French Surname Meanings and Origins

Coming from the medieval French word surnom, which translates as above-or-over name, descriptive surnames names trace their use in France back to 11th century when it first became necessary to add a second name to distinguish between individuals with the same given name. Even so, the use of surnames did not become common for several centuries. Patronymic Matronymic Surnames Based on a parent’s name, patronyms and matronyms are the most common method by which French last names were constructed. Patronymic surnames are based on the fathers name and matronymic surnames on the mothers name. The mothers name was usually used only when the fathers name was unknown. Patronymic and matronymic surnames in France were formed in several different ways. The majority of French patronymic and matronymic surnames have no identifying prefix and are direct derivations of the parents given name, such as August Landry, for August, son of Landri, or Tomas Robert, for Tomas, son of Robert. The typical format of attaching a prefix or suffix meaning son of (e.g., de, des, du, lu,  or  the Norman fitz) to a given name was less common in France than in many European countries, although still prevalent. Examples include Jean de Gaulle, meaning John, son of Gaulle, or Tomas FitzRobert, or Tomas, son of Robert. Suffixes meaning little son of (-eau, -elet, -elin, -elle, -elet, and so forth) were also used. Occupational Surnames Also very common among French surnames, occupational last names are based on the person’s job or trade, such as Pierre Boulanger or Pierre, the baker. Several common occupations found prevalently as French surnames include Caron (cartwright), Fabron (blacksmith), and  Pelletier (fur trader). Descriptive Surnames Based on a unique quality of the individual, descriptive French surnames were often developed from nicknames or pet names, such as Jacques Legrand, for Jacques, the Big. Other common examples include Petit (small) and LeBlanc (blonde hair or fair complexion). Geographical Surnames Geographical or habitational French surnames are based on a person’s residence, often a former residence (for example, Yvonne Marseille means Yvonne from the village of Marseille). They may also describe the individuals specific location within a village or town, such as Michel Là ©glise, who lived  next to the church.  The prefixes de, des, du, and le (which translate to of) are also used in French geographical surnames.   Alias Surnames or Dit Names In some areas of France, a second surname may have been adopted to distinguish between different branches of the same family, especially when the families remained in the same town for generations. These alias surnames can often be found preceded by the word dit. Sometimes an individual even adopted the dit name as the family name and dropped the original surname. This practice was most common in France among soldiers and sailors. French Names With Germanic Origins As so many French surnames are derived from first names, its important to know that many common French first names have Germanic origins. However, these names became part of French culture as a result of German invasions, so having a name with Germanic origins does not necessarily mean you have German ancestors. Official Name Changes in France Beginning in 1474, those who wished to change their names were required to get permission from the King. (These official name changes can be found indexed in L Archiviste Jà ©rà ´me. Dictionnaire des changements de noms de 1803–1956 (Dictionary of changed names from 1803 to 1956). Paris: Librairie Francaise, 1974.) 100 Common French Surnames and their Meanings Abadie (abbey or family chapel)Alarie (all-powerful)Allard (noble)Anouilh (slow worm)Archambeau (bold, daring)Arsenault (gun maker, keeper of the arsenal)Auclair (clear)Barbeau (a type of fish, fisherman)Barbier (barber)Bassett (low, short, or of humble origins)Baudelaire (small sword, dagger)Beauregard (beautiful outlook)Beausoleil (beautiful sun, a sunny place)Bellamy (beautiful friend)Berger (shepherd)Bisset (weaver)Blanchet (blond, pure)Bonfils (good son)Boucher (butcher)Boulanger (baker)Brun (dark hair or complexion)Camus (snub-nosed, shirt-maker)Carpentier (carpenter)Carre (square)Cartier (transporter of goods)Chapelle (near the chapel)Charbonnier (who sells or makes charcoal)Chastain (chestnut tree)Chatelain (constable, prison warder from the Latin word  castellum, meaning â€Å"watchtower†)Chevalier (knight, horseman)Chevrolet (keeper of goats)Corbin (crow, little raven)De la Cour (of the court)De la Croix (of the cross)De la Rue (of the street)Desjardins (from the g ardens)Donadieu/Donnadieu (â€Å"given to God,† this name was often bestowed on children who became priests or nuns, or were orphaned with unknown parentage.)Dubois (by the woods or forest)Dupont (by the bridge)Dupuis (by the well)Durand (enduring)Escoffier (to dress)Farrow (ironworker)Fontaine (well or fountain)Forestier (keeper of the king’s forest)Fortier (stronghold/fort or someone who works there)Fortin (strong)Fournier (communal baker)Gagneux (farmer)Gagnon (guard dog)Garcon (boy, servant)Garnier (keeper of the granary)Guillaume (from William, meaning strength)Jourdain (one who descends)Laferriere (near an iron mine)Lafitte (near the border)Laflamme (torchbearer)Laframboise (raspberry)Lagrange (who lived near a granary)Lamar (the pool)Lambert (bright land or lamb herder)Lane (wool or wool trader)Langlois (Englishman)Laval (of the valley)Lavigne (near the vineyard)Leclerc (clerk, secretary)Lefebre (craftsman)Legrand (large or tall)Lemaitre (master craftsman)Lenoir (black, dark)Leroux (redheaded)Leroy (the king)Le Sueur (one who sews, cobbler, shoemaker)Marchand (merchant)Martel (blacksmith)Moreau (dark-skinned)Moulin (mill or miller)Petit (small or slender)Picard (someone from Picard)Poirier/Poirot (near a pear tree or orchard)Pomeroy (apple orchard)Porcher (swineherd).Proulx (brave, valiant)Remy (oarsman or cure/remedy)Richelieu (place of wealth)Roche (near a rocky hill)Sartre (tailor, someone who sews clothing)Sergeant (one who serves)Serrurier (locksmith)Simon (one who listens)Thibaut (brave, bold)Toussaint (all saints)Travers (near the bridge or ford)Vachon (cowherd)Vaillancourt (low-lying farm)Vercher (farmland)Verne (alder tree)Vieux (old)Violette (violet)Voland (one who flies, agile)

