Using Surnames as Forenames

Getting to know you…

Harry Winston: Been meaning to ask why do you go by Oliver when your first name’s William?
William Oliver: Well. In southern Georgia, it’s not uncommon. Folks often use their middle or last names. A way of feeling closer, more familiar.
Harry Winston: Interesting. In England, especially at boarding school, everyone was called by their surname. Even your closest friend was “Hawthorne” or “Bennett.” First names were practically reserved for your mum or your cat.
William Oliver: Your cat?
Harry Winston: You wouldn’t call a cat “Mr. Tibbles” every time you fed him. You’d say “Tibs” or “you little menace.” Names soften with affection.
William Oliver: That’s true. My grandma had a cat named “General Lee,” but she just called him “Gen.” Unless he knocked over the vase, then it was something else.
Harry Winston: Exactly. So when you say Oliver, it’s about intimacy?
William Oliver: Right. It’s like saying, “This is who I am to my people.” William’s on the paperwork, but Oliver’s who I am in conversation, in community.
Harry Winston: Fascinating. For us, surnames were a kind of equalizer. Everyone was “Winston” or “Thompson,” regardless of status. It was oddly democratic. Not everywhere.
William Oliver: Same in the South. Some folks go by nicknames, some by initials. I’ve got a cousin named James Earl who goes by “Bubba.” No one’s quite sure why.
Harry Winston: Ah, nicknames. The great equalizer. I had a friend named “Badger.” Never knew his real name until his wedding.
William Oliver: That’s the charm of it, isn’t it? Names aren’t just labels, they’re stories. They tell you where someone’s from, how they want to be seen.
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Voice-over
Names as equalizers, as a social identity to include acquaintances. And surname use is a kind of back-take on that.