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Thursday, October 29, 2026Oct 29

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Using the last name as a newborn’s first name has a long history

Kruesi Brock hasn't always enjoyed having a family name as her first name, but the Clemson University student, currently studying abroad in Italy, says she now appreciates its family history and distinctiveness.
Kruesi Brock hasn't always enjoyed having a family name as her first name, but the Clemson University student, currently studying abroad in Italy, says she now appreciates its family history and distinctiveness. Kruesi Brock hasn't always enjoyed having a family name as her first name, but the Clemson University student, currently studying abroad in Italy, says she now appreciates its family history and distinctiveness.
photo Emily Eiselstein Glover named her son Gates after her grandmother, Nell Gates Eiselstein.

Is your name reversible?

In other words, does your first name work as a last name and vice versa?

It does for Kruesi Brock, whose first name is actually a last name from her father’s side of the family. Or for local artist James Courtenay James, who has a great-grandfather and a great-great grandfather also named James James.

“My great-great-grandmother on my mother’s side commented once that it was reversible,” he says. “When I was younger they called me Courtenay, so it wasn’t until I was older that I ever used my full name.”

Courtenay, by the way, is his mother’s maiden name.