Surnames - the third fine language mess

so do I :smok:
put it this way I even maried a girl with the name Aleman, that is german in spanish

 

Strangely enough, in the firing range that l frequent, there are two "Pennsylvania Ducth", whose last name is ....Alemann.... :lol:

 

nice!!!!!

 

Speaking of strange Dutch surnames, I was reading a book called the unDutchables. very funny. The reason some have very strange names is due to Napoleon. While he was on his European tour he found out the Dutch didn't have surnames, so he decreed that they would chose their own names, hence with a sence of humour, hondendorst and Kloot are not unheard of (hondendorst is Dogsthirst and Kloot is testicle). According to the book, but some of my friends have confirmed it. Maybe the Dutch on here can shed some light.

 

This is a common legend, and I'm not sure of it being entirely true. What is true is that Napoleon ordered for the sake of conscription and law that all civilians must be recorded with name and surname at the government. Those who didn't have a surname therefore had to make one up on the spot, and thinking that Napoleon's measures would only be temporary they made up the strangest things.

Some other known 'Napoleonic' surnames are "Spring-in-'t-veld" (Jump-in-the-field) and "Naaktgeboren" (Born naked).

 

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[ME-262 l guess you know the so-called "Pennsylvania Dutch "are descendants of German inmigrants of various religious denominations..

Kellner! zwei weitere Liter Bier, bitte!

 

Könnst du nicht mit etwas kleineres anfangen!

 

?????????

 

ehh?

 

Haben sie die müsli in seinen lederhosen?

 

Why would he have cereal in his underwear?!

 

Another dutchmen that was given a surname during the napoleonic period was a guy selling lemons, so he was called the dutch word for a lemon, Citroen.
A descendent of him later moved to France, where he founded the famous Citroen car company.

 

are you sure? that is neat!!!!!

 

Nein ich bin wirklich durstiger heutiger Tag...(I always have a healthy thirst for beer after a good bottle of Bushmills......)


Now, to return to strange surnames: l used to find such Italian names as Cacchia, Cacchiala pietra, and Bevilaqcua rather odd..until l found English equivalents: an English missionary l met in Canada, for example..the Rev. Drinkwater-who had just returned from South Africa..(Bevilaqua translates as "Drinkwater")-Or the fact that the surname "Miller" (Müller in German) has French, (Mouliniere), Italian (Mollinari) and Spanish (Molinero ) and Polish equivalents (Kowal) Also, for example: Fiore (Lower) has an English equivalent- as does "Piccolo" ("Little")-- l guess because at one time, from Southern Germany and Poland to the British isles Europe was essentially a larfge fmily of Celtic peoples..For examle, has anybody wondered why here is a Galizia in Poland and a Galicia in Spain..it is no mere coincidence.......

 

Obviously there will always be people who call themselves after their profession, which is the main source of surnames - Miller for example. In Dutch there are an infinite amount of people called "de Boer" (the farmer), "Bakker" (baker), and even some 'Napoleonic' professions: foir instance, "Varkevisser" (pig fisher). :lol:

Sorry me262, the conversation went as follows:

"Waiter! Two more liters of beer please!"

"Can't you start with something a bit smaller!"

"No, I'm really thirsty today!"

Castelot is probably right since Citroen is indeed lemon in Dutch. I never heard that story though...

Notmi: who has cereal in his leather pants?

 

As has been stated an English surname is Drinkwater, however, a French Canadian colleague was named Boivin (Drink wine) they have to be different.

LOL

 

then we have in spanish: guerrero, my name :smok: ,that means warrior

 

You... :-?
Actually, that is a phrase I used to get german friends.. :lol:
I'm not sure if that phrase is entirely correct (probably not, its been 10 years when I studied german and I wasn't good at it).

 

in latin america, we are given 3 names, first name, first surname and second, and if you put my daughters together what do we have?
guerrero aleman, or german warrior, is it odd?