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ArchivesFancy surnames
Are there the concept of “fancy surname” in English? Sometimes fancy surnames may sound ancient and exotic, and might belong to another ethnic group, as I know in other languages. Sometimes they make a character stand out as they may be rare and have very clear origin that makes the owner very likely to be a descendant of a specific group of people. Can you give some examples?
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Replies
Surnames ending in -ham, -ton, -(s)ley, -way, -shire, or -worth tend to sound fancy to English speakers. It reminds us of the British upperclass.
Hensley
Asinley
Billingsley
Chillingly
Bingley
Houston
Upton
Clarkston
Marston
Kingston
Kinston
Princeton
Hensworth
Hemsworth
Butterworth
Tinworth
Duckworth
Worth
Worthy
Needham
Brigham
Kingsley
Ingham
Kingham
Pradham
Cunningham
Buckingham
Cheshire
Hampshire
Broadway
Hemingway
Conway
Broadway
ETC.
Thats why a lot of people think that giving children one of these as a first name is pompous. They always picture spoiled brats with names like this. I don't, but to each his own.
I hope this helps!!
Hensley
Asinley
Billingsley
Chillingly
Bingley
Houston
Upton
Clarkston
Marston
Kingston
Kinston
Princeton
Hensworth
Hemsworth
Butterworth
Tinworth
Duckworth
Worth
Worthy
Needham
Brigham
Kingsley
Ingham
Kingham
Pradham
Cunningham
Buckingham
Cheshire
Hampshire
Broadway
Hemingway
Conway
Broadway
ETC.
Thats why a lot of people think that giving children one of these as a first name is pompous. They always picture spoiled brats with names like this. I don't, but to each his own.
I hope this helps!!
1
Look up the house of Lords extent, on something like wi::$;$;$;IA and whilst enjoying their fabulous portraiture, just mentally filter life Baronories out and at Earl level is the really fancy people. I have lots of precivilwar holders of some common earldoms (Sw and Surrey plus Essex and Kent) which is probably the case for many USA people too as rape was incredibly common as an evil form of torture on top of torture used in the antebellum. So if you are from USA and have mostly English ancestors or knowledge of their heritage well even if not from pleasant circumstances, that's some of these earldoms' non daúphìnic second degree related people who had the same surnames at birth lest bastard laws couldn't be bought out like John Russell.
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Thankfully they came to MARYLAND and Pennsylvania for farm land and lives of squandered broase droappin' costs stead of enslavement except the Lankfords who were just Viscount at the finest and indeed throught they owned people God save me! At least if you know those Lankfords know my total family income is 175% poverty line and have about 100 usd of assets total. So that should be some fun to share with any people whose name is not really Lankford besides my nutty cruel ancestors.
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I don't think of surnames as fancy. People have gone bat crap crazy naming their kids.
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And you proved my point that these names are viewed as silly on children. XD
Surnames in themselves don't have a class, but I thought that I should give Rose Yuen something to work with. It was an interesting question.
Surnames in themselves don't have a class, but I thought that I should give Rose Yuen something to work with. It was an interesting question.
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