Today a surname which is also known as a family name and last name is a hereditary fixed name that you share with your family members.

Surname meanings dictionary. Surname is defined as the family or last name. Discover the meaning and origins behind your surname. Thus John the tailor who was son of Peter the Bald and grandson of Henry of the green passed his distinguishing name Tailor to his children even though none of them may have been tailors.

An ancestors occupation or nickname Surname Origins Your Family History Most European surnames can be traced back to the Medieval Times in the 13th and 14th centuries. Those are two names for the same thing. Your last name can give you clues into who you are and where you came from.

Denoted a person who lived near a field derived from Middle English aker or Middle High German acker meaning field. Find the meaning history and origin of surnames also called last names or family names as well as famous bearers and usage statistics. Your last name meaning can reveal the story of you and your family.

Surnames derived from a fathers name are common particularly in societies that were less developed when they adopted surnames. Gradually the rest of the world started to use surnames as well. However Chinese surnames come first instead of last.

They wanted to honor their forebears by use of the name. How to use surname in a sentence. The Meaning and History of Surnames - Behind the.

The name that you share with other members of your family. An example of a surname is Smith when the persons full name is John Smith. Discover the meaning and history behind your last name.