Is there a way to tell someones race without knowing there last name?

Question

like lets say i wana tell aa german person from a austrian person or a polish or irish french or something and they have no accent and i dont know there last name like lets say i see a person on the street is there a way i can know that there polish irish german dutch french plz answere

Answer 1

This is so xenophobic sounding.

One question.  If you are an American.

Have you ever seen Gov. Bill Richardson (the Judas) Governor of New Mexico?  If so, without a tan and his newly acquired beard, would you ever believe he was a Mexican American just by his name?

Answer 2

Why is this important?  It is really no one's business but that persons.

Answer 3

ask them. Most people are very proud of their heritage so its hard to offend. Don't assume though, if you call someone one heritage when they are a different one you can make an enemy very easily.

Answer 4

Many surnames (last) actually pinpoint what that person's ancestors did for a living, and not necessarily where they are from. For instance, there are probably millions of people with the last name Smith. Most likely their ancestors were blacksmiths. I've known people with the last name Shoemaker, Tailor (more commonly spelled Taylor), etc. Sometimes people's last names can point to a certain nationality, although I'm not entirely sure about any specifics. My last name is Celtic for physician, and that makes sense considering much of my ancestry derives from Ireland and England.

Answer 5

Yes, sort of a little bit. Live with them for two or three years. I used to be able to tell Malays from Ibans about 80% of the time. They all look alike to the Americans to whom I show my Peace Corps slides. I expect stewardesses and stewards on international airlines can make distinctions you and I would miss.

I'm a tall, tanned Gringo. I just took a trip. Everyone I talked with at the airport in Lima, Peru, started off in English until I spoke in Spanish; then they slowed WAY down, simplified their sentence structure and smiled, because I was trying. No one mistook me for a tall Argentine.