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Quiz about By Your Family Name I Know Who You Are

By Your Family Name, I 'Know' Who You Are Quiz

When you pick up a name, can you decipher the nationalities, religion, race, heritage or gender? Well, in some communities, you can.

A multiple-choice quiz by Regenshirm. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
Regenshirm

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
306,755

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
375

Question 1 of 10

1. Which of these middle names DOES NOT denote nobility in their heritage? Hint

Raj Niogi

Claus von Stauffenberg

Douglas MacArthur

Sima Qian

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Question 2 of 10

2. Why did England's King George V have to change the name of his royal house? Hint

It sounded too complicated

Queen Victoria said so before she died

No commoner could associate with such a name

It sounded too German

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Question 3 of 10

3. The Japanese and Chinese write their family names before their first name.

True

False

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Question 4 of 10

4. Politics can force an entire race of a country to change their family name. This was true for the Chinese community in which country? Hint

Thailand

Cambodia

Malaysia

Indonesia

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Question 5 of 10

5. You can change your name with the birth registry in the US unless... Hint

you have an infamous relative who bears the same family name

you are a fugitive

you've migrated and you change your family name to sound more native

you are married and you wish to adopt your husband's family name

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Question 6 of 10

6. Still on the topic of family names: What is significant about the names of Malays, Burmese, Indonesians (except for the Chinese-Indonesians who have adopted Indonesian names) and Uighurs? Hint

They adopt their forefather's occupation as their family name

The husbands adopt their wives' family name as their family name

They adopt the name of the god they worship as a family name

They do not carry a family name

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Question 7 of 10

7. How do you know the gender of a Sikh by his/her name? Hint

by their middle name

by their first name

by their surname

by their title

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Question 8 of 10

8. Which religion requires a marrying couple to share the same religion and acquire a new name to signify a conversion to that faith before being married? Hint

Christianity

Islam

Hinduism

Buddhism

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Question 9 of 10

9. Which of these personalities carry the word "son of" in their names? Hint

Pieter Jansen

Osama bin Laden

All of these mentioned.

Ronald MacDonald

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Question 10 of 10

10. Chuck Knoblauch, Helmut Kohl, Danna Blumenkohl, Paul Zwiebel: What do these family names have in common? Hint

They are all names of nobility in German

Their forefathers were grocers

They are all names of occupations in German

They are all names of vegetables in German

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which of these middle names DOES NOT denote nobility in their heritage?

Answer: Douglas MacArthur

The clue words are "von" (Germanic); "Sima" (Chinese); and "Niogi" (Indian). You can trace their heritage to a noble class. "Mac" means "son of" in Gaelic, nothing noble about his heritage. Do note in places like Austria, 'von' is no longer included in Austrian names.

2. Why did England's King George V have to change the name of his royal house?

Answer: It sounded too German

The British royal family does not have a surname or family name as such. They are categorised by their dynastic name. The House of Saxe-Coburg Gotha is Germanic in origin. Being reminded of its German heritage in 1917 was politically incorrect during the First World War. Out of prudence, King George V renamed the royal house the House of Windsor.

3. The Japanese and Chinese write their family names before their first name.

Answer: True

The Japanese and Chinese also introduce themselves with their family names followed by their first names. In a formal environment such as a workplace, the Japanese and Chinese do not address each other by their first name. When their romanised names appear in the local text/literature, or when these names appear in Japanese/Chinese characters, family names are always placed in front of first names. Only in western literature, would we find an exception where family names are placed behind their first names.

4. Politics can force an entire race of a country to change their family name. This was true for the Chinese community in which country?

Answer: Indonesia

The growing influence of communism on Chinese Indonesians and the perceived threat of the ethnic Chinese to the indigenous Indonesians in the 1960s were reasons given by the then-President Suharto to force ethnic Chinese to adopt an Indonesian name as a proof of their allegiance to the Suharto government. Don't be surprised if you find an ethnic Chinese in Indonesia who cannot speak Chinese.

5. You can change your name with the birth registry in the US unless...

Answer: you are a fugitive

Hitler's nephews changed their family names when they migrated to the United States. Their new identity was a state secret for decades. Ram�n Gerardo Antonio Est�vez wouldn't sound familiar unless I tell you he is Martin Sheen.

6. Still on the topic of family names: What is significant about the names of Malays, Burmese, Indonesians (except for the Chinese-Indonesians who have adopted Indonesian names) and Uighurs?

Answer: They do not carry a family name

Their first name is their own name while the second name that follows could be their father's or grandfather's.

7. How do you know the gender of a Sikh by his/her name?

Answer: by their surname

A Sikh man always bears the surname "Singh" which means "lion" in Punjabi. A Sikh woman always bears the surname "Kaur" which means "crown princess" in Punjabi. The first name cannot tell with certainty the gender of a Sikh.

8. Which religion requires a marrying couple to share the same religion and acquire a new name to signify a conversion to that faith before being married?

Answer: Islam

If you are getting married to a Muslim, you have to accept Islam as your religion. In adopting Islam as your religion, you are also obliged to find yourself a Muslim name as evidence of your conversion to Islam. For example, Mohammad Ali used to be called Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr before he became a Muslim.

9. Which of these personalities carry the word "son of" in their names?

Answer: All of these mentioned.

"bin Laden" means son of Laden in Arabic. "MacDonald" means son of Donald in Gaelic. "Jansen" means son of Jan in Dutch!

10. Chuck Knoblauch, Helmut Kohl, Danna Blumenkohl, Paul Zwiebel: What do these family names have in common?

Answer: They are all names of vegetables in German

These are not fabricated names. Knoblauch means garlic; Kohl,cabbage; Blumenkohl, cauliflower; and Zwiebel, onion.

Source: Author Regenshirm

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