also be called a Cooper. Hoopers were the ones who made and fitted the hoops on casks. Wheelers were Wheelwrights. Whitebread is an example where a professional gets named after what he sells or produces rather than after the work he does.

7. Norman Tebbitt's name was equivalent to such names as Tip (O'Neill?), Tippett ... and, hard to believe, Tipple. What is the full name from which these names derive?

Answer: Theobald

Teb or Tib are short forms for Theobald. Tiffany is from Epiphania 'the manifestation of God'. Typically given as a first name to girls born on the Feast of the Epiphany.

8. Win is Germanic for 'friend' in all of these names *except one*. Which one?

Answer: Winchester

God-win means God's friend. Unwin meant 'not a friend', a foe. Goodwin (good friend). Another example of win = friend is Leofwin which sounds likes the salutation in a letter: Dear Friend. And WIN- in Winchester is from (Castra) Venta Belgarum, the Latin name of the town.

9. Larry, Laurie and Larkin all are petnames for the same first name which happens to be the surname of at least two famous English writers, D.H. and T.E. _____________

Answer: Lawrence

"Pillars of Wisdom" and "Lady Chatterley's Lover" all related to Philip Larkin, Larry King and Ashley Laurie??

10. Which of these 'Weavers' was a female weaver?

Answer: Webster

Weavers just as spiders - make webs, or woven goods. Other examples of the special feminine form in -xter: Thatcher refers to a male 'Reeder', Thaxter was a female 'roof-coverer'. In the same way, Baxter could be the name for a female baker.

Source: Author flem-ish

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ArleneRimmer before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Most Recent Scores

May 29 2023 : Guest 172: 6/10
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May 20 2023 : Guest 86: 3/10
May 12 2023 : miranda101: 5/10
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