- Also called:
- family name, or last name
- Related Topics:
- Mac
- Why Is Kim Such a Common Surname in Korea?
- O
- agnomen
- Ap
Surname
Surname, name added to a āgiven nameā (also called the "first name"). In many cases the surname is inherited and held in common by members of a family. Originally, many surnames identified a person by his connection with another person, usually his father (Johnson, MacDonald); others gave his residence (Orleans, York, Atwood [i.e., living at the woods]) or occupation (Weaver, Hooper, Taylor). A surname could also be descriptive of a personās appearance (Little, Red) or his exploits (Armstrong).
Surnames appeared at vastly different times in different cultures: in 2852 bc, the mythical Chinese emperor Fu Xi (Fu Hsi) was said to have decreed the adoption of hereditary family names. In England it was a gradual process, beginning about 1000 adāwhen it was stimulated by a paucity of first namesāand lasting about six centuries. In some cultures the generalized use of surnames did not occur until the 20th century: in 1935 a Turkish law went into effect making surnames mandatory. Jews were late in adopting surnames and often were compelled to do so. Because they were frequently barred from adopting names used by Christians, some simply chose compounds that sounded good, e.g., Rosenthal (ārose valleyā). Others were assigned names expressive of the dominant cultureās contempt (e.g., Eselskopf, ādonkeyās headā).
Surname formation often reflects the history and biases of culture. In Spain, partisanship and family pride entered into the process: the first family names originated from the war cries of Christians during the Moorish invasion. Swedish surnames reflect the Swedesā love of nature, incorporating words such as berg (āmountainā) and blom (āflowerā). In Russia, after the Revolution, many families shed the surnames derived from degrading peasant nicknames (e.g., Krasnoshtanov, āred pantsā) and adopted names such as Orlov (āeagleā).
" height="20" alt="HEW Logo">
