Scottish names vs. English or Irish

[Doc Hudson]

Possibly the Russians... perhaps not formally, as your last name is always your father's first name plus "ovitch" but as a nickname/friendly name.

I remember hearing Dr. Curt Porter in a Russian History class talking about this years ago. He spoke of the widespread problem of illegitamacy during and shortly after the "Great Patriotic War", known elsewhere as World War II. And owing to Russian custom, a patronymic was required. Most of the got stuck with Ivanovich or Ivanova (for son or daughter of Ivan) as a patronymic.

Dr. Porter said it was almost as if some powerful and potent Ivan Ivanovich was striding across the land impregnating Russian girls right, left and center.

Funny the things that stick in theback of your mind for nearly 30 years and leap to the surface with just little nudge.

BTW, the patronymic is more of a middle name than a last name. The Russians use ordinary family names, the patronymic just identifies who the father is. For example Vassily Ivanovich Zhukov's son Andre's full name would be Andre Vassilivich Zhukov.