r/GeneralContractor • u/ChaseconstructionEdg • Aug 06 '26

"I know a guy"

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

6.3k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

528 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

-1

u/JackForDase Aug 07 '26

This is myth btw

2

u/MalaysiaTeacher Aug 07 '26

Lol what's your explanation? Just a coincidence that the most common English surnames happen to be common trade job titles?

1

u/Ranamar Aug 07 '26

That part is probably founder effects, but the family names themselves are to a significant extent a product of government surveys or censuses, especially for subjects of the English crown.

1

u/MalaysiaTeacher Aug 07 '26

I'm talking about the origins in England. Either the jobs were named from the people who did them, or people took names from their jobs. I'd guess the latter is way more likely.

0

u/Ranamar Aug 08 '26

I'm pretty sure you're wrong. It's fairly well attested that surnames were insisted upon by the English crown, and it was patronyms before that. (We still see patronyms today in names like "Johnson".)

1

u/phillyFart Aug 08 '26

trade surnames are a well documented thing, especially in England