The aspect that impresses me the most in this reading is the great variety of information. The writer provided plenty of examples about the ways of naming, ranging from first names to family names.
According to the article, the first source for names used in Britain and throughout the English-speaking world is the Bible. For example, male names like Adam, Benjamin, David and female names like Deborah, Rebecca, Ruth and Sarah. Many others are also derived from saints, such as George or Anthony. Other sources of naming are Celtic tradition and invasions. I was actually taken back when I came across this idea. I never thought invasions have such big impact on cultural backgrounds of regions and countries. These were the root for many pre-Christian Germanic male names to reach England: Charles, Henry, Robert and William. Some first names are even adopted from family names. The writer also listed the 10 most common first names of Britons alive today and compared them to the most popular names for children born in England and Wales during 2008. He then pointed out some patterns and analyzed them to introduce other trends of naming in British countries. On the other hand, the article mentioned six categories of rules in choosing family names for children in its second part. They are paternal names, nick names, place names, topographical names, occupational names and officerial names. The writer concluded his investigation by explaining some complications in understanding English surnames, indicating how they are distributed and revealing the connections between social classes and naming ways. What an enormous amount of information!
4 A4 pages in length, 31 paragraphs, 2 main headings as well as hundreds of facts and figures totally knocked me out. I was strongly impressed by this informative piece of reading, but I would also rather it be less statistical and more enjoyable.
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