Surname Meanings

Surnames, now known as “last names,” form a historical part of an individual’s personal name. The personal name consists of the given name, such as Tom or Rebecca, and then the surname (sometimes referred to as the family name), such as Ford or Jones. Depending on the culture, the surname can be either patronymic (the last name of the father) or metronymic (the last name of the mother). In other cultures, such as Burmese or Javanese, surnames are not even used.

Typically, the surname is the last name, but in some cultures, such as Japanese and Hungarian, the surname is the first name, followed by the given name.

All about Surnames

There are many elements that influence the formation of a surname. Some of these elements include:

• The last name of the mother or the father
• The geographical origin of the name holder
• The occupation of the name holder

Surnames were also invented to answer certain questions:

1. Who is this person related to?
2. Where is this person from?
3. What is this person’s occupation?
4. What are this person’s most significant features?

For example, the surname “Yates” is an English surname which evolved from the word “gates” or the Old English word “geats.” The earliest members of the family of Yates were gatekeepers, thus their names originated from their occupation in life. The surname has been traced back to Yate, currently known as Gloucester, England. This is just one example of the fascinating information you can find out about your family history by exploring surnames.

There are some excellent websites that can help you find out about your surname. Try BehindtheName.com. On the site, you can research English, Dutch, Irish, Spanish and Welsh surnames, just to name a few. The search engine is very extensive and will give you a snapshot of your family’s surname history and origins. Another useful site is SearchforSurnames.com.

Common Surnames in the U.S.

Some of the most common surnames in the U.S. are listed below:

1	Smith	2,772,200
2	Johnson	2,232,100
3	Williams	1,926,200
4	Jones	1,711,200
5	Brown	1,711,200
6	Davis	1,322,700
7	Miller	1,168,400
8	Wilson	934,200
9	Moore	859,800
10	Taylor	857,000
11	Anderson	857,000
12	Thomas	857,000
13	Jackson	854,200
14	White	768,800
15	Harris	757,800
16	Martin	752,300
17	Thompson	741,300
18	Garcia	699,900
9	Martinez	644,800
20	Robinson	642,100

(Information in this chart was taken from About.com http://genealogy.about.com/library/weekly/aa_common_surnames.htm.)

Exploring the history of your family’s surname is a fascinating aspect of genealogical research. With all of the information you find in the surname, you will often be led down new avenues of research possibilities.