So and So of Such a Place?

[Carlo]

Thanks Carlo. That explains a lot--like why my Swiss ancestors are Mohler of Diegten and Strub of Läufelfingen (both Basel Land).

You are welcome
Since we do not have any law about heraldry (other than copyright), some families use family coats of arms.
Check:
Mohler of Diegten
Strub of Läufelfingen
They might have been given to them as late 1964, but they are still as valid as you can get in Switzerland.

[saharris]

I've thought about possibly using a territorial designation (TD). Not to fain nobility as "Laird of Brigadoon" or whatnot, but because my name is so frustratingly common. One site says that there are 3,231 Steven Harris living the US right now - that's less than 1 in 100,000 - not exactly unique.

[EagleJCS]

I've thought about possibly using a territorial designation (TD). Not to fain nobility as "Laird of Brigadoon" or whatnot, but because my name is so frustratingly common. One site says that there are 3,231 Steven Harris living the US right now - that's less than 1 in 100,000 - not exactly unique.

Got ya beat... try 8,079 men in the US with my name using the 2010 census info (or 9124 using public records searches)! Just by looking in the phone book, I know there are at least 10 men in the Louisville area with my same first and last names, and I know of three that also share the same middle initial! (I imagine there are more that don't have a published phone number, like me.) Two are close to my age (a few years older), which may explain why I'm getting AARP ads in the mail and on online pop-ups even though I'm not yet 44. I used to work at the same company with one, but never met the man - we worked in different buildings, but we were both in IS (me in software/support, him in networks).

Using a territorial designation wouldn't be practical in my case, unless I had a named property (like Mirkwood Farm or some such). It would really only be useful in situations like Kyle described: being in the same social group and having the same name as someone else, thus differentiating using a TD. Perhaps a better alternative would be to just use a nickname.

[creagdhubh]

Perhaps a better alternative would be to just use a nickname.

Which is precisely what some of our Highland ancestors did with nicknames and place names in Gàidhlig .

[Dale Seago]

Which is precisely what some of our Highland ancestors did with nicknames and place names in Gàidhlig .

You beat me to it.

There's a pretty good Wikipedia overview with information on Scottish naming conventions that might give people some ideas for distinguishing themselves. For instance, this bit on "To-names":

To-names, or other names,[note 5] were once very common in Scotland.[15] These names were used in areas where there were not many different names, and the to-names were added onto the name of person, in order to distinguish them from others who bore the same name. To-names were particularly prevalent in fishing communities in the northeastern part of Scotland,[15] but were also used in the Borders and the West Highlands.[6] In some cases within fishing communities, the names of fishing boats were tacked onto the names people in order to differentiate them from others.[13]
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_surnames)

So, if you don't own a named piece of property, use your fishing boat. Live in a landlocked rural area? How 'bout your pickup truck?

[creagdhubh]

You beat me to it.

There's a pretty good Wikipedia overview with information on Scottish naming conventions that might give people some ideas for distinguishing themselves. For instance, this bit on "To-names":



So, if you don't own a named piece of property, use your fishing boat. Live in a landlocked rural area? How 'bout your pickup truck?

Precisely right, Dale! We have a chap in the Clan Macpherson Association who goes by the name, Ruaridh Mor for "Big Rory," which is true, since he is in fact a rather large man. There's also a chap named Duncan Ruadh for "Red Duncan," which is also true, since he has ginger hair.

[saharris]

what is a "to-name"?