How did last names originate?

Question

So I was just wondering how did we get our last names? Does anybody know any useful sites that could help me out?

Answer 1

The basic concept BEHIND "last names" (to more specifically identify people) is ancient.

The practice of adopting "last names" or "surnames" as we know it (that is as a hereditary family name) has developed independently in various times and places.

Note this distinction -- not all last names or additional names [which is what "surname" means] are hereditary. In fact, they
were at first simply applied to an individual to specify "which John" was meant. Only later did they became hereditary, and so the true FAMILY name- last names we know today.

The earliest known case of established hereditary surnames was in China, where the use of family names was decreed around 2852 B.C. But there is no evidence the Chinese practice had any influence on the development of surnames elsewhere.

In the West there are two significant historical instances of surnames developing. The first was at the height of the Roman Empire, but it died out toward the end. It was NOT the origin of modern European surnames; they arose again independently.

The "modern" use of hereditary surnames in Europe began around AD 1000 in Venice, and gradually spread across Europe through the next few centuries (though some countries, such as the Scandinavian lands, did not fully adopt the practice till the 19th century).

Much of the reason for this is simple practical necessity. For example, as urban areas grew there was more need to disinguish "which John" was being referred to. Beyond simple conversation though, there was LEGAL & governmental need - to specify ownership of property, for the proper collection of debts and taxes, things no one wanted there to be confusion about! (unless you like paying someone else's taxes and having them claim title to your property!)

Not surprisingly, it was people of wealth and status -- major landowners and those claiming authority by descent -- who were the first to pass on their 'last names'. (But note that this did/does not always work as it does with modern family surnames. Some of these were TITLES, such as "Lord of [ESTATE NAME]" which for various reasons [e.g., lack of a son!] might be passed to someone else outside the immediate family.)

There are four common sources for our surnames:

1) place names - place of origin of individual or family - in Europe this was probably the first type of HEREDITARY surname. (Since people did not move around a lot it was easy for this name to be 'passed on' to offspring.)

2) patryonymics - name of father (occasionally matronymics); at first used only for one's own immediate father, only later did it become hereditary (so referring to a more distant ancestor), though people of station might use "son of [NAME OF ANCESTOR]" in order to make a claim.

3) occupation - again, used first for the individual, though the fact that many sons adopted their father's profession made it workable as a hereditary name.

4) nickname - a catchall category, including descriptions of all sorts, esp. of physical and personality traits. (Again, such names would apply best to an individual, though some of the features might well continue to be found in his offspring.)

Note that all these sorts of naming practices have been used for millenia by various cultures, even when there is no established or hereditary (family) surname. Some simple examples may be found in the New Testament, where we find the "Jesus" of the gospels (keep in mind that this was a COMMON Hebrew name) called "Jesus son of Joseph", "Jesus of Nazareth" "Jesus the carpenter [or 'the carpenter's son']" (many other examples of the first two, esp. "son of", cf. "Mary of Magadala" (later "Mary Magdalene")). (There is also the use of an ancestor's name -- "son of David" -- to identify him as a descendant of King David, which is important to the claim that promises made to David are given to him.)


Good overviews of the history, including how and when surnames were adopted in various places
http://www.mayrand.org/meaning-e.htm
(includes helpful HISTORY of giving of surnames, naming practices in various countries)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_name

Briefer discussions, with interesting tidbits (including examples of various types of surnames, common names' lists):
http://www.searchforancestors.com/surnames/origin/
http://www.francesfarmersrevenge.com/stuff/archive/oldnews2/surname.htm
http://www.last-names.net/Articles/Anatomy.asp
http://www.allinaname.com/art004.html
http://dusty.dyndns.org/genealogy/text/surnames.htm

Answer 2

They all originate from trade or location or ...
For example John Fletcher is descended from someone in the past who made arrows (fletcher)
Cooper = barrel-maker, Smith = craftsman of many kinds, Miller = fairly obvious and I'm sure that you can think of many more.
Jack London was designated as a newcomer to the village or a visitor and was called Jack O'London (Jack OF London) which was then abbreviated.
Then there was the habit of calling a child after his father's name, so Jack O'Riley ... evidently a favourite Irish custom ;)
And so it continues, as people began too need to differentiate between many people with the same given name. Other countries had similar creations of the obvious.
Kurt von Petersburg, where 'von' = of or from.

The taxation answer given above also applies once such a system was introduced but the habit of applying family names preceded that.

Answer 3

Family names - not always last names, if you're Asian - were around from the beginning - almost.
(Maybe even before taxes, I have to say!)
They are the way to identify people individually, nothing more. Many came from jobs, as one respondent said. (Smithying was so vital to life "Smith" is the most common English surname.)
Others came from where you were from - de Mandeville, von Eburg, della Storia, etc.
Others were really family names - "Robert's son" = Robertson, etc.
(If you're ever up to reading "Under Milkwood" by Dylan Thomas, even surnames don't always help. "Jones" is the most common surname in Wales. "Dai" is common first name. I think - years since I read - there are three "Dai Jones" in the village. So one was 'Dai Jones the Butcher', another 'Dai Jones the Baker', and third, I think, 'Dai Jones Police'!!)

Answer 4

Immigrants in the passenger lists came from England, Scotland and Ireland. If you want to know where your Almond ancestors came from, you can post names here and someone will come along to help. Almond Name Meaning and History from the Middle English personal name Almund, from Old English Æ{dh}elmund, ‘noble protection’. variant of Allman ‘German’, assimilated by folk etymology to the vocabulary word denoting the tree.

Answer 5

Here's a site:

http://www.last-names.net/Articles/Place.asp

Answer 6

location
many artists from renaissance have "da" indicating "of" in their name
also can refer to profession

Answer 7

know from what family
how to pay taxes