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Untitled Document
Patronymic
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a
personal name based on the name of one's father. A component of a name based
on the name of one's mother is a matronymic, or
matronym. Each is a means of conveying lineage.
In
many areas patronymics predate the use of family names.
They, along with the less common matronymics, are still used in Iceland, where
few people have surnames. For example, the son and daughter of Pétur
Marteinsson would have different last names - Pétursson (for his son)
and Pétursdóttir (for his daughter).
Many
Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Iberian, Slavic, Manx, English,
and Scandinavian surnames originate from patronymics, e.g. Wilson (son of William),
Powell (ap Hywel), Fernández (of Fernando), Carlsson (son of Carl, e.g.,
Erik Carlsson), Stefanovic´ (son of Stefan, e.g., Vuk Stefanovic´
Karadzˇic´). Similarly, other cultures which formerly used patronyms have
since switched to the more widespread style of passing the father's last name
to the children (and wife) as their own (as in Ethiopia).
Patronymics
can simplify or complicate genealogical research. A father's first name is easily
determinable when his children bear a patronymic; however, migration has frequently
resulted in a switch from a patronymic to a family name due to different local
customs. Most immigrants adapt as soon as birth, marriage, and death certificates
must be written. Depending on the countries concerned, family research in the
nineteenth century or earlier needs to take this into account.
In
biological taxonomy, a patronym is a specific epithet
which is a Latinized surname. These often honor associates of the biologist
who named the organism rather than the biologist himself. Examples include Gopherus
agassizii, named by James Graham Cooper after Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz, and
Acacia greggii, named by botanist Asa Gray after explorer Josiah Gregg.
We
have been told that our German name Voelzow which was Americanized at Ellis
Island (as may have been your name) from Völzow was originally probably
Völz with zow added meaning son of Völz! But we have not been able
to verify that information - but there are Voelz's in the United States. By
the way, for you Germans out there, our German family is from Tieplitz Germany
and when they came to the United States we believe the area was called Prussia.
If you want to comment please email
us! Thanks, Norm Voelzow
For
more language information: Spanish, German, Swiss
AKA Swiss German, and Rumantsch or to read the entire definition above just
click on patronymic
- thanks!
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