there are lots of last names that are after colors, like black, brown, grey/gray, green but how come there's no john red, or john pink or orange or yellow?? i know names used to come from a person's job like john shoemaker or whatever but where did the colors come from? and you can't say their skin color b/c no one is grey or green?
2006-08-13 19:10:57 · 7 answers · asked by origchick 5 in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
Immigration played a huge part.
Many were given new last names when they came over to America.
I wouldn't count a person not having the last last name of red,pink,orange or yellow.
2006-08-13 19:17:07 · answer #1 · answered by nalaredneb 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Good question. Yeah jobs is the main source; Black from blacksmith, Brown maybe came from a tanner. White from a whitewasher? Green - can't think.
As for red, pink, orange or yellow - can't think of any jobs linked to them either.
2006-08-13 19:24:03 · answer #2 · answered by Rex 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Eye color
2006-08-13 19:17:09 · answer #3 · answered by midlandsharon 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Partly a reason can be that many colours were not known when the family names were born.
In Hungarian we do have red as a family name.
2006-08-13 19:33:32 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
there was a Mr. Pink, Mr. Red, and a Mr. Orange in Resevoir Dogs!
2006-08-14 03:54:26 · answer #5 · answered by luve112 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
there was an Agent Orange, and Big Red was a lawnmower
2006-08-13 20:26:51 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
you mean smith from black smith and black from blacksmith? yeh.
2006-08-15 18:34:19 · answer #7 · answered by Stuie 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