Family Name

A family name (also called surname or last name) is a name that is passed from one generation to the next. In many cultures a woman adopts her husband's family name when they are married.

In Europe, surnames began to be used in the 12th century, but it took several centuries before the majority of Europeans had one. The primary purpose of the surname was to further distinguish people from one another. In the 13th century about a third of the male population had a given name of William, Richard or John *. To uniquely identify them, people began referring to different Williams as William the son of Andrew (leading to Anderson), William the cook (leading to Cook), William from the brook (leading to Brooks), William the brown-haired (leading to Brown), and so on. Eventually these surnames became inherited, being passed from parents to children.

Broadly, most surnames fall into four categories.

• Surnames derived from given names include Johnson, Williams, and Thompson. Most often they are patronymic, referring to a male ancestor, but occasionally they are matronymic.
• Occupational surnames refer to the occupation of the bearer. Examples include Smith, Clark, and Wright.
• Locational or topographic surnames are derived from the place that the bearer lived. Examples include Hill, Woods, and Ford. See place names.
• Surnames derived from nicknames include White, Young, and Long. See nicknames.

See also byname.

List of surnames and origins