What type of last name is

Liz Smith marries someone called Jim Brown. Her name Mary still is first, but she hardly ever uses it. So, what is now her "middle initial"? So what should she do when she encounters a US form asking for her "first name, middle initial, and last name"? How does he respond to a US form asking for first name, middle initial, and last name? So now how does she respond to a US form asking for first name, middle initial, and last name? Example 7: Li Xiao Ping is from China.

The two components Xiao Ping of his given name are used together as one name such that they could almost be written Xiaoping. Census records, the Social Security Death Index, newspaper archives and more! Read More. Humans have used more than one name to make it easier to distinguish one person from another who may have the same name.

As communities grew and societies developed, the distinguishing names became fixed. People also started passing a certain name from generation to generation, creating the origins of a family name. Societies that were hunter-oriented based their surnames on events, religious connotations, or characteristics of the individual. Less developed societies commonly used surnames derived from the father's name. Communities that were more technically superior based their surnames on occupations, place of residence, or social status.

However, just because a person carries the last name Tailor doesn't mean that an individual's occupation has anything to do with tailoring. Someone from their family was once a tailor and they passed on their distinguishing name to their children, and so on. Fast forward a hundred years later, when someone carries the last name Taylor or Tailor, you may say with great certainty that one of their ancestors practiced tailoring as a profession.

Surnames occurred in various periods across different regions. They were first adopted in England in the 11th and 16th centuries. Last name meanings can tell you a lot about the origins of your ancestors. Surname meanings can be categorized into the most common types:. Occupational surnames derived from an ancestor's profession can be divided into two groups: standard and titular occupations. For example, the name origin of someone with the last name Stewart links back to an ancient clan title in Scotland.

Topographical surnames are usually derived from landscapes Ford, Hill, Rivers or town or place names London, Austin. At first, families that held land adopted the surnames derived from place-names.

However, as people started moving from one place to another, it became more common for them to choose a surname derived from the name of a certain place. Descriptive surnames were most often derived from insulting characteristics, which is why they are less common. People got surnames based on characteristics such as baldness, stupidity, greediness, or even straightforward insults such as the surname Blackinthemouth.

Many insulting descriptive surnames have disappeared. Luckily, there are still many surnames derived from positive characteristics, such as Good, Young, White, Angel, Goodman, etc. Matronymic surnames are those derived from a female ancestor's name and are very uncommon in many parts of the world. They usually arose due to illegitimate births, or among nobility when the mother enjoyed higher social ranking than her spouse.

The culture the progenitor lived in and their social status will greatly influence a surname origin. People of high social status usually took surnames that are fairly uncommon today.

Whereas, people of the lower social class took surnames that are very common today. People of lesser social status had much less control over their surnames, especially during feudalism. A Cooper, for example, was originally a medieval craftsman who made tubs or barrels and a Parker was a park keeper. But interestingly, there are plenty of last names which derive from female christian names too. These are rarer than patronymic names and were often given to the children of unwed mothers or children whose fathers had died before birth.

Other examples given by Ancestry. Home News Celebrity News. Kate Middleton. Marie Claire is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy.