Surname or Last Name, Clues for Genealogy

Surnames, witnesses of a common culture

“Onomastics”. This word might mean nothing to you, but it can mean a lot in genealogy. It consists indeed in the study of surnames and their history. For surnames are not chosen randomly, quite the contrary, they are often carriers of an unsuspected history. Take a look at yours, you will be surprised! 

In France, the use of surnames was imposed by the Edict of Villers-Cotterêts in 1539. In Europe, they became common between the 10th and 15th centuries, and according to tradition are passed down by the father, even though this has evolved in recent years, with a concern for equity. A beautiful initiative! 

In Europe, surnames almost always have a meaning. They can be classified into five categories: professions (Müller, the most common surname in Germany means “miller”), colors (Rossie = red in Italy), nicknames, often related to physical characteristics (de Jong in the Netherlands means “the young one”), names linked to patronyms that can be translated as “son of...” which are mainly found in Nordic countries and end in -sen or -son (Henricksen = son of Henri). Just look at the Norwegian football team to realize the frequency of these suffixes: Johansen, Henricksen, Hansen... 

Many surnames are also linked to toponymy, that is, the place of birth, work, life… (For example Horvath, the most common surname in Slovakia, indicates that the person has Croatian ancestors).

Surnames, witnesses of a common culture

It is very interesting to study the distribution of surnames in Europe and around the world, thus one can see the cultural similarities of different societies, as well as the heritage of a common history. Geographically close countries like Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia have the same most common surname, “Novak” (in Serbia, Novak is a first name, think of Novak Djokovic). 

Nordic countries like Denmark, with Jensen “son of Jen”, Sweden with Johansson (son of Johan), or Norway with Hansen (son of Hans) all have the most common surname being patronyms (linked to the father).

Some countries have peculiarities, such as Iceland, where 9 out of 10 people do not have a surname! Indeed, each person's name consists of the father's first name followed by “son of” and thus is not passed down from generation to generation. A child whose father's first name is Jon will have the surname Jonsson. He will then pass on his own first name to his son as a surname.

In France, surnames have diverse origins due to the richness of influences the country has known over the ages and vary greatly depending on the regions. Thus, the most common surname is “Martin”, which results from an influence of Roman mythology. It comes from Mars, the god of war. 

Even though the meaning of surnames tends to be lost over time, it remains a very interesting piece of data for any genealogist, even if we tend to neglect it or use it only as a tool without really seeking to know its origin.