什麼是專名

用來指稱個別實體的詞或片語。用來指明一特定的人、地、物的專名，以第一個字母以大寫書寫，稱為專有名詞。包括了人名（如Christopher〔克里斯多福〕）、地名（如london〔倫敦〕）、藝術作品名稱（如Mona Lisa〔蒙娜麗莎〕）和品牌名（如Vaseline〔凡士林〕）、歷史事件或時代的名稱（如薔薇戰爭〔War of Roses〕）、政治、藝術、哲學運動名稱（如Cubism〔立體主義〕）。人名可能從一個文化轉到另一個文化，其形式常會因此而改變，如Jochanan（希伯萊語）、Johann（德語）、John（英語）、Ian（蘇格蘭）等。家族的姓有幾種根源，顯然始於貴族而逐漸傳播開來。所取名字常常作為家世相傳的基礎，如Alfred（阿佛列）的父親名字是John（約翰），他本人可能被稱為Alfred Johnson。有的名字可能來自地名或職業名稱，如亞威農城的亨利，可稱為Henri d'Avignon；鐵匠（blacksmith）羅伯（Robert），可能會稱為Robert Smith後者就變成姓。

name

One or more words designating an individual entity. The names of certain specific people, places, and things, called proper nouns, are capitalized. Types of names include personal names (Christopher, Nancy), place-names (London, Nairobi), titles of works of art (Mona Lisa, Paradise Lost), brand names (Sanka, Vaseline), names of historical events or eras (War of the Roses, Renaissance), and political, artistic, or philosophical movements (Progressivism, Cubism). Personal names may pass from one culture to another, often changing form—Jochanan (Hebrew), Johann (German), John (English), Ian (Scottish), etc. Family names (surnames) are of more recent origin; the conventions that govern them have existed only since the 11th century. Many hereditary family names came from given names—for example, Alfred, the son of John, might be called Alfred Johnson. Others came from place-names or occupations—Henri from the town of Avignon might become Henri d'Avignon, and Robert, a blacksmith, might become Robert Smith.