Hard to believe, but the name of the first American president foretold the outcome of the revolution nearly a thousand years ago.

In medieval times, a popular name for a mother to name her baby was Wassa. It sounds crazy, but Wassa was sort of the Mike, Joe, or John of his day. There are plenty of names that fell out of favor over time, like Archibald, Poindexter, and Lemuel. There were several Breton settlements known for the man named Wassa who was the head honcho. In Old English, the term tun meant settlement. We know the word as “town.” Wassing was the word that described “people associated with Wassa.” Wassingatun meant “settlement of the people associated with Wassa,” mostly his family.

Towns back then were different than they are today. They were so small that a man named John might be one of the only ones in the area. Later, as settlements grew, other words were added to describe people. John the elder, John the baker, or John the son of John – John’s son. It was the beginning of last names, words that described a man based on his job, his father’s name, a nickname, or the place where he lived. Washington is an example of a place name – a last name that originally was a settlement name for somebody’s first name.

In that time when last names were just beginning, among the John the bakers, and John the Younger, was also John of Wassingatun. If you ever tried to read Beowulf, you know that few Old English words made it to current times without change. Over the centuries, Wassingatun, became Washington, and the ancestor of the first American president was deeded the manor of Washington in England in the year 1185.

When towns were laid out in early America, many were named for the first president of the United States. In addition to Washington DC, there are namesakes in Louisiana, Connecticut, and of course, Washington state, named for the man whose name predicted the outcome of the American revolution – nearly a thousand years ago. How? It goes back to Wassa, that outdated first name that came from Old English words that meant “hunt” and – “Victory.”

Last names – we all have one. Visit us again and we may have your story on next time!

 

Hard to believe, but Allentown PA and McAllen TX have connections to Little Rock dating back to nearly a thousand years ago.

In medieval times, a popular name for a mother to name her baby was Allen. The name was made even more numerous when one of the early day bishops was so popular that he was like a medieval movie star. After his death, he was elevated to St. Alan, which made more mothers want to name their sons after him. There is still a St. Alan’s Church in Cornwall, England, with the name dating back to the sixth century.

Towns back then were different than they are today. They were so small that a man named John might be one of the only ones in the area. Later, as settlements grew, other words were added to describe people. John the elder, John the baker, or John the son of John – John’s son. It was the beginning of last names, words that described a man based on his job, his father’s name, a nickname, or the place where he lived. Allen is an example of a personal name – a last name that originally was somebody’s first name.

In that time when last names were just beginning, among the John the bakers, and John the Younger, was also John of Allen…you know, John - Allen’s son. Allen as a last name shows up in lots of varieties: Allen, Allenson, Hallenson. Mac is the gaelic word for “son of” – so McAllen means, son of Allen. The Norman term for son was “fitz,” and so came Fitzallen. The Irish use O for the same purpose, and in Ireland the name came down as O’Hallen and sometimes just Hallen. The Germanic languages have their own versions that originated in much the same fashion.

Spelling wasn’t the art that it is today – and the various Allen families wound up with different versions, but no matter how its spelled, those with the name Allen can trace their name to a man in medieval times named Allen.

When towns were laid out in early America, somewere named for pioneering Allens, like Allentown PA and McAllen Texas. Oh – and that connection to Little Rock? Allen, the original first name comes from the Gaelic word ail which means rock, and ailin – or “ little rock.”

Last names – we all have one. Visit us again and we may have your story on next time!