Surnames are English and American. English names and surnames

So much is told about the culture or traditions of England, but it is quite rare to learn about english names. And the topic, by the way, is very interesting. After all, the naming system is globally different from what we are used to.

If we have a first and last name, then in England it is somewhat different. They have a first name, a middle name and a last name. In addition, in England it is considered normal to give diminutive forms of a name. For example, even in formal negotiations a person may be called Tony, although his full name is Anthony. If desired, the child can be immediately registered with a diminutive name and the state will not object. Moreover, you can take almost any word or name as a name - for example, the name Brooklyn. But if they tried to name their son, for example, Novosibirsk, they would hardly give permission.

System of English given names and surnames

Each of us is already accustomed to the fact that he is the bearer of a surname, name and patronymic. But for the English this scheme is not suitable; their system of names is absolutely unusual and therefore curious. The main difference between our systems is the absence of a middle name. Instead, they have a surname, first name and middle name. Moreover, as either of these two names, an Englishman can bear the surnames of some stars or even his ancestors. Although there is no strict requirement that a person have only these three points. Any Englishman can give a child a name from several names or surnames. For example, if you want to name it after an entire football team at once.

This tradition of giving a person a surname as a first name has survived to this day from noble families. Although the history of the English name system developed quite actively, borrowings were made from various countries, and also names were mixed from the Angles, Celtic tribes, and Franco-Normans. Since the Anglo-Saxons initially had only one name, they tried to attach special significance to it. Therefore, in ancient names one could find words such as wealth or health. Old English female names were most often formed using adjectives, the most common variation being Leof (dear, beloved). And after the Norman invasion of England, a surname was gradually added to the name, making it already close to the system of names existing today. The old Anglo-Saxon names gradually began to disappear and due to the influence of the Christian religion, Christian schools that opened everywhere actively stimulated the registration of newborns who received a name at baptism, so the names changed slightly: from Mary to Mary, from Jeanne to Joanna.

English first and last name generator

GENERATOR OF ENGLISH NAMES AND SURNAMES
(including Anglo-Irish and Anglo-Scottish surnames)

Here are the most common ones British names. For convenience, they are divided into parts of the country, because in each corner some individual names are most popular. Some of them are the same, some are different. The names are ranked by popularity.

England

Men's

1. Harry– Harry (diminutive of Henry – rich, powerful)
2. Oliver– Oliver (from ancient German – army)
3. Jack– Jack (diminutive of John, from Hebrew – Yahweh is merciful)
4. Charlie– Charlie (from ancient German – man, husband)
5. Thomas– Thomas (from ancient Greek – twin)
6. Jacob– Jacob (simplified version of the name James)
7. Alfie– Alfie (from Old English – advice)
8. Riley– Riley (from Irish – courageous)
9. William– William (from ancient German – desire, will)
10. James– James (from Hebrew – “heel-holding”)

Women's

1. Amelia– Amelia (from ancient German – labor, work)
2. Olivia– Olivia (from Latin – olive tree)
3. Jessica– Jessica (the exact meaning is unknown, perhaps the name comes from the biblical name Jescha)
4. Emily– Emily (feminine form of the male name Emil – rival)
5. Lily– Lily (from the English name of the lily flower)
6. Ava– Ava (variant of the medieval English name Evelyn)
7. Heather– Heather (from English – heather)
8. Sophie– Sophie (from ancient Greek – wisdom)
9. Mia– Mia
10. Isabella– Isabella (Provençal version of the name Elizabeth)

Northern Ireland

Men's

1. Jack– Jack
2. James– James
3. Daniel– Daniel
4. Harry– Harry
5. Charlie– Charlie
6. Ethan– Ethan
7. Matthew– Matthew (from Hebrew – gift of Yahweh)
8. Ryan– Ryan
9. Riley– Riley
10. Noah– Noah

Women's

1. Sophie– Sophie
2. Emily– Emily
3. Grace– Grace (from English – grace, elegance)
4. Amelia– Amelia
5. Jessica– Jessica
6. Lucy– Lucy (from the male Roman name Lucius - light)
7. Sophia– Sofia (variant of the name Sophie)
8. Katie– Katie (from Greek – pure, purebred)
9. Eva– Eve (from Hebrew – breathe, live)
10. Aoife– Ifa (from Irish – beauty)

