New Famous Surnames Quiz

You’re listening to A Way with Words, the show about language and how we use it.

I’m Martha Barnette.

And I’m Grant Barrett, and on the line is John Chaneski, our quiz guy.

Hello, John.

Hi, Grant.

Hi, Martha.

Hiya, John.

I always want to make you sound dangerous, like a guy who carries a knife.

He is dangerous.

There we go.

So cut the seal on those quizzes, and let’s get started.

What do you have there?

Let’s do it.

Some people don’t deserve their own name.

Other people do.

Oh, okay.

Like what?

Yeah, what do I mean by that?

But as you know, most surnames come from the names of places, descriptions of a person, or occupations.

For example, the actor Gary Cooper was an actor.

He didn’t make barrels.

No, he did not.

Even though Cooper is someone who makes barrels.

Yep.

Okay.

I’m sure you guys know.

Yeah, sure.

Here’s what I’ll do.

I’ll give you the names of two famous people.

One of them has a last name that better describes the other.

These may be a little tough.

There’s a little bit of, you know, knowing word history and stuff.

Otherwise, you could just kind of make a guess.

That’s fine, too.

Okay, sure, yeah.

Here’s an example.

Elizabeth Taylor and Levi Strauss.

Okay, Levi Strauss is the tailor.

He should be, right, because he was the tailor.

Okay, good start.

Maurice Chevalier and Roy Rogers.

Oh, it should be Roy Chevalier.

Yeah.

Roy Chevalier, right.

Chevalier is knight.

Knight or horseman, right.

Roy Rogers is horseman.

Because Cheval is in there.

It’s got the root for word meaning horse.

Right.

Exactly.

Whereas Rogers means something has to do with a spear or a lance.

Not a lance, more like a sword.

All right.

Next one.

How about Dan Marino and John Paul Jones?

John Paul Marino.

He’s a sailor.

John Paul Marino, why is that?

He’s a sailor.

That’s right.

That’s very good.

Sailor.

Jones just means of John’s kid.

Here’s the next one.

Cary Grant and LeBron James.

They’re not all occupations, by the way.

Okay, yeah.

Cary Grant and LeBron James.

I don’t know what James means.

Grant means large or big or great or tall.

So LeBron James is very tall, so LeBron Grant.

LeBron Grant, yes.

That’s what it should be.

It’s all a basketball player.

How about Alan Kunstler and Jackson Pollock?

Jackson Kunstler because Kunstler is German.

For artists, right? Yes, very good.

Paula comes from Polish.

Meaning like pool or pond,

Something like that, yeah. How about

Margaret Sanger

And Elvis Presley?

So Sanger, is that

Blood?

I have no idea. Presley?

Don’t know.

Sanger is Singer?

Yes. Is it Singer?

Yeah, so Elvis Sanger.

Elvis Sanger. Still,

Not quite as good as Elvis Presley, I think.

Presley sort of means priest’s meadow.

The priest’s lee.

Oh, the priest’s lee.

Okay.

That was a difficult one, John, but thanks for it.

Yes, challenging.

Yeah, the challenging is good.

Challenging is welcomed.

And we learned a little something.

We learned quite a bit, actually.

There was lots of names that I never really spent much time thinking about, last names.

Sure.

But now I have.

Thank you, John Chaneski.

Thank you, John.

Thank you.

We’ll talk to you next week.

Okay, take care.

Cheers.

Bye-bye.

Bye-bye.

And if you’d like to talk with us about any aspect of language,

The number to call is 877-929-9673.

And you can email us.

That address is words@waywordradio.org.