The Meaning and Origin of Morales

The Meaning and Origin of Morales Surnames can tell us a lot about our family and where they came from. In some languages, surnames reference families occupations or kinship with other families. Sometimes surnames can even point to the particular town or region of a country that a family hails from. Finding out what your name means and where it originates from can be a fun start to exploring your genealogy. You can start here with the name Morales which is a very common among Hispanic people. The common Hispanic Morales surname has several possible derivations: A topographical surname was given to someone who lived near a mulberry or blackberry bush, from mora,  meaning mulberry or blackberry. The es ending indicates a patronymic surname, so more specifically the name Morales means son of Moral, or son of someone who lived near a mulberry or blackberry tree.A name used to indicate someone from Morales, the name of several Spanish towns. While Morales is the 94th most common surname in the United States and the 16th most common Hispanic surname. The name originates from Spanish but is also common in Portuguese as well.   Alternate surname spellings of this common name are Moralez, Moral, Moreira, Mora, and Morais. Where Do People With the Morales Surname Live? According to WorldNames publicprofiler, individuals with the Morales surname are most commonly found living in Spain and Argentina. In Spain, the surname is most prevalent in the Canary Islands. In Argentina, the surname is most common in the Cuyo region. However, people with this surname can live anywhere in the world.   Famous People with the Surname Morales Erik Morales - professional American boxerEsai Morales - American TV and film starLeo Morales - holds the world record for  deep-diving  with a disabilityEvo Morales -  Bolivias first Indian president Genealogy Resources for the Surname Morales 100 Most Common U.S. Surnames Their MeaningsSmith, Johnson, Williams, Jones, Brown... Are you one of the millions of Americans sporting one of these top 100 common last names from the 2000 census? Morales Family DNA ProjectThe Morales Family Project currently has 38 members working together to find common heritage through sharing of genealogical information and DNA testing. Anyone with a variant spelling of the Morales surname is also welcome to join. Morales Family Genealogy ForumSearch this popular genealogy forum for the Morales surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Morales query. FamilySearch - MORALES GenealogyExplore over 3.4 million historical records and lineage-linked family trees for individuals with the Morales surname and its variations, including census records, vital records, military records, church records, and more. MORALES Surname Family Mailing ListsRootsWeb hosts several free mailing lists for researchers of the Morales surname. Search the archives  or post a question about your own Morales family research. DistantCousin.com - MORALES Genealogy Family HistoryExplore a variety of free databases and genealogy links for the last name Morales.

How the Meanings of Words Change

How the Meanings of Words Change Stick around long enough and youll notice that language changes- whether you like it or not. Consider this recent report from columnist Martha Gill on the redefinition of the word literally: Its happened. Literally the most misused word in the language has officially changed definition. Now as well as meaning in a literal manner or sense; exactly: the driver took it literally when asked to go straight over the traffic circle, various dictionaries have added its other more recent usage. As Google puts it, literally can be used to acknowledge that something is not literally true but is used for emphasis or to express strong feeling. . . .Literally, you see, in its development from knock-kneed, single-purpose utterance, to swan-like dual-purpose term, has reached that awkward stage. It is neither one nor the other, and it cant do anything right.(Martha Gill, Have We Literally Broken the English Language? The Guardian [UK], August 13, 2013) Changes in word meanings (a process called semantic shift) happen for various reasons and in various ways. Four common types of change are broadening, narrowing, amelioration, and pejoration. (For more detailed discussions of these processes, click on the highlighted terms.) BroadeningAlso known as generalization or extension, broadening is the process by which a words meaning becomes more inclusive than an earlier meaning. In Old English, for instance, the word dog referred to just one particular breed, and thing meant a public assembly. In contemporary English, of course, dog can refer to many different breeds, and thing can refer to, well, anything.NarrowingThe opposite of broadening is narrowing (also called specialization or restriction), a type of semantic change in which a words meaning becomes less inclusive. For example, in Middle English, deer could refer to any animal, and girl could mean a young person of either sex. Today, those words have more specific meanings.AmeliorationAmelioration refers to the upgrading or rise in status of a words meaning. For example, meticulous once meant fearful or timid, and sensitive meant simply capable of using ones senses.PejorationMore common than amelioration is the downgrading or depreciation of a words me aning, a process called pejoration. The adjective silly, for instance, once meant blessed or innocent, officious meant hard working, and aggravate meant to increase the weight of something. Whats worth keeping in mind is that meanings dont change over night. Different meanings  of the same word often overlap, and new meanings can co-exist with older meanings for centuries. In linguistic terms, polysemy is the rule, not the exception. Words are by nature incurably fuzzy, says linguist Jean Aitchison in the book Language Change: Progress Or Decay. In  recent years, the adverb literally has become exceptionally fuzzy. In fact, it has slipped into the rare category of Janus words, joining terms like sanction, bolt, and fix that contain opposite or contradictory meanings. Martha Gill concludes that theres not much we can do about literally. The awkward stage that its going through may last for quite some time. It is a moot word, she says. We just have to leave it up in its bedroom for a while until it grows up a bit. More About Language Change The Endless Decline of the English LanguageThe Great Vowel ShiftInconceivable!: 5 Words That May Not Mean What You Think They MeanKey Dates in the History of the English LanguageSix Common Myths About LanguageSemantic Change and the Etymological Fallacy