Wales

Men's

1. Jacob– Jacob
2. Oliver– Oliver
3. Riley– Riley
4. Jack– Jack
5. Alfie– Alfie
6. Harry– Harry
7. Charlie– Charlie
8. Dylan– Dylan (according to Welsh mythology, this was the name of the God of the Sea)
9. William– William
10. Mason– Mason (from a similar surname meaning “stone carving”)

Women's

1. Amelia– Amelia
2. Ava– Ava
3. Mia– Mia
4. Lily– Lily
5. Olivia– Olivia
6. Ruby– Ruby (from English – ruby)
7. Seren– Seren (from Latin – clear)
8. Evie– Evie (from the English surname Evelyn)
9. Ella– Ella (from ancient German – all, everything)
10. Emily– Emily

Modern English names

In English names, it is very common to use endearing and diminutive forms as a formal name. In our country, this form is allowed only in personal, close communication. For example, take people familiar to everyone - Bill Clinton or Tony Blair. They are called by such names even at world negotiations, and this is absolutely acceptable. Although in fact Bill's full name is William, and Tony is Anthony. The British are allowed to register a newborn child by giving him a diminutive name as his first or second name. Although there are no special prohibitions on choosing a name in English-speaking countries, you can give your child a name in honor of a city or region. For example, this is what the star couple Beckham did: Victoria and David gave their son the name Brooklyn - it was in this area of ​​New York that he was born.

Gradually, fashion began to change and names in English-speaking countries began to be often borrowed from different languages. Since the 19th century, many female names have appeared, such as Ruby, Daisy, Beryl, Amber and others. Names originally from Spain or France were readily used - Michelle, Angelina, Jacqueline. But the tendency of some people to give their children unusual names has not disappeared anywhere. Bill Simser, vice president of Microsoft, named his daughter Vista Avalon. The first part of the name is in honor of Windows Vista, and the second part is in honor of the codename of the Avalon system. But director Kevin Smith decided to name his daughter Harley Quinn - that was the name of the girl from the Batman comics.

By the way, not every owner likes such unusual names. Many children are embarrassed by this and eagerly wait until they reach adulthood to officially change their name. Little Pixie Geldof, who is the daughter of musician Bob Geldof, was very embarrassed by the prefix “little” at the beginning of her name and adult life preferred to call herself simply Pixie. But it’s hard to even imagine what a resident of New Zealand, whose name is Bus No. 16, will do with his name. One can only envy his parents’ imagination.

As you know, names in English-speaking countries are not built according to the usual “last name, first name, patronymic” formula. They can consist of two words (John Smith), three or more words (James Peter Williams), they have Junior or Senior additions (Walter White Jr., Walter White Sr) and other features. In this article you will learn how English names are structured, as well as which first and last names are the most popular in the USA and England, and how this popularity has changed over the course of the century.

What does a name consist of?

If we talk about names around the world, their structure differs greatly in different countries. The most common elements of a name, common to many cultures, are personal name(personal name) and surname, family name (surname, last name, family name). The personal name is given at birth, and the surname is inherited as a common name for the family.

Many cultures have names derived from the parents' given names, usually from the father's name as a patronymic (patronymic), but sometimes from the mother's name (matronymic). In the Scandinavian countries there were no surnames, there were only first names and patronymics. In Norway, surnames were officially introduced in 1923, but in Iceland surnames are still not used. In fact, in Iceland patronymics are used as surnames - the name of the father (less often the mother) with the suffix “son” (son) or “dottir” (daughter), for example: Björk Guðmundsdóttir, literally: Björk, daughter of Guðmundur.

If we talk about England and the USA, then they often use middle name(middle name) - this is the main feature of names in these countries.

Middle Name in England and the USA

A middle or middle name can be given in honor of a saint, relative, family friend, famous person, essentially - in honor of anyone, but more often in honor of a relative, ancestor or saint (in Catholic families). A person may have more than one middle name (Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton) or none at all (James Bond) – This is an optional element of the name.

In the USA, middle name means that part of the name that is located between the personal name (first name) and last name (last name), even if it is not actually a middle name, but, for example, a patronymic (Igor Petrovich Belov).

The middle name in the USA is usually abbreviated as a letter (middle initial), for example: Mary Lee Bianchi - Mary L. Bianchi. In Great Britain, it is customary to write differently: they write either without the middle name (Mary Bianchi), or abbreviate everything except the surname (M. L. Bianchi), or write it in full (Mary Lee Bianchi).

Sometimes there are cases when a person prefers to use his middle name as his main name. In the USA, in this case, the first name is written in abbreviation. For example, J. Edgar Hoover's real name was John, and Edgar was his middle name. His full name sounds like John Edgar Hoover, or J. Edgar Hoover for short. Sometimes the first name is simply omitted, not used, as in the case of the writer Harper Lee. Harper is her middle name, and her personal name is Nelle: Nelle Harper Lee.

In rare cases, a person does not have a full middle name, but only an initial, which cannot be deciphered in any way. An example is Harry Truman. His full name is spelled Harry S. Truman, but the “S” is not spelled. Truman once even told reporters that for this reason “S” should be written without a dot, because it is essentially a full name, not an abbreviation.

There can be two middle names. Such long names more typical of representatives of privileged classes, especially in England, for example John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. While the first middle name is usually someone's personal name, such as Leslie William Nielsen (William is obviously someone's first name), then the second middle name is often someone's last name. Men can extend their middle name using their mother's maiden name, and women can use their maiden name to extend their middle name. For example, Hillary Clinton was Hillary Diane Rodham before her marriage; after her marriage, she left her maiden name as part of her middle name and became Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton.

What does Junior or Senior mean after a name?

If the son's name is exactly the same as the father's, the word "Junior" may be added to the son's name and "Senior" to the father's name to make it easier to distinguish between them. “Junior\Senior” can be used both officially, in documents, and unofficially. In the USA these words are abbreviated as Jr. andSr. (Jnr., Snr. in Great Britain), for example: Walter White Jr., Walter White Sr.

If the White family had three full namesakes - father, son and grandson, instead of Jr. and Sr. Roman numerals would be used: Walter White I (first), Walter White II (second), Walter White III (third).

English names in everyday life

In English-speaking countries, it is common practice for the full name, including the middle name, to be used only in documents or formal occasions. That is, if a person’s name is Allen William Jones, then many acquaintances may not be aware of the middle name William, because he will introduce himself everywhere as Allen Jones.

Personal names (first name) are often used in abbreviated form, and at the official level. For example, everyone knew the former Prime Minister of Great Britain as Tony Blair, but Tony is a shortened (in fact, even diminutive) form of the name Anthony.

Popular American names: what were boys and girls called in the USA throughout the century?

Popularity of the name Nancy over the course of a century in the United States. A prime example of how name fashions come and go.

Russian names have experienced ups and downs, either suddenly becoming popular or fading into the background. Usually, the fashion for names was associated with events in the country, the world, with the appearance of popular fictional characters, with the popularity of individuals. A striking example is the popularity of the name Yuri after Gagarin’s flight into space.

The fashion for names also exists in English-speaking countries. For example, the popularity of books and films about Harry Potter influenced the popularity of the name Harry, and after the release of the series “Game of Thrones” the name Arya entered the top 100 popular names in the UK. Because of this variability in name fashion, it is difficult to say which English names are the most popular right now. Popular among whom? Born in the 1960s? In the 1990s? Last year?

For comparison, I will provide a table of male and female names popular in different years in USA.

American male names

The popularity of the name Logan in the United States is clearly associated with comics and films about Wolverine

From this table it is clear that the idea of ​​the name John as very popular in America is outdated. It took first place in the 1910s, went to third place in the 1960s, to ninth in the 1980s, and in 2015 it occupies a modest 26th place, losing even to the name Logan, which was not in the top 100 for more than early periods. Apparently, the popularity of Logan (Wolverine) from films based on Marvel comics had an impact.

The name Daniel, which was not very popular at the beginning of the century (52nd place), fell into 18th place in the ranking in 2015, and Roberts completely went out of fashion. This name was in the top 10 in the 1910s, 1960s and 1980s, but fell to 63rd place in 2015.

Among the “old” names that were popular in the past, James, William, and David are still relevant.

