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ArchivesRe: Suffix/Prefix List
in reply to a message by Kynaston
A few more:
Ter or Der as a prefix to Armenian surnames means the named ancestor was a parish priest, e.g., Ter-Petrosian descends from a priest called Peter.
Papa, same thing in Greek - Papayannis, Father John.
Hadji/Hadzi in the Balkans, the named ancestor had made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Borrowed from the Turks.
Abu means father in Arabic. Arab parents are often known to friends and family by the name of their first son. sometimes these names became patronymics, e.g., Abu Khalil.
Abu is also used in nicknames, e.g. Abusha'ra, "father of hair", a hairy (or bald?) man; Abu Dirham, "father of coins", a wealthy (or stingy?) man. Both examples are found as surnames.
Ter or Der as a prefix to Armenian surnames means the named ancestor was a parish priest, e.g., Ter-Petrosian descends from a priest called Peter.
Papa, same thing in Greek - Papayannis, Father John.
Hadji/Hadzi in the Balkans, the named ancestor had made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Borrowed from the Turks.
Abu means father in Arabic. Arab parents are often known to friends and family by the name of their first son. sometimes these names became patronymics, e.g., Abu Khalil.
Abu is also used in nicknames, e.g. Abusha'ra, "father of hair", a hairy (or bald?) man; Abu Dirham, "father of coins", a wealthy (or stingy?) man. Both examples are found as surnames.
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