Your Surname Has History!

As I came across a rather unusual looking last name the other day I started thinking about it. I was very sure that surnames didn't start without a reason, there must be a rich history behind last names. And there is.

Around 5000 years ago the Chinese started using more names than one. In Europe the use of surnames began around the 12th Century. In the 13th.Century more than half of the males in England were called William, Richard or John. Since this must have been confusing, people started to call William : William the son of Wrigt ( Wrigt= Old English derived from "Wryhta" =worker) or Richard the son of Stoddard (horse keeper).

So, your own surname now could well have a history you've never even thought about, and most of the names today go back to the Early Middle Ages.

The top 10 list of surnames in the US today is:

1. Smith.= A Smith was a metalworker and is derived from an Old English word Smid)
2. Johnson.= Son of John
3. Williams.= Derived from the German word "Wil" ( means "desire" and "Helm" means "protection" or" helmet") "Wilhelm" has been the name of many German Kings.
4. Jones. =Derived from Jon, son of John
5. Brown. =this refers to hair color or the skin color
6.Davis= Comes from the name David, means son of David
7. Miller= person who worked in a mill or grain mill
8.Wilson= son of Will
9.Moore= derived from Old French : "more", also someone who lived in an open land, bog.Or it was someone with a dark skin color.
10.Taylor=derived from Old French: "Tailleur" meaning "Tailor"

Initially these names referred to an occupation: William the Smith became William Smith; or were derived from first names: John became John Johnson.Also Location played a roll: if you lived in the woods, your name was William Woods, or if you lived close to a Ford, your last name became Ford. Then there were nicknames: if your hair color was white: John White became your name.

Some other interesting surnames with a history: Wembley: Old English for "Wemba" and "leah" meaning woodland clearing. Warren: you were named that when you lived close to a "warrene", and enclosure. And the Army is not going to thank me for this one: Sergeant: is Middle English for "sergent" or "servant".

Another person who might not too happy when she reads this would be Reece Witherspoon: her last name is derived from the Middle English words "wether" , meaning sheep and "spong" meaning strip of land. So a person who was close to sheep.

So, whatever your surname is, think about it, I'm very sure yours too has a history going back Centuries.