Fictious Family Name Origins Word Game

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 walking down the aisle, it’s our, who is this guy?

He’s wearing a sailor’s uniform and eating caramel corn and peanuts.

Well, what’s our prize today, John?

Well, your prize is a quiz, and here it is.

Oh, boy.

Yeah.

Locations, occupations, physical traits.

It’s common knowledge that the origins of many family names are derived from those and and a few other sources, but, you know, those are the three.

Locations, occupations, physical traits.

For example, entertainer Jane Krakowski likely had ancestors from Krakow.

Model Rachel Hunter probably had an actual hunter in her lineage somewhere back there.

And my friend Chris Tallman for sure had some impressively large great, great, great, greats.

He’s over six foot.

He’s over six foot four himself.

This inspired me to suggest some creative ancestry.

Take a famous person and surmise what their ancestors were like, even if it may or may not be true.

For example, many people have farmers in their ancestry, but this Lord of the Rings actor sounds like his likely grew flowers.

And that would be… Anyone? Any guess?

Oh, let’s see.

It’s just the example. I’ll let you know. It’s Orlando Bloom.

Oh, of course.

Orlando Bloom. Yeah.

That’s probably where that came from.

Probably.

Yeah.

Okay. Now, many of these are just phonetic, by the way. And we want everyone to know we highly respect the actual journey that everyone’s family name took to get to them. But we’re just having some fun. All right? Gotcha. Okay. Good. All right. Here we go. Now, this one’s pretty easy.

We’ll start off pretty easy. He’s royalty at the bookstore, but what are the chances this author of amazing fiction is actually descended from royalty? Stephen King. Stephen King. Yeah. what What kind of chutzpah does it take to say,

Orton, our family name is King.

We’re kings.

There you go.

Now, we know he comes from a showbiz family,

But might this Iron Man also be heir to a fabric softener dynasty?

Robert Downey Jr.?

And senior, I guess.

That’s him and senior, sure.

Robert the Downies, yeah.

Come from the Downies.

Now, not really an occupation,

But is there a chance this very prolific deer hunter actor had peripatetic relatives in his family tree?

Was it Christopher Walken around?

Christopher Walken? Their family walking all over the place, and they walked to Hollywood eventually.

She was an amazing jazz singer, and perhaps she had English ancestors who were a little preoccupied with going on vacations.

What’s wrong with that?

Billie Holiday.

Billie Holiday, yes.

He founded a top-notch chicken restaurant chain.

But did anyone ever appreciate his ancestors who were working at smoothing out rough wood?

Colonel Sanders.

Harlan Sanders, yes, from the famous Sanders carpentry firm or something.

Yes.

All right, guys.

Those are my quiz questions in names, words.

So there you go.

Well, Martha’s going to be hanging out in her little barn, and I’ll be eating bears.

And we’ll see you next week, John.

I’ll see you guys next week.

How am I getting out of here again?

Oh, yes, I’m sailing out of my sailor outfit eating my Cracker Jacks.

Yum, yum, yum.

Handing out prizes to everyone.

Thank you, John.

Take care now.

You get a tattoo.

You get a tattoo.

You get a sticker.

All right.

Bye-bye.

Thanks, John.

Bye-bye.

And we’d love to team up with you to talk about any aspect of language whatsoever.

You can give us a call or text us at 877-929-9673 any time of the day or night.

And you can also email us words@waywordradio.org.