American female names

Popularity chart for the name Emma in the USA

Fashion for female names even more changeable than men's. The most popular name in 2015, Emma was not in demand at all in the 80s and 60s, and at the beginning of the century it took 41st place in the ranking. Emma fashion returned in the 2000s, perhaps Emma Watson helped? The name Mary was very popular at the beginning of the century, but already in the 30s a decline began, and since the 80s this name has become quite rare.

If you take the top 20 names, only Elizabeth was in the top 20 in all four time periods.

Popular English names: what were children called in England throughout the century?

In England, statistics on names and birth data are not kept separately for England, but for England and Wales together, because these two parts of the United Kingdom belong to the same jurisdiction. England and Wales are treated as a single entity for many law-making and enforcement purposes. Data taken from the National Statistics archive.

There are a lot of common names in England and the USA, but the statistics on their popularity are somewhat different. It is interesting that by now there have become quite a lot of names that are equally popular in both the USA and England, especially for women. If you take the names for 2015 in England and the USA, there are many coincidences.

English male names

As in the US, in the UK the hackneyed name John is completely unpopular in 2015, it did not even make it into the top 100, although only 100 years earlier it occupied the first line of the ranking.

It is interesting that if you take the first 20 lines, it turns out that in 2015, names that were not included in the top 20 of previous periods are popular in England and Wales. But there are coincidences with the top 20 names that were popular in the same year in the USA. The names Oliver, Jacob, Noah, William, James, Ethan are as popular in England as in the United States.

English female names

As in the USA, in England the fashion for female names was very fickle. The name Mary was number one in 1914, went to 37th place in 1964, 98th in 1984, and was not even in the top 100 in 2015. The name Isabella was in 81st place in 1914, was not in the top 100 in 1964 and 1984, and now it is among the ten most popular female names in 2015.

As with male names in England and Wales, there is a trend with female names: if you take the top 20 names of 2015, then among them there will be none of the top 20 of previous years (presented in the table), but there will be significant overlaps with the top 20 names popular in the USA in the same 2015. The names Olivia, Sophia, Ava, Isabella, Emily, Ella, Chloe, Grace, Amelia, Mia are equally popular in both England and the USA.

Common English first and last names

Unlike given names, surnames do not change that much over time, since in most cases they are not invented, but inherited. There is no big difference between British and American surnames; there are many common ones among them. The main difference is that in the USA there are many common Latino surnames (Garcia, Martinez, etc.)

A person’s name is an integral part of his personality, so many parents take a very responsible approach to choosing a name for their child. Every name has a unique sound and meaning, and English names are no exception. Names, like the language itself, can change over time and adapt to the norms of the language into which they are transferred or translated. English female names are beautiful in their own way. In this article you can get acquainted with the meanings of some of them.

Nowadays, there are few original English names left: many names were borrowed from Celtic, Norman, Hebrew, Greek and other cultures. Names praising the power of the gods, the forces of nature, and the individual qualities of a person’s character were common in the past. And as a result, the meaning of ancient names may be unusual for modern people.

After the arrival of Christianity in Europe, the names of biblical characters became common: Sarah, Agnes, Mary. A certain type of human activity is also reflected in the names: Abella is a shepherdess, Bailey is a sheriff’s assistant.

Sometimes a shortened version of a name becomes an independent name, for example, Victoria - Vicky; Rebecca - Becky; Angelina - Angie.

Popular English female names

Fashion is a passing and recurring phenomenon. The fashion for names is no exception. According to the UK Office of National Statistics, the most popular female names are Olivia, Emma and Sophie.

The top 10 English female names are presented below:

1. Olivia
2. Emma.
3. Sofia
4. Isabel
5. Charlotte
6. Emily
7. Harper
8. Abigail

The entertainment industry, and specifically cinema, also has an impact on the popularity of names. Thanks to the series "Game of Thrones" became popular among the British the following names: Arya (24th most popular female name in the UK in 2014), Sansa, Brienne, Catelyn and Daenerys.

The name Isabella was given new life by the heroine of the Twilight saga, Bella Swan.

At first glance, the name Hermione seems outdated, but thanks to the film adaptation of the Harry Potter book series, this name seems to have acquired a “second life.”