Hurricane Katrin A Horrific Day For The City Of New Orleans

August 29, 2005, was a horrific day for the city of New Orleans. That day was when the deadly storm Hurricane Katrina hit the city of New Orleans. It was one of the worst hurricanes in the United States history. On August 28, 2005, Katrina was upgraded to a category five hurricane, which is the worst category that a hurricane can be named. A category five hurricane means catastrophic damage will occur since the wind was going 157 miles per hour or higher. Ray Nagin the mayor of New Orleans called for the first mandatory evacuation of the city and he announced that the Superdome were some of the places that were listed as places as shelters for people who cannot leave. After the hurricane hit the city of New Orleans, the city was†¦show more content†¦New Orleans had a huge poverty problem and the hurricane made it worst for the poor people. New Orleans was one of the poorest cities in the United States even before Katrina. Even the police department had been in tons of tro ubles before Katrina. The NOPD has had a terrible reputation for years. In April 1996, NOPD officer Len Davis was imprisoned for killing a person who was complaining about police brutality. Another NOPD officer was involved in a robbery that left three dead including a police officer. From the years, 1995 to 1997 more than 500 police officers were being investigated and more than a 100 officers were fired. Even before Katrina happened the rate of murders went up twenty percent from the year before. The NOPD were not properly run before Hurricane Katrina and they were not properly run after Hurricane Katrina hit the city of New Orleans. After Katrina hit the city of New Orleans, it turns the city into a hopeless place to be. Eighty percent of the city was flooded and some parts of the city were fifteen under water. During the aftermath of the hurricane, there were tons of looting, shootings, murders, and rapes. Some of those events took place in the Superdome where people live before and after the hurricane hit the city since they were not able to leave the city beforehand. A lot of people lost their homes. Also, local business was destroyed. There were people sitting on their rooftops since their homes were under water and they were

