The surname of MA was a Low German and Dutch baptismal name, a form of Thomas. The name is universal, originally from the popular medieval given name of biblical origin. The name was originally an Aramaic name meaning 'a twin' borne by one of the disciples of Christ, best known for his scepticism about Christ's resurrection (John 20:24-9). This disciple is stated by Eusebius, on no scriptural authority, to have borne the given name Judah. Before the Norman Conquest of 1066 the name is found only as the name of a priest or a man of the cloth. After this time it became one of the most popular christian names.It was also a topographic name for someone living on the banks of the river MAAS, which flows through Belgium and Holland. It was originally named as the MOSA, and name of apparently Celto-Ligurian origin. The name is also spelt MAA, MAAS, MAAR and MAARS. Yo Yo MA, born in 1955 is the cellist, born in Paris. Going to New York City, with his family at the age of seven, he enrolled at the Julliard School, New York City, at nine, and after studies at Harvard ascended rapidly to the highest rank of international soloists. It was not until the 10th century that modern hereditary surnames first developed, and the use of fixed names spread, first to France, and then England, then to Germany and all of Europe. In these parts of Europe, the individual man was becoming more important, commerce was increasing and the exact identification of each man was becoming a necessity. Even today however, the Church does not recognise surnames. Baptisms and marriages are performed through use of the Christian name alone. Thus hereditary names as we know them today developed gradually during the 11th to the 15th century in the various European countries. Over the centuries, most people in Europe have accepted their surname as a fact of life, as irrevocable as an act of God. However much the individual may have liked or disliked the surname, they were stuck with it, and people rarely changed them by personal choice. A more common form of variation was in fact involuntary, when an official change was made, in other words, a clerical error. |
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