How can you have 2 last names?
Double-barrelled?
How can you have 2 last names?
As I'm led to believe, the Dutch never used to have surnames, and like the Icelandics today were just known as "Jan, son of Jan" etc... It was when Napoleon invaded in the 1790s that the French forced them to take surnames for administration purposes.
So by way of protesting against the occupying forces, many deliberately chose rude and offensive names like "Ruud Cockface" or "Hans Hopoffyoufrogs". Most of these have been changed and disappeared over the years, but there are a few still around. There was recently a cabinet minister here called Mrs Borst (Mrs Breast). Although rumours that the prime minister she served under had also gone down the same route are sadly false, as Mr Kok actually means "Mr Cook"...
Hawker: I'm either the descend of a keeper of birds of prey or a door-to-door salesman. I prefer to believe the former but the latter is probably true.
I Always Thought Your Surname Was "Alan" Which Doesn't Mean Either Of Those Two Things.
So you're.. Mr. Blumenkrantz-Smith?
Mine is due to my idiot great-grandparents trying to sound less Jewish and more English and failing miserably.
What did it used to be be?
Shall-om?
Seriously.
Mine is an occupation based one too. My forebears were apparently 'operators of bellows in iron-age metalworks,in SUSSEX'.