Current Events > In old times, your last name was Smith if you were a blacksmith

(+) Yeah! (+)

And your last name was Baker if you were a baker. And Hunter if you did a lot of hunting.

And your last name was Cummings if...

---

If you were particularly a loser they'd just add son to your dad's name.

If you weren't an artisan, you were probably just "-son" of somebody.

Someone, somewhere must have had a name like James The Son Of John The Cooper But Who Didn't Bother Learning A Worthwhile Trade Like His Dad.

---

DuranOfForcena posted...

that's actually why Smith is such a common last name, because in times of war in the middle ages, almost everyone regardless of their occupation was sent off to war and likely to die, except the Smiths who they couldn't send off to war because they needed to stay back and actually make the weapons and armor, and so they didn't die in wars anywhere near as often as those of other occupations.

More like, everyone else was gone so they had the privilege of entertaining the wives.

---

And if your name was John Jacob Jingleheimerschmidt, well...you did whatever the hell you wanted.

---

Shotgunnova posted...

And if your name was John Jacob Jingleheimerschmidt, well...you did whatever the hell you wanted.

Actually you'd play or make a jingling instrument in a farmhouse while you smithed.

AlisLandale posted...

And your last name was Cummings if...

... 2 thousand years ago your ancestors were called 'Cumine'

---

My grandfather's last name was Lawless but he changed it when he came to America.

What he changed it to isn't shitty but I wanna be a Lawless dammit lol.

---

My last name is Fucker

---

DuranOfForcena posted...

that's actually why Smith is such a common last name, because in times of war in the middle ages, almost everyone regardless of their occupation was sent off to war and likely to die, except the Smiths who they couldn't send off to war because they needed to stay back and actually make the weapons and armor, and so they didn't die in wars anywhere near as often as those of other occupations.

no, peasants were pretty useless in battle and the large conscripted stylevarmies didnt really happen until much later.

---

DuranOfForcena posted...

except the Smiths who they couldn't send off to war because they needed to stay back and actually make the weapons and armor

Feel pretty sure that armies needed smiths to ply their craft just behind the lines, forging and repairing weapons, shields and armour that had been lost or damaged in battle. They moved with the armies, but obviously didn't engage in combat.

---

What if lastname was Godking

one side of my family's name used to be smith, though i think it was essentially assigned to them when the immigrated.

---

WingsOfGood posted...

What if lastname was Godking

Chances were you were named after a random pick of Scrabble tiles.

---

Lukey_Bug posted...

My grandfather's last name was Lawless but he changed it when he came to America.

What he changed it to isn't shitty but I wanna be a Lawless dammit lol.

You can change it back if you want.

---

WingsOfGood posted...

What if lastname was Godking

It means the person who made that to be their own last name was a megalomaniacal psychopathic narcissist with grandiose delusions.

If others picked that surname for them, then who am I to argue.

---

Yeah my last name basically means, by the woods/clearing or by the bend in the wood. My people were forest elves apparently.

---