The status of the bearer of the name also affects the prestige of the name itself. According to the results of a survey conducted in Great Britain, the most and least “successful” female names were identified among the residents of Foggy Albion.

The most successful female names

1. Elizabeth
2. Caroline
3. Olivia
4. Amanda

Less successful female names

1. Julia
2. Emily

As we can see from the above results, the full forms of the name sound more aristocratic and sublime, which gives weight to their bearers, while simpler names are associated with “simpler” girls. Despite the fact that Lisa is a shortened form of the name Elizabeth, nevertheless, the full form of the name took the leading position in the ranking, while the shortened form is not popular.

Rare English female names

The names below are not even temporarily popular in the ratings. Named outsiders include:

It is likely that the unusual sound of the name, its meaning and cacophony are the reasons for the rare use of the name. However, the combination of euphony and meaning in no way guarantees the popularity of the name in the modern world. For example, the original English name Mildred, in different sources means “noble” or “gentle strength,” despite its euphony and meaning, is not popular today.

Beautiful English female names

The beauty of a woman can be compared to a flower, and her name to its fragrance. Therefore, the euphony and beauty of a name is very important for a woman. Despite the fact that everyone's tastes are different, there are still names that sound beautiful to most people:

• Agatha
• Agnes
• Adelaide
• Alice
• Amanda
• Amelia
• Anastasia
• Angelina
• Ariel
• Barbara
• Beatrice
• Bridget
• Britney
• Gloria
• Diana
• Deborah
• Dorothy
• Caroline
• Cassandra
• Constance
• Christina
• Catherine
• Olivia
• Cecilia
• Charlotte
• Cheryl
• Evelina
• Eleanor
• Elizabeth
• Emily
• Esther

Unusual names of celebrity children

Unusual names among ordinary people are quite rare, because when choosing a name for a child, parents try to choose a name that is attractive, in their opinion, without risk to the unborn child.

To attract attention to their person, celebrities do the opposite, because a child’s name is another way to stand out. But can the exclusivity of a name compensate for its meaninglessness?

Such inventors include:

1. Bruce Willis. Name your youngest daughters after horses? No problem, because the horses won the race! This is exactly what Bruce Willis did, naming his youngest daughters after his favorite horses that won at the races - Scout Larue and Tallupa Bell.

2. Gwyneth Paltrow named her daughter Apple (Russian - “apple”). The actress's favorite fruit? It is not that simple! The girl's name is associated with the biblical legend of the paradise forbidden fruit.

3. 50 Cent.“Grant” a child a title by means of a name? Why not...yes! Rapper 50 Cent named his child Marquis. But Marquise is a boy. A good way to develop self-respect, indifference to other people’s opinions and fortitude in a child.

4. Singer David Bowie picked up the baton and named his son Zoe (a female name). Only because he thought the combination of Zoe Bowie was funny.

5. Beyoncé and Jay-Z. Blue Ivy, or Blue Ivy, is the daughter of Beyoncé and Jay-Z. The star couple justified their choice of name with excerpts from Rebecca Solnit’s novel, where the color blue gives “beauty to the whole world.” And the word Ivy is similar to the Roman numeral IV, with which many events in the singer’s life are connected.

6. Actress Milla Jovovich named her daughter Ever Gabo. The second part of the name consists of the first syllables of Mila's parents - Galina and Bogdan. Perhaps the combination of parts of a relative's name guarantees happiness for the child?

7. Frank Zappa. American rock musician Frank Zappa named his daughter Moon Unit. (Lunar Satellite). Isn't the desire to be a musician a good reason for choosing a child's name?

8. Christina Aguilera. The music of summer rain... Let it sound in your daughter’s name too! Singer Christina Aguilera, not wanting to give her daughter a banal name, simply called her “Summer Rain.”

In modern cinema you can really find masterpieces that you want to immortalize in names. Why limit yourself to a flight of fancy that does not go beyond the names of your favorite characters? Let's expand the boundaries using ordinary words, which are not proper names. Khaleesi, a new female name, a tribute to “Game of Thrones”: (Khaleesi is the title of one of the heroines of the series, synonymous with queen or queen). Today in the real world there are already 53 girls with this name.

