i was sitting and thinking. thinking and sitting and was curious where did last names stem from and why. or even middle names for that matter. I was wondering because of Jesus H. Christ. What was his middle name? You hear stuff like King James, Adam and Eve, Moses but never a middle or last name. When did we start using these and why?
2007-07-12 04:45:12 · 2 answers · asked by mamaboy7 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
My best guess is that the earth became so populated and travel increased so rapidly that it became necessary to the proper identification of the individual. There are still some problems with John Smith and the like.
2007-07-12 04:52:31 · answer #1 · answered by Grendel's Father 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Could it be when we started to need to tell one Moses from another. Such as Moses the Shepherd as opposed to Moses the Tablet Carrier? I think it probably stems from something like that.
Lots of names are occupations also - like Carpenter, Shepard, Wallbanger (OK, just kidding with that one).
2007-07-12 11:51:05 · answer #2 · answered by ghouly05 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