How did the terms christian and sir become associated with names in the West.?

Question

No one in my family history is titled or even an honorable so how come I have a 'sir' name and what happens if people in my family weren't Christian do they lose right to their first names.

Answer 1

Everyone has a sir name but not everyone has a family name. Please do not be confused, everyone had a simple name from the beginnings of history. Later, after countries established a nobility, then they became known as 'sir' names, because knights, nobles, ladies, dukes, earls, etc. were referred to simply by their first name and with the title sir. The names came first, and the idea of it being a 'sir' name came later.

In many Christian countries it is required that a sir name be recognized as being a name from a list. People were not allowed to just make up a name as they are today in the USA. Names had meaning, they weren't just chosen because they sounded nice. In the 1970s a couple in Germany wanted to name their child "Che" after the revolutionary, but the government would not allow it. Things have changed since then.

So, names came first, titles came later. So, you don't need a title to have a sir name and everyone in every country has a first name, no one is required to be a Christian to have a first name.

Interestingly enough last names came from jobs, places, or a description of the person. Names such a Smith, Cooper, Carpenter, Sawyer, for example, were all jobs.