Quote:
Originally Posted by badgoodDeb
Well, yeah, originally that was true. Leonardo didn't have a last name. But by the 20th century, people USED last names, and "Van Dyke" had become a last name!
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Oh, I certainly agree.
But in da Vinci's day, "da Vinci" was not a proper name. It meant "of Venci." In his time and place--like many, many times and places--that's often how different people with the same given name were distinguished from one another, before the common use of surnames. For example, "Which Leonardo are you talking about? The Leonardo of Rome or the Leonardo of Venice?" "Oh, I'm talking about Leonardo of Venice (Leonardo da Vinci)."
Illustrations of your point:
- "Ericson" (Scandinavia)--now a surname, but originally meant "son of Eric."
- All of the "O'-s" of Irish surnames (O'Malley, O'Riley, "O'Hara,
et al.). The "O'" originally meant "of," and was not, then, a surname. But many, maybe most, maybe all, became the surnames that we know today.