There are no limits to human imagination, so it will not bypass names either. Over time, we will definitely find out which of the new names will take root and become loved, and which will soon be forgotten.

Common features of American surnames.

History of American surnames as rich as the population of the United States, a state of immigrants, is diverse. Essentially, an American surname can reveal its “kinship” with any nation. And yet, the core of the American nation is native English speakers (Scots, Irish, English, Welsh), who mixed with other peoples, which largely determined the characteristics of American surnames. A common feature of American surnames is that they do not differ in generic sign and are essentially masculine. As for the spelling and pronunciation of American surnames in Russian, they are subject to the laws of Russian spelling. That is, declension of American surnames complies with the rules for declension of Russian surnames.

The dominant role of English-speaking surnames.

Interpretation of American surnames the most varied. According to the value, American surnames can be divided into five main groups. One includes surnames that are derived from the father's names (Peterson, Williams). Others are based on the name of the profession in which the first bearer of the surname was engaged (Smith, “blacksmith”). Large group American surnames are associated with geographical names(England, Lancaster). Some surnames reflect the characteristics of the area (Pul, “reservoir, whirlpool”). Quite a few American surnames were born from common nouns - Bush (“bush”), Fish (“fish”). The surnames of non-English-speaking Americans are forced to constantly adapt to the sound familiar in the country in order to correspond to easier spelling and easier pronunciation. Some surnames are simply abbreviated (Pappadakis-Pappas, Vinareski-Vinar). Others are translated into English (Koning-King). Still others are remade in the English style (Cartier-Carter, Belo-Bellows). However, some surnames retained their national meaning and were not influenced American surnames. For example, spanish surnames if they have changed, it is insignificant.

Surnames of Indians and Africans.

Native American surnames were historically formed from personal names and nicknames. But if you look dictionary of American surnames, then you can notice that there are very few of them. Nowadays, most Indians have common American surnames. The same goes for African American surnames. In the course of history, they gradually lost their unique names and subsequently began to take familiar American surnames. True, recently descendants of people from Africa have been trying to give their surnames a national flavor.

A list of American surnames in alphabetical order shows that a certain part of Americans invent fictitious ones for themselves, sonorous surnames, which are remembered for their originality and help their bearers stand out.

List of common American surnames will help you find out which surnames are the most popular in America (USA).

The most popular American surnames and their meanings

We present to your attention a list of the most popular American surnames.
Smith– Smith
Johnson– Johnson
Williams– Williams
Jones– Jones
Brown– Brown
Davis– Davis
Miller– Miller
Wilson– Wilson
Moore– Moore
Taylor– Taylor
Anderson– Anderson
Thomas– Thomas
Jackson– Jackson
White– White
Harris– Harris
Martin– Martin
Thompson– Thompson
Garcia– Garcia
Martinez– Martinez
Robinson– Robinson
Clark–Clark
Rodriguez– Rodriguez
Lewis– Lewis
Lee– Lee
Walker– Walker
Hall– Hall
Allen– Allen
Young– Young
Hernandez– Hernandez
King– King
Wright– Wright
Lopez– Lopez
Hill– Hill
Scott– Scott
Green– Green
Adams– Adams
Baker– Baker
Gonzalez– Gonzalez
Nelson– Nelson
Carter– Carter
Mitchell– Mitchell
Perez– Perez
Roberts– Roberts
Turner– Turner
Phillips– Phillips
Campbell– Campbell
Parker– Parker
Evans– Evans
Edwards– Edwards
Collins– Collins

Formed at the end of the 18th century. The American nation is very heterogeneous and currently unites not only the descendants of settlers from all parts of the world, but also the indigenous population - the Indians. Therefore, it is not surprising that in the surnames and names of US residents one can trace various national roots: European, African, South American, Asian. These features often make American surnames and names so interesting and exotic.

How are they formed?

Nicknames, including Indian ones, became the basis for many modern surnames. Also, quite often, surnames were formed from the names of professions (Smith, Miller, Taylor), geographical places (England, Lancaster) and objects (Bush, Rock, Moore), father's name (Johnson, Stevenson) and just names (Stewart, Williams, Henry) , as well as animals, flowers and various objects (Fish, White, Rose, Young).

