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France's Jewish population mostly had no family surnames - until 20th July, 1808, when Napoleon issued a decree insisting they adopted one. They were not permitted to choose place names, and allusions to the Old Testament were forbidden.\nRumours persist that some families were charged higher fees to adopt prettier names, but in a Europe rife with antisemitism, Napoleon\u2019s creations of Jewish consistoires (regulatory bodies) is still seen by some as a relatively tolerant policy.\nIn this episode, Rebecca, Olly and Arion reveal the genesis of their names, explain how compound names like Rosenberg and Goldberg came about, and reveal the world\u2019s names most in danger of extinction.\nFurther Reading:\n\u2022 The Imperial Decree, at Napoloeon.org:\xa0\nhttps://www.napoleon.org/en/history-of-the-two-empires/articles/imperial-decree-of-20-july-1808-concerning-jews-with-no-fixed-first-or-family-names/\n\u2022 \u2018What's in a Surname: The History of Surnames and How They Help in Family History Research\u2019, (MyHeritage, 2019):\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sxmdkud0P8\n\u2022 Alec Berg\u2019s surname inspires this episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm:\nhttps://www.hbo.com/curb-your-enthusiasm/season-08/1-the-divorce/synopsis\nFor bonus material and to support the show, visit\xa0Patreon.com/Retrospectors\nWe'll be back tomorrow! Follow us wherever you get your podcasts:\xa0podfollow.com/Retrospectors\nThe Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.\nTheme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Emma Corsham.\nCopyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2021.\n#1800s #Politics #Jewish #France\n Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices