| If you're looking for a little help understanding | | | | States are all from English origin, which is not |
| surnames and how they may relate to you and | | | | surprising considering the number of them who |
| your family, you've come to the right place. | | | | settled in the New World. |
| Everyone in the United States (unless you're a | | | | Here's a breakdown of those names: |
| model or a rock star) has at least two names. | | | | 1. Smith (occupation) |
| Family, as well as religious traditions, may dictate | | | | 2. Johnson (patronymic) |
| many more, but for the most part, we all have | | | | 3. Williams (patronymic) |
| two names. | | | | 4. Jones (patronymic) |
| A "given" name is just that. It's a name that | | | | 5. Brown (physical) |
| parents give a baby when it is born. It is also | | | | 6. Davis (patronymic) |
| called a "first name", a "Christian" name, or an | | | | 7. Miller (occupational) |
| "every day" name. It is the name that parents | | | | 8. Wilson (patronymic) |
| intend on calling their child. | | | | 9. Moore (locational) |
| A "surname" is the last name, or a family name. | | | | 10. Taylor (occupational) |
| It's also called a "fixed" name or a legal | | | | Most historians believe that locational surnames |
| identification. | | | | were developed first followed by occupational |
| The study of the history of surnames is called | | | | names. Those names of patronymic origin don't |
| onomatolgy. It's the actual study of proper | | | | appear to be as popular, probably because they |
| names, their origins, meanings and spellings. | | | | changed every generation. An example: William |
| Hundreds of years ago, folks went by just one | | | | had a son. He named him John Williamson - or |
| name. Villages were filled with Johns, Anne's and | | | | John, son of William. 20 years later, John has a |
| Richards. As countries developed, surnames began | | | | son. He names his son Richard Johnson - or |
| to be used as identifications between two people | | | | Richard, son of John. And lastly the descriptive |
| that had the same first name. | | | | names were developed. |
| Most surnames originated from:o Patronymic (who | | | | When you hit a brick wall in researching your |
| the father was)o Occupational (what type of | | | | family tree, one of the easiest and most |
| work one did)o Locational (where that individual | | | | overlooked solutions is to check on the spelling of |
| lived)o Physical description of distinguishing | | | | your last name. There are variations, mistakes |
| characteristics. | | | | and translations that could give you a hint on |
| The 10 most common names in the United | | | | where to search next. |