The oldest use of family or surnames is unclear. Surnames have arisen in cultures with large, concentrated populations where single names for individuals became insufficient to identify them clearly. In many cultures, the practice of using additional descriptive terms in identifying individuals has arisen. These identifying terms or descriptors may indicate personal attributes, location of origin, occupation, parentage, patronage, adoption, or clan affiliation. Often these descriptors developed into fixed clan identifications which became family names in the sense that we know them today.
In China, according to legend, family names originated with Emperor Fu Xi in 2852 BC. His administration standardized the naming system in order to facilitate census-taking, and the use of census information. The surnames "Zhu," "Lee," "Chung" and "Chang" are most popular in Taiwan, and/or China. In Japan, family names were uncommon except among the aristocracy until the 19th century.
The Ancient Greek Empire first started using their last names as signs of origination, or where they were born/raised (e.g. Copernicus en Ithica).
The first generation where last names were more commonly used were around the times of Christ, since there were many other children that had the name Jesus, and the public didn't want to confuse him with others, and the officials made it so. How they proclaimed last names were based on what their profession was, hence where the most original name in history, John (black)Smith, came to be.
How Middle names came to be were more complex. There would soon be many other families with the same last name that were not related to the latter group, so the leaders of the time called the term "second name", or middle name, where the mother who gave birth to the child could give them another name to further identify them.
In the north, surnames were the name of your father/mother: If you were a boy, and your father was named Soren, then you would be called -your name- Sorenson, the son of Soren.
Then how would the father get his name? That wouldn't make sense, unless if you were an adult you could come up with a name... But that idea didn't last long, I'll bet.
Well, when a man got a son, the son would be named after the father, just like the fathe was named after his father and so on. The daugther would be named after the mother. And I think it lasted really long. In the Faroes they are still using it, actually.
Up north. And I actually did make a spelling mistake: The Faroes, the Faroe Islands. Anyway: Føroyar on the map.
As the for the surnames, they were slowly used as "real" surnames, meaning hat they stabilised, and were at some point used as a family name: "Sorensen".
Relating to what Cenere is talking about - Johannessen, Kristensen, Jensen, Olsen, Rasmussen... Derived from the names Johannes, Kristen, Jens, Ole, Rasmus.
Funnily, most of that kind of surnames in Denmark are all male names. I guess it may be because of the tradition of a woman taking her husband's last name...
In Iceland surnames ending with -dottir (daughter) is still common.
Usually, Japanese families that have given born to a child would give them a name, followed by the number with their siblings, so if they were the first child, they would have "ichi", or 'one', along with their full name. They also have the last name addressed first, because they consider it rude to say their first name, unless if they were close friends, family members, or in a relationship.
I think it is the samme thing in the Faroe Islands, children still taking their parents name as a surname, but I am not sure how common it is.
I should ask my grandparents some time... My granddad is from the Faroe Islands, he might know... I don't think he got his surname from his dad, but I don't know.
Ah, the politeness of using surnames... Reminds of some fantasy stuff I shouldn't mix in here.
Min eis easy it's like a sore thumb you can tell i'm dutch from my name who needs to trace thses or find out how they were invented all that's important is we can tell one another apart.
My family name is Hopper, so I guess I'm decedent from brewers (makes sense, I'm Irish). I recently found out though that it also relates to "exotic dancers".
And I really didn't give out the importance of last names, all I did was give out the estimated date when they were thought to be invented. And if you think about it, yes they ARE important, because there are 17 Dylans in my college, and it would be horrible if people would mistake me for some other Dylan.
"Someone committed a crime!" "what was his name?!"
"I think it was Dylan!" "What?? there's 17 Dylans here, which one??"
"I think it was that one! I'm not sure, but he looked exactly like the person!"
And if you think about it, yes they ARE important, because there are 17 Dylans in my college, and it would be horrible if people would mistake me for some other Dylan.
Haha, that happened to my History teacher as a kid...
I'm not sure where my mom got her maiden name from, (Engels) but my great aunt did some searching not too long ago. I guess if you go back five or six hundred years in time, it's derived from the Spanish word, "Angeles."
