Last Names and Heritage

[HyeJinx1984]

In english there lots of last names like "Smith" or "Johnson" that are very common, making it difficult to find out if people of the same last name are actuall related to one another. Is it the same in Armenian for the most part? For example named like Harutunian or Hakobian are very common... but what about Melkonyan or Adzian? I know, for example, anyone with my last name is 100% part of my family... there's no Lalayan out there who isn't related to me in some way. How true is this for other last names? Is there a way to find out?

[pezeveng]

some Armenian last names were derived from there occupation other from the first name Vosgerichian and Ghazarian as two examples of occupation or first name. It all comes down to how many Ghazars used there name as a last name and how many jewlers used there occupation as a last name. Older occupations such as a blacksmith are much more common. I believe Nalpatian or Nalbadian are examples of blacksmith family names.

[HyeJinx1984]

True. Another thing just occured to me... many names are actually first names turned into last names.. just like the firts two I mentioned: Harutounian (Harut), Hakobian (Hagop), etc... funny how I've never run across an Armenian (Armen)

[pezeveng]

its common sense most cultures used their first names as there last. As for Armen thats why we are called Armenians I dont know which group at the time labelled us but we were labelled Armenians after Armen.

[HyeJinx1984]

its common sense most cultures used their first names as there last. As for Armen thats why we are called Armenians I dont know which group at the time labelled us but we were labelled Armenians after Armen.

King Armen I believe (could be wrong as usual, lol), but I don't remember what time period this was.

And you've (Gaucho) actually come across someone with the lats name Armenian or Armenyan? I never have.

[HyeJinx1984]

jinx, why didn't you come to the meeting?
I would really like to connect these "brilliant thread ideas" to a face.
some last names are rare, some aren't.
you will never know whether or not there's people with the same last name as yours somewhere in the world who are or aren't related to you!
in no way you can know all the "lalayan"s in this world.
now what exactly is the topic in question of this thread?

I didn't say I KNOW them all, I said they're all part of my family, meaning we all come from the same original "Lalayan(ian)" as oppose to two totally different people with the last name Derderian who's families have nothing to do with each other, but only share the same last name because it's progenitor was a priest.

Oh and there is no topic in question, I posted it cause I'm a big fat idiot. Sorry for not responding earlier, I was busy trying to figure out who to tie my shoe laces.

[XxgoeyxX]

There are a lot of Armenian last names that are the same but they aren’t even related. (As the others stated.)

When my grandfather left Beirut when he was 16 he went to Yerevan. He left alone without his family. He had no money, bascially he had nothing. Funny thing is when he got married he had 7 children, and about 20 grandchildren and lets not forget the great-grandchildren. Any who he got a job from this guy who I guess was this well-known rich dude. That guys last name was Shaginayan and my grandfather’s last name is Shaginayan too. Any who, to make a long story short my grandfather needed a place to live. I don’t know if this is correct but he kinda fooled the guy into believing that they were related because of their last names.

Plus our neighbor has the same last name as my mother. My mom thought they would be related but after long talks they realized there is no connection at all.


Jinx, I don’t know if you read that thread about “what our names mean.” Gevo posted this thing about last names and there meanings. Anyway, that explains how some of these last names came about.

[!EEK]

ahahaha your father was tricky

[ArmoBarbi]

I have heard and read of people with my last name a lot from very different locations. I dont ever think that the person may be related to me, because it seems to be so common. It would be cool to learn that someone is related to me through our last name, but it would take a lot of other signs for me to seriously look into it.

[Thai-Samurai]

People always ask me if I'm the Bagdasarian from the 3 chipmunks, but I'm not.
It's funny that Goey had so many coincidental encounters w/ her last name.