Why are some last names so common?

Question

Why are there so many Smiths, Adams' Johnsons, Davis', Lopezs, Andersons, Clarks, Hendersons, Roberts', Petersons, Lees, Williams', etc.? But you can never find but one or two Hickenbachers, Clohckys, Tiverdons, Wingards, etc.?

All in all, don't humans reproduce at the same rate? What

Answer 1

There are so many of common names not because they are related, but because they had the same sort of job, lived in the same area, or had the same physical trait. That's what last names were based on. There are four major categories of surnames:

Habitational-this is based on what town you lived in or a geographical feature you lived by. The ending -tun or -ton meant settlement, for instance.

Occupational-this is based on a specific job. A smith was called Smith, one who tightened the weave in wool was Fuller, and so on.

Nickname-this is based usually on a physical trait of the person who originally bore it. If you had a tendency to chatter, you were named after some sort of bird; if you were as hairy as a bear, you were named after a bear. It wasn't just physical traits, though. Sometimes it was due to your temper. Moody, for instance, was used by someone with a bad temper.

And last, your father. Anderson= Anders' Son. This one's pretty easily explained, and easy to spot. Some common names (first names) were very common indeed. Robert was so often used, they started coming up with nicknames, like Robby, Bobby, and Bert.

So, this is why there are so many people with really common last names, that are in no way related to each other.

Answer 2

Back when they started using last names, every village had a Smith and a Miller. Very few had vinyards *. Lots of Germans changed "Schmidt" to "Smith" and "Mueller" to "Miller" when they came here. So did Smiths and Millers from Poland, Russia, the Netherlands, etc. Each village there had a Smith and a Miller too.


*Wingard

English: from Middle English winyard ‘vineyard’, hence a topographic name for someone who lived by a vineyard, or a metonymic occupational name for someone who worked in one.

Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4

Note that many farmers in many villages would have some vines, but they would be part of the farm, not what we would today call a vinyard. No one took the surname "Farmer" because it wouldn't distinguish them; 99% of the people were farmers, so saying "John the Farmer" would not help tell which one out of 30 or 40 you meant.

Answer 3

Originally, upon entrance into this great country, in order to expedite the process, many intake workers were told to shorten or change the last names to make them easy to pronounce or if they were very difficult, give them a new last name.

see the links for more details on the original names and meanings.
Some people came here through different channels so they kept their real names or they were not changed so much that they didn't have the same meanings.

Have fun and see the search page via Yahoo too for more links.

Answer 4

i think of if the infant's first call is being named after somebody of value to then you definately a difficulty-free first call and final call shouldn't rely. although if, if the 1st call doesnt have such relevance you need to probable steer far flung from hassle-free and hassle-free. attempt something extra unique, yet no longer likely distinctive so the youngster wont get teased. I grew up understanding a woman named Crystal Ball, and yet another guy i understand became into John Johnson, a majority of those names at the instant are not mandatory with the thousands of names accessible too elect between. the significant element is that the call is one which you like, and it doesnt rely what all and sundry else thinks.

Answer 5

During the past thousand years or more, people acquired their names from their profession their appearance,or from their home town. There are so many Smiths because there were blacksmiths, goldsmiths, silversmiths, coppersmiths, etc.

Answer 6

http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2001/thesweetestsound/popularityindex.html

How common is your surname in America?

Find out by entering your name into a searchable database of
more than 50,000 surnames culled from the Social Security Index.

Answer 7

Some humans just reproduce more than others. And their offspring reproduce more. And it goes on. I guess it's a family thing. ha.

Answer 8

When these names were starting to be introduced [hundreds of years ago] it was common to use one's occupation as a surname. It was also common to use one's father's name. Can't say I would call some of the names that you list as common though.

Answer 9

Mine isn't, it's totally cool though, I kept it through 2 marriages because I just couldn't give it up. "Friskey" is a derivative of the old medieval German word for "fresh corn" referring to my ancestors farming life. Also, I tell people it's more than a name, it's a state of mind... lol

Answer 10

Perhaps, but I'm not 100% on it