Seminar Description

All surnames mean something. Studying English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish surnames can reveal everything from what European life was like in earlier times—what were those occupations, like Pointer, Fiedler, and Faucheur, that live on in surnames? —to the locations where families originated. In this seminar, we will identify the languages to which given surnames belong, discuss how place-based surnames might have come about, and employ a forensic approach to put together etymologies of surnames.

One session. E – $85, R – $93.5

Jack Shreve holds a PhD in historical linguistics from the University of Pittsburgh and has 32 years of experience teaching Spanish and English at Allegany College Cumberland in Maryland. He has written hundreds of reviews of fiction, non–fiction, and reference works for many publications.

Materials List

Required:

• Elsdon C. Smith, American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company. 2009. ISBN: 0-80190526-8

First Reading:

• For the first class, please read Chapter One of American Surnames, "Classification of Surnames," pp. 1-40.

Registration Information

• Online registration opens at 9 am (CST) on Tuesday, January 7.
• Phone registration opens at 12 pm (CST) on Wednesday, January 8.

Early registration (E) prices are in effect from January 7 at 9 am through January 24 at 4 pm. Regular registration (R) prices are in effect January 24 at 4 pm through the end of the term.

We offer a 10% discount to members, seniors, and students.

Need Help? Please email seminars@newberry.org.

This seminar is part of the Newberry’s Seminars Program. Learn more about registering for a seminar, program policies and procedures, or teaching a seminar.