Why Are Some Surnames Colours?

4 July 2017, 15:13 | Updated: 4 July 2017, 15:50

Why do some people have names like Brown or White?

Paint palette
Paint palette. Picture: Google

Mystery Hour Question

Why do you have surnames like Brown, White, Black but not Red, Yellow, Blue?

Nigel, Pembrokeshire

Answer

Name: Dave

Qualification: Has read the book 'Mother Tongue' by Bill Bryson.

Answer: It goes back to a time when people didn’t have surnames, so they were named after their jobs or where they lived or their hair colour.