At the beginning of the 20th century, there was a tendency to change difficult-to-pronounce national surnames: shortening, translation, transformation in order to make them similar to English-speaking ones. But in last decades a reverse process is observed: the desire for one’s national and cultural identity, which is manifested in the refusal to Americanize names and surnames. This is especially true for people from African countries, Spain and Latin America. Modern American surnames and given names increasingly emphasize a person's origins.

Inventing pseudonyms is also a very common phenomenon. Most often they are taken by creative individuals: musicians, actors, artists.

American names, male and female, are often abbreviated in everyday communication. Examples: Adam - Ed; Gilbert - Gil; Michael - Mike; Robert - Rob, Bob, Bobby, Robbie; Richard - Dick, Richie; Arnold - Arnie; Eleanor - Ellie, Nora; Elizabeth - Lizzie, Liz, Elsa, Betty, Beth; Katherine - Katie, Kat. Young guys (and even mature men) are often addressed by their initials. For example, a man named T.J. Most people you know will probably call Morris TJ.

As in English language, American men's and female surnames they sound exactly the same. In official communication, it is customary to address men by last name with the prefixes “Mister” or “Sir”, and “Miss” or “Mrs.” for women.

Female names

The top ten most beloved girl names by American parents include Isabella, Sofia, Emma, ​​Olivia, Ava, Emily, Abigail, Madison, Chloe, Mia.

Women's names are often formed from the names of beautiful plants or precious stones. Examples: Rose, Daisy, Olive, Evie (Ivy), Lilly, Violet, Ruby, Beryl, Jade, etc.

Male names

According to statistics, American parents most often name boys Jacob, Ethan, Michael, Jayden, William, Alexander, Noah, Daniel, Aiden, Anthony.

There is a strong tradition of naming after a father or grandfather. In this case, the word “junior” (junior) or a serial name is added to the name: second, third, etc. For example: Anthony White Junior, Christian Bell Second.

American male names are often consonant with surnames (White, Johnson, Davis, Alexander, Carter, Neal, Lewis, etc.). And all because once upon a time both of them were formed from nicknames.

The most popular American surnames

More than two million people in the United States bear the surnames Smith and Johnson. With slightly more modest results (over a million people) follow the holders of the surnames Williams, Jones, Brown, Davis and Miller. Wilson, Moore and Taylor round out the top ten.

The most beautiful American surnames and names

Of course, there is no arguing about tastes, but you can still highlight a list of the most euphonious and even poetic names. Some of them were specially formed from suitable English words: Summer - “summer”, Joy - “joy”, May - “May”, Love - “love”, Hart - “heart”, etc.

• Alisha.
• Bonnie.
• Vanessa.
• Gladys.
• Jade.
• Imogen.
• Cassandra.
• Lillian.
• Miriam.
• Nancy.
• Olivia.
• Pamela.
• Sabrina.
• Tess.
• Heidi.
• Angie.

• Alex.
• Brandon.
• Darren.
• Kyle.
• Mitchell.
• Nicholas.
• Peter.
• Ronald.
• Stephen.
• Walter.
• Fraser.
• Hunter.
• Charlie.
• Sheldon.
• Adrian.

There are not only beautiful American names, but also surnames.

For example:

• Beverly.
• Washington.
• Green.
• Crawford.
• Aldridge.
• Robinson.
• Stone.
• Florence.
• Wallace.
• Harris.
• Evans.

In general, given names and surnames in the USA can be found to have different origins: Smith, Will - English; Miller, Brunner, Martha - German; Gonzales, Federico, Dolores - Spanish; Magnus, Sven - Swedish; Peterson, Jensen - Danish; Patrick, Donovan, O'Brien, McGill - Irish; Mario, Ruth - Portuguese; Isabella, Antonio, de Vito - Italian; Paul, Vivien - French; Lee is Chinese, etc. Combinations are not uncommon when the name is purely American, but the surname has a national flavor. Or vice versa. For example: Martha Roberts, Brandon Lee, etc.

The more you study American surnames and names, the more interesting discoveries you can make. In addition, the American nation is still being formed, so it is possible that soon new unusual and beautiful names of various origins will appear in the everyday life of the inhabitants of this country.