patronymic
Father-derived surname
A patronymic is a name derived from one's father or male ancestor—Johnson means "son of John," MacDonald means "son of Donald," Ivanovich means "son of Ivan." Many modern surnames began as patronymics.
The term also works as an adjective: a patronymic naming system.
Some cultures still use patronymics as middle names or in place of family surnames.
Her patronymic identified her as the blacksmith's daughter.
Male parent
- patriarchMale head of family
- progenitorAncestor or originator
- forefatherAncestor from generations past
- forebearAncestral family member
sire · begetter · ancestor · founder · originator · antecedent · primogenitor · forefathers
Downward slope or lineage
- ancestryFamily line of descent
- bloodlineAncestry through generations
- genealogyStudy of family descent
- pedigreeRecord of descent
kinship · heredity · clan · dynasty · house · line · stock · tribe
Of a North Atlantic island
- ScandinavianOf Denmark, Norway, Sweden
- RussianEastern Slavic language
- ArabicSemitic language family member
- HebrewSemitic language of Israel
Gaelic · Welsh · Spanish · Greek · Jewish · Islamic · Celtic · Slavic
Hereditary family identifier
- forenameGiven name at birth
- cognomenFamily name or nickname
- bynameSecondary name or epithet
- epithetDescriptive tag for someone
namesake · née · nomenclature · appellation · moniker · pseudonym · alias · nickname
Word-ending addition
- prefixRoot-modifying front element
- rootUnderground absorbing structure
- etymologyWord origin study
- morphologyStudy of structural forms
father
Male parent
- patriarchMale head of family
- progenitorAncestor or originator
- forefatherAncestor from generations past
forebear · sire · begetter · ancestor · founder · originator · antecedent · primogenitor · forefathers · parentage
descent
Downward slope or lineage
pedigree · kinship · heredity · clan · dynasty · house · line · stock · tribe · filiation
Icelandic
Of a North Atlantic island
- ScandinavianOf Denmark, Norway, Sweden
- RussianEastern Slavic language
- ArabicSemitic language family member
Hebrew · Gaelic · Welsh · Spanish · Greek · Jewish · Islamic · Celtic · Slavic · Nordic
surname
Hereditary family identifier
epithet · namesake · née · nomenclature · appellation · moniker · pseudonym · alias · nickname · hyphenated
suffix
Word-ending addition
morphology · derivation · linguistic · affix
Johnson
Patronymic meaning son-of
- MacDonaldPatronymic from Donald
- WilliamsonPatronymic surname
- PetersonScandinavian family name
Fitzgerald · O'Brien · Ivanovich · Davidson · Robertson · Stevenson · Anderson · McLeod
- namesgiven names, first names, names, surnames, first name
- surnamesSmith, Johnson, Williams, Brown, Jones
- IcelandReykjavik, volcano, volcanoes, geyser, geysers
- Clanclansman, clansmen, clanswoman, chieftain, kinship ties
- Homeric epicsIliad, Odyssey, Homer, Achilles, Odysseus
- name typesfamily name, maiden name, married name, birth name, clan name
patronymicoccupational name
Surname indicating ancestral profession
epithet · cognomen · surname · given name · personal name