The
Kryptonian family name of
Superman, meaning "
star". Like many
human cultures, the family name is handed down through the male side of the family. The first and last names of male children are hyphenated, whereas the female children have two separate names, a first name followed by the full name of their father, which is replaced by the full name of her husband upon marriage.
Superman's full name is
Kal-El ("star child"), son of
Jor-El and
Lara Jor-El (nee Lara Lor-Van). Superman's father, his grandfather Jor-El, and his great-grandfather
Var-El were all scientists, like many of their ancestors. The House of El was a distinguished one, featuring many key figures in Kryptonian history:
Val-El, a great explorer who invented the
compass;
Sul-El, a great astronomer who invented the
telescope and first spotted
Earth's
sun;
Tala-El, a great lawyer and author of Krypton's
constitution; and
Hatu-El, discoverer of
electricity.
Superman's uncles, brothers of Jor-El, were
Zor-El of
Argo City, father of
Supergirl, and
Nim-El of
Kandor, father of
Don-El.
Mon-El was actually a
Daxamite who, under the influence of
amnesia and a misunderstanding, believed he was Superman's brother for a time.
All this information is pre-
Crisis on Infinite Earths.
Memory jogging provided by http://www.fortress.am/Krypton/glossary.html.