Someone said recently that the only true Canadian last names are thoser of our aboriginal peoples. Certainly Inuit, Cree and Ojibwa names were the first hear across that land that would become Canada. (Consider pop singer Shania Twain, who aboriginal name is Ojibwa for "on my way"). But surnames from all over the earth are Canadian too, brought here by immigrants speaking French, English, German, Italian, Gaelic, Ukranian, Chinese, Russian, Spanish, Japanese and so on.In WHAT'S IN A CANADIAN NAME? you'll learn startling stories behind famous (and not so famous) Canadian names. Perhaps more importantly, Bill Casselman here gives you a bright and amusing introduction to how last names operate in many languages all over the world. For any reader interested in genealogy and surnames, this is a perfect introduction.

BILL CASSELMAN is the author of the best-sellers Canadian Sayings, Casselman’s Canadian Words, What’s In a Canadian Name? and the award-winning Canadian Food Words. He has been a writer, broadcaster, and performer for thirty-four years, including three years as a producer for CBC’s This Country in the Morning on radio. Casselman has written for The Toronto Star and The Montreal Gazette and for magazines such as Toronto Life, The Panic Button, and Canadian Geographic.

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