Arab music Essay Example For Students

Arab music Essay The word music comes from the Greek word Mousiki which means the science of composing melodies. Ilm al-musiqa was the name given by the Arabs to the Greek theory of music as to distinguish it from ilm al-ghinaa, the Arabian theory. The Arab music tradition developed in the courts of dynasties in the Islamic Empire from the seventh to the thirteenth century. It flourished during the Umayyad dynasty in the seventh and eighth centuries in Syria. Although the major writings of Arab music appeared after the spread of the Islamic religion in the beginning of the seventh century, the music tradition had already begun. Before the spread of Islam, Arab music incorporated music traditions of the Sassanid dynasty (224-651) in Persia and the early Byzantine empire (fourth to sixth century) and of sung poetry from the Arabian Peninsula. Arab music is created using non-harmonized melodic and rhythmic systems. Arabic melodies draw from a vast array of models, or melodic modes, known as maqamat. Ara bic books on music include as many as 52 melodic modes, of which at least 12 are commonly used. These modes feature more tones than are present in the Western musical system, including notably smaller intervals that are sometimes called microtones, or half-flats and half-sharps. Arab melodies frequently use the increased second interval, an interval larger than those of most Western melodies. The sound of Arab music is richly melodic and offers freedom for subtle nuance and creative diversity. The rhythmic structure of Arab music is also complex. Rhythmic patterns have up to forty-eight beats and typically include several downbeats (called dums) as well as upbeats (called taks) and rests. To grasp a rhythmic mode, the listener must hear a relatively long pattern. Moreover, the performers do not simply play the pattern; they decorate and elaborate upon it. Often the pattern is recognizable only by the arrangement of downbeats. The order of these systems of melody and rhythm is essential to the composition and performance of Arab music. Students learn pieces of music, both songs and instrumental works, but rarely perform them exactly as they were originally composed or presented. In Arab tradition, a good musician is someone who can offer something new in each performance by varying and improvising on known pieces or models in a fashion similar to that of musicians. The creations of musicians can be lengthy, extending ten-minute compositions into hour-long performances that bear only a skeletal resemblance to the models. The style of the new works traditionally depends upon the response of the audience. Listeners are expected to react during the performance, either verbally or with applause. Quiet is interpreted as disinterest or dislike. The audience members, in this tradition, are active participants in determining the length of the performance and in shaping the piece of music by encouraging musicians to either repeat a section of the piece or to move to the next section. Instruments typically used in an Arab musical performance include the ud, a prototype of the European lute, and the nay, an end-blown reed flute. Frame drums, with or without jingles, and hourglass-shaped drums are common percussion instruments. These instruments vary in name and shape depending upon the region of their origin. Double-reed instruments of varying sizes, such as the Lebanese mijwiz and the Egyptian mizmar, are played at outdoor celebrations. The Arab rababah, a spike fiddle, may have been the prototype for the European violin, which is now also found in many Arab regions. Solo performance consisting of the interactive invention of good music with an appreciative audience represents a peak of musical accomplishment for the instrumentalist similar to that which the singing of poetry represents for the vocalist. In a taqsim, a form of instrumental improvisation, the instrumentalist chooses a melodic mode, offers interpretation of the mode, and in pitch, and modulates to other modes. Eventually the instrumentalist descends to close in the original mode. Musical accomplishment lies in the musicians technical virtuosity, creativity, and subtlety in suggesting other modes, other compositions, or even the music of other artists. .ue33e082033a22d13e5a2f43b7b731867 , .ue33e082033a22d13e5a2f43b7b731867 .postImageUrl , .ue33e082033a22d13e5a2f43b7b731867 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ue33e082033a22d13e5a2f43b7b731867 , .ue33e082033a22d13e5a2f43b7b731867:hover , .ue33e082033a22d13e5a2f43b7b731867:visited , .ue33e082033a22d13e5a2f43b7b731867:active { border:0!important; } .ue33e082033a22d13e5a2f43b7b731867 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ue33e082033a22d13e5a2f43b7b731867 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ue33e082033a22d13e5a2f43b7b731867:active , .ue33e082033a22d13e5a2f43b7b731867:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ue33e082033a22d13e5a2f43b7b731867 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ue33e082033a22d13e5a2f43b7b731867 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ue33e082033a22d13e5a2f43b7b731867 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ue33e082033a22d13e5a2f43b7b731867 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ue33e082033a22d13e5a2f43b7b731867:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ue33e082033a22d13e5a2f43b7b731867 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ue33e082033a22d13e5a2f43b7b731867 .ue33e082033a22d13e5a2f43b7b731867-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ue33e082033a22d13e5a2f43b7b731867:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: A Clean Well Lighted Place Analysis EssayPerformances considered traditionalwhether they are neoclassical events in concert halls, entertainment in hotels, or television programmesusually include both song and instrumental performances, although often not played in unison, that last about an hour and are arranged to reach a high peak in a vocal performance. Such collections of piecesmetrical and non-metrical, vocal and instrumental, simple and complex, and often unified by modeare central to Arab music.Examples include the North African nawbah, thought to have originated in Andaluca, and the eastern Mediterranean waslah musical forms, which were previously the standard of entertainment for small gatherings of elite Arab men. While the general principles have remained the same, the tradition of Arab music has changed throughout the centuries. Distinctive local practices have evolved and become important to the cultural identity of their respective societies. For example, the North African cities of Fs, Tlemcen, Tetuan, and Tunis have distinct versions of the Andalusian nawbah that help define local culture and are closely associated with the histories of their regions.Melodic modes of the same name are tuned slightly differently in Syria, Egypt, Iraq, and the countries of North Africa. Music of these regions is distinguishable by pitch. Rhythmic modes also have varying articulations in different locales, and the styles of melodies and renditions differ. Sung poetry, particularly informal verse, changes with local dialects. The Iraqi maqam is not simply a melodic mode, but an unfolding of pieces in a particular mode. The word maqam in Iraq carries a me aning closer to that of waslah or nawbah than it does maqam in other places. Because of the absence of recording or notation until the 20th century, it is impossible to be certain of the age of the melodies. Particular melodies, specifically those of Andalusian or Syrian muwashshahat, may be centuries old, but it is highly unlikely that they have remained exactly the same throughout the years. Widely known musical pieces of early times were probably subject to reinterpretation at different places throughout history. Bibliography: