Just in Beaverton, there are so many different last names: What’s in a name?

The development of last names has been evolving for over 4000 years. There are many reasons for the growth of last names, and the most common include increased population, eliminating confusion between families or groups, and governmental needs, such as census taking and collecting taxes.

Last names, also called surnames, began in China in 2852 BC, and were matriarchal, based on the mother’s name. Surnames did not begin in Europe until after the Norman Conquest in 1066 and were based on the father’s name, patriarchal. In the late 1400s Henry VII required that children had to use their father’s last name.

The adoption of last names is not universal and has evolved for centuries. For example, Japan initially only required last names for the wealthy, and it was not until the late 1800s that last names became mandatory. Turkey did not require surnames until 1934, and there are countries like Iceland, Tibet and others that still do not require last names.

Many factors influenced the last name that people selected, and the most common associations were with a person’s occupation, geography, personal characteristics, and relationships—such as a member of a clan or worked for a monarchy. For example, occupational last names include Weaver, Smith, Cooper and Baker. Geography is linked to names like Brook, West, Hill, and Field. For personal characteristics, last names include Short, Whitehead, and Grant (meaning tall).

Names associated with relationships typically tie the family member to the father, and thus Johnson means the “son of John”. This paternal connection is replicated in other ways. For example, Fitz also means “son of” in the name Fitzgerald. The Scots use Mc or Mac for “son of” as in Mc Donald, and the Irish use an “O”, as in O’Brien. In Armenia the meaning “son of” is “ian” or “jian”, as in Suddjian. In Germany, if a person worked for the monarchy, an “er” was added to their last name. As an example, Unger became Ungerer. It is interesting to note that Native Americans drew their names from animals, totems, and dreams, rather than relationships, occupations and geography.

A major influencer on the spelling of last names is due to the fact that most people could not read or write. One example is the name Henry, which evolved into Harry, Harris, Hal and others. Later some countries limited the number of last names. In Korea there are only about 300 different last names. In China there are only about 200 different last names, and the most widely used is Wang, which means king.

Researching last names can be an enjoyable family project—a great way to get multiple generations to work together. Note: The author’s last name, Yeend, evolved in the 1400s in England, and meant “the end”. The family most likely lived at the end of the road. The last name has over seven variations of spelling, and many came when they immigrated to the US in the 1800s.

Nancy Neal Yeend is a local grandmother, a retired Realtor, and mediator/dispute management strategist. She enjoys going to parks, identifying birds and visiting memory care facilities with her Therapy Dog, Wolfie.