I could tell you that (which is IMHO not enough for an answer, so I
post it as a comment):
- Surnames did not exist (or maybe I should say: were not in use)
until the Middle Ages and even later (see for example:
,://www.google.com/search?q=%22Surnames+were+not+in+use%22&btnG=Search&hl=en&lr=>).
Usually people were named after their fathers (as in "Paul, the son of
Peter"); or were marked by their profession ("John, the Smith" -->
unlike "Robert, the baker") or sometimes even distinctive features
("Lucas, the red-haired").
- First names did exist in more ancient periods, but we actually have
problems to verify these names. Take names from the Bible, for
example:
* Sometimes they are symbolic, and clearly were attributed to the
person after their deeds;
* The Bible has been translated, told, so many times, that we cannot
be sure that this is the original name;
* And of course, we cannot know if this is a "given" name (as in a
name given to a baby by his/her parents), or a name that has developed
when the person was already an adult. This is especially true
regarding slaves, who were not even considered human in some cultures;
and in others, were named the way we name pets.
One could conclude from the known names in the Bible, that names had
to represent the selfhood of a person, especially in reference to
males. In reference to females, you find two different characters with
the same first name ("Tamar", meaning the date-fruit in Hebrew); or
Miriam (=Mary; meaning . "rebellion") and names such as "Rebecca"
("connection; linkage; team, couple") or Sarah ("Princess"). (SOURCE:
Online Etymology Dictionary <http://www.etymonline.com/>). |
