Tag: surname

I don’t know

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Where did your name come from?

When I was little I thought Mal-la-band meant the bad band in French. I convinced myself that it meant the bad band. Although that perhaps would have read “La  band mal?”

I imagined myself as a part of a band of pirates, sailing the seven seas, looking for buried treasure and adventure.

Mal and Mer mixed up in my mind, I was quite young and I also thought it meant a bad sea or stormy sea.

As I learnt to spell my name I became aware that other children were taking the micky out of me. There was a type of margarine called “Blueband” and guess what exciting word kids in my school would call me? Yeah, you got it.

But when I got married I kept my original surname along with my hubbys. I didn’t want to lose it. I’m attached.

And it’s meaning? I don’t want to know. I just like my ideas.

I don’t know

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Where did your name come from?

If I had a name like Archer or Baker I could assume my name had come down from the work my family used to do. Archer could be a soldier or hunter, Baker a cook or a bread maker.

But where does Mallaband or Brown come from? One is a strange name the other ubiquitous. Mallaband was a name that got me bullied at school. If I had a ‘normal’ name I think I would have been overlooked.

When I was little I thought Mallaband could be broken down into Mal la band. I thought it might mean ‘the bad band’. I decided we must have been part of a group of French bandits! What an odd thought.

Later I heard we might have a Yorkshire connections. But this was only a suggestion and there was no indication where it came from. I could join a genealogy website. But I don’t know if it would be something I would be interested in.

What’s in a name..?

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Leonhard Seppala

Image from Wikipedia, I hope I am not infringing copyright.

A name popped up on TV today, an unusual surname, but one I know because I have a friend who has that name.

Have you heard of Leonhard Seppala (spelt with an h). He was part of several sled teams in 1925 that got serum to Nome in Alaska to save people from diphtheria. He went 261 miles in a snow storm to help get the serum to them. The dog sleders efforts was commemorated by the Iditorod annual dog sled race.

I hope he is related to my friend. I think Seppala is a Scandinavian name? It will be interesting to find out.