An interesting, meaningful, and memorable topic for family discussion is ‘the origin of our family name.’ This discussion acknowledges and honours all our valiant ancestors who faced famines, plagues, perilous journeys, and conflicts, with courage and honour, and who continue to flourish and glorify life inside of all of us, every single day.
A great way to spark these conversations within your family is to do some research and then reveal your findings and give your father or mother, or any family member, a written meaning of your family surname, along with a picture of your family’s Coat of Arms, including your family motto, or smaller crest (symbol).
If you cannot track down your family Coat of Arms, then you can create one yourself as you put together the following ideas:
- Your family values (e.g. a scale represents justice)
- Your family interests like music, reading, animals, etc. (e.g. a bear represents strength)
- Additional symbols like wheels and leaves (e.g. wings represent protection)
- Colours (e.g. gold represents generosity)
If you cannot track down your family motto, then you can create your own:
- ‘Work hard, play hard, and help others every day’
- ‘Travel beyond the horizon’
- ‘Untied rearranged – United!’
Don’t forget to write your family name at the top or at the bottom of your Coat of Arms.
When communities were still small, people were called simple names like ‘Fox,’ ‘Wildgoose,’ ‘Smalldove,’ etc. What do you think your name might have been if you had lived back during those times? ‘Toogood’ perhaps?
When standardized spelling arrived in later centuries, names became more creative, reflecting landscapes and trades, among many other identifiable themes. ‘Smalldove’ might instead then have been known as ‘Mary of the Wood’ and ‘Toogood’– ‘John the Butcher.’ As villages and towns grew and more than one ‘John’ appeared, they had to find ways of differentiating the two. This gave rise to names like ‘John, son of Robert,’ which eventually evolved into ‘John Robertson’ and so on.
Have fun tracing the origin of your family name. This information will add a fascinating layer to your family history, and your parents and all family members will love the gift of this enjoyable and priceless keepsake on a Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, birthday, or any other celebratory event. When we keep these priceless conversations of family lineage alive, we feel refreshed, restored, revitalized, and reconnected to who we truly are.
As we all prance around on our planet, we are always looking for opportunities to lift each other up – higher, higher – as our voices ring out loud and clear: “We honour you! We’ve got you! We love you!”
One thing we know for sure is that although the prefix to all our names is silent, it is there, loud and clear: VIP.
Signed: Lesley of the Newmarket
