Origin of Surnames

Surnames are so called from the early practice of writing them over the Christian names: instances of this custom can still be seen in the court-rolls and other ancient documents.

Surnames, in modern times, were first used in France, particularly in Normandy, where they can be traced to the latter part of the tenth century. They were introduced into England by the Normans, after the Conquest.

The ancient Hebrews, Egyptians, Syrians, Persians, etc., had but a single name, which was generally significant of some feature connected with their birth. Thus, dying Rachel had called her child Benoni, "the son of my sorrow;" but Jacob gave him the name of Benjamin, "the son of my strength." These simple names, however, naturally soon became so common to many owners, as to fail to convey individuality; and this led to the addition of other designations, now known to us as surnames. The oldest of these with which we are familiar are those of the Bible, where we read of Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and of Joshua the son of Nun. Only about a thousand surnames were taken up by the most noble families in France and in England about the time of Edward the Confessor. The lower nobility did not follow this example before the twelfth, and the citizens and husbandmen had no family names before the fourteenth century.

English names have recruits among them from almost every race. The Hebrew is largely represented by its ancient Ben, which means son. Benjamin has been shortened into Benson, Benari, etc. Levi has been transformed into Lewis, and Elias into Ellis.

The three most numerous patronymics of Celtic origin now in use among the English are the O, the Mac, and the Ap. The Irish O originally meant grandson, the Scotch Mac and the Welch Ap meaning son.

M. Schele de Vere, in his "Studies in English," says, "The most fertile of all is, of course, the good old Anglo-Saxon son, and mixed up with it, now inseparably, the characteristic letter of the genitive, our s. Thus we have obtained from--

He also gives many other illustrations, showing the derivation of many of the present surnames.

The Jews were the last to adopt surnames, and it is only within the past one hundred years that they were compelled by law to adopt them in England.