surnames

It’s easy to take your last name for granted. Unless you’ve recently married into a new one, you’ve likely been living with yours for decades. You’ve said it, spelt it and signed it thousands of times. But do you know where it originated, and what it means?

Family surnames reflect history, geography, anthropology, etymology and more. They also connect you with generations of family heritage. Visit Ancestry.co.uk to see how many names build your family history.

A Short History of SurnamesOnce upon a time, the world was made up of smaller communities. People were known by a single name. As populations grew, so did the potential for confusion – and the need for a better system of distinguishing folks from one another.

The Chinese were among the first cultures to use hereditary surnames (around 2800BC). But the custom wasn’t adopted in Europe until the Venetian aristocracy made it popular around the 11th century AD. It was simple enough in the beginning. For example, John became John the son of Andrew (later John Anderson) or John who lives by the river (later John Rivers). Over time, instead of recreating these family identifiers for each new generation, people began inheriting their father's surname.

Patronymic Surnames
In the patronymic naming system (for example, John Anderson mentioned above), a son took his father’s first name as a surname in every new generation. So the son of John became Johnson. The son of William became Williamson. And so forth. There were also occasionally matronymic surnames that came from a mother’s first name.

Occupational Surnames
Our ancestors’ occupations gave us surnames like Baker, Miller, Smith, Mason, Hunter and Carpenter. Some occupational surnames came from our more artistic or creative family members, who passed down surnames such as Painter and Harper.

Geographic Surnames
Surnames such as Hill, Field, Woods, Scott and London came from the places where our ancestors lived. These names originated in various countries, towns, landscapes and sometimes even family estates.

Surnames From Nicknames or Physical Attributes
Someone with a pale complexion took the surname White. A fast runner became a Swift. A bold person became a Hardy. Someone with monkish habits or appearance (or an actual monk) became a Monk. A strict person become a Stern, and so forth.

The Evolution of a Surname
As families have moved around the world, their surnames have changed with the place and time. A Roman surname could travel to France and then to England, where it was later Anglicised. Take the surname Lawrence: it started out as Laurentius (Roman) and became Laurent (French), Lawrence (English) and Lowry (Scottish).

Article source: AOL learning

Roger Darlington's Use of Name

-- BBC Family History
-- Ancestry.co.uk