Discover the meaning and history behind your last name.

Surname meanings dictionary. 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. Slowly after that the need for surnames or. The use of a surname was originally adopted in order to distinguish two individuals with the same first name and at first these.

Enter your last name to find its meaning and origin. The name that you. Surname is defined as the family or last name.

Discover the meaning and origins behind your surname. Your last name gives you a sense of identity and helps you discover who you are and where you come from. Surname definition is - an added name derived from occupation or other circumstance.

Denoted a person who lived near a field derived from Middle English aker or Middle High German acker meaning field. 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. During this period last names were recorded as societies started collecting taxes and became more bureaucratic.

However this is not necessarily true of other cultures where the family name may be written first as part of a persons full name. The Meaning and History of Surnames - Behind the. An example of a surname is Smith when the persons full name is John Smith.

Surname definition the name that a person has in common with other family members as distinguished from a first name or given name. Find the meaning history and origin of surnames also called last names or family names as well as famous bearers and usage statistics. They wanted to honor their forebears by use of the name.