Surnames around
the World
Today wasn't just another lesson in Ms. Johnson's
class; it was a journey around the world to
explore the history of the students’ last names!
Ms. Johnson began by showing a world map
on the board, then she said, "Today, we'll be
learning about where our surnames come from
and what they mean!"
First up was Sarah Jones. She stood up and
pointed to Wales on the map. "My family is from
Wales and so my last name probably comes from
my dad's great-grandfather's name, John."
Ms. Johnson nodded. "Spot on! 'Jones' is a very
common surname in Wales, and it means 'son of
John.'"
Next, Jamal Khan raised his hand excitedly to
share his surname. "I am from Thailand. My
parents have told me that my surname is a mix
of stories," he said. "Khan is common in some
parts of Central and South Asia,
and can sometimes refer to 'royalty' or
'military chief'." Jamal stood up and pointed
to where Asia was on the map.
"That's right, Jamal. Surnames all around the
world can sometimes be based on ancestry,
occupation, or even a place!"
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Surnames around the World
Mei Wang was next. "My grandma says our
surname, Wang, is really old and means
‘king’!" Ms. Johnson smiled brightly. "You're
right, Mei. In China, surnames often come
from ancient family lineages. Although there
are many different kinds, Wang is one of the
most common ones!"
The bustling discussion continues and the
class learnt how Blair Miller's name most
likely came from a miller's profession in
Scotland. Kai Hale probably had an ancestor
who lived in Hawaii as his surname means
‘house’ in Hawaiian. And interestingly
enough, Helgi Davidsdóttir from Iceland said
that her surname came from her dad’s name,
David, with ‘dóttir’ added to it to show that
she is his daughter. There were many more
examples of how everyone’s surnames came
from unique backgrounds around the world.
Inspired by all that was said, Adriana Costa
decided that when she got home, she would
ask her grandma about where their surname
came from. She knew it would be different
coming from Brazil, so she was set to find
out more so she could also share where her
surname came from next lesson.
Disclaimer: This resource has been made for the purpose of teaching English language learners. We know that students can be learning English in many different places, in many different ways and at age,
so we try to keep these resources as general as possible.
There are many acronyms associated with English language teaching. These include (but are not limited to) ELT, TEFL, EFL, ELL, EAL and ESOL. While the term ESL may not fully represent the linguistic
backgrounds of all students, it is the most widely recognised term for English language teaching globally. Therefore, we use the term ‘ESL’ in the names of our resources to make them easy to find but they are
suitable for any student learning to speak English.
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Surnames around the World
Reading Comprehension Questions:
Activity 1: Fill in the gaps in the sentences.
"My family is from and so my last name probably
1
comes from my dad's name, John."
"Khan is common in some parts of Central and South ,
2
and can sometimes refer to or 'military chief'."
"My grandma says our surname, Wang, is really old and means
3 !"
Kai Hale probably had an ancestor who lived in
4 as his surname means ‘ ’ in Hawaiian.
And interestingly enough, Helgi Davidsdóttir from
5 said that her surname came from her dad’s name, David, with
‘ ’ added to it to show that she is his .
Activity 2: True or false?
1 Mei Chen comes from Hawaii. True False
2 Blair Miller’s surname came from Scotland. True False
3 Adrianna Costa’s surname came from Brazil. True False
4 Sarah Jones’ surname comes from South Africa. True False
5 Jamal Khan’s surname comes from Asia. True False
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Surnames around the World
Activity 3: Match the answers in the box to the questions given.
Answer box: royalty - house - daughter - miller - king - Wales
1 What does “dóttir” mean?
2 What does the surname “Khan” mean?
3 What does the surname “Wang” mean?
4 Where does Sarah’s surname come from?
5 What does the surname “Hale” mean?
Activity 4: Writing Questions
1 Do you think this is a fun lesson to have? Why or why not?
Besides ancestry, what other reasons might there be for someone's last
2
name?
How do you think Ms. Johnson's lesson might inspire other students to
3
learn more about themselves and their families?
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Surnames around the World
Bonus Activity: Have you ever wondered what your surname means
and where it comes from? Take some time to do a little research on
the internet and write a bit about the history of your surname below.
? ?
?
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Surnames around the World
Answers
Activity 1:
1. "My family is from Wales and so my last name probably comes from my
dad's great-grandfather's name, John."
2. "Khan is common in some parts of Central and South Asia, and can
sometimes refer to 'royalty' or 'military chief'."
3. "My grandma says our surname, Wang, is really old and means ‘king’!"
4. Kai Hale probably had an ancestor who lived in Hawaii as his surname
means ‘house’ in Hawaiian.
5. And interestingly enough, Helgi Davidsdóttir from Iceland said that her
surname came from her dad’s name, David, with ‘dóttir’ added to it to
show that she is his daughter.
Activity 2: Activity 3:
1. F 1. daughter
2. T 2. royalty
3. T 3. king
4. F 4. Wales
5. T 5. house
Activity 4:
Students’ own answers.
Bonus activity:
Students’ own answers.
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