But it hasn’t always been like that. In the Middle Ages, people only had first names. In the 1300s, last names were added to distinguish between people who had the same first name. Middle names came along sometime in the 1600s.

Let’s talk about last names. There are several ways that last names are created: 1) come from a place or a landmark (Van der Water = from the water, Bridge, Wood, Hamilton – a place, Washington – a place); 2) come from an occupation (Smith, Walker, Baker, Knight); 3) describe a family relationship (Johnson, Robertson, Molson – from Molly, Madison – from Maud, MacDonald – Mac = son); 4) nicknames based on personality or appearance (Short, Brown, Black, Long).

There are many many ways to classify first names. Some are descriptive (Margaret = pearl), some relate to place names (Francis = Frenchman), some are just invented (Wendy from Peter Pan), some are religious (Gabriel), some come from plants (Lily), some used to be last names (Douglas), and some are just random (Apple? Kal-el? Kyd? Ocean? Blanket?Jermajesty? Click here for more strange celebrities’ children’s names).

The last time my name (Margaret) was in the top ten names (by decade) was in the 1930s (#8). It was actually #3 in the 1890s and 1900s. You can find out the top names by decade at the Social Security website, found HERE.

How did your name do? Do you like your name? What’s your favorite name?