Family names did not come into general use in England until after the Norman Conquest (1066). There were so many Samuels, Johns and Williams that it became convenient to refer to a man as John the miller, John the smith, or John the carpenter, and so in the course of time these names became accepted as surnames or family names. The reason there are as many Smiths today is that in medieval times the name was applied to all Smiths or metal-workers: gold-smiths, silversmiths, blacksmiths, and locksmiths. We also often identify people by mentioning their jobs. For instance we say “the dry cleaner”. Our ancestors were no different. They also identified people by their occupations. Many family names come from occupations.

Another common way of forming surnames was from the Christian name of the father. Johnson is simply John’s son, and Jones and Jennings are modified forms of the same surname.

Corresponding to the English suffix son we find the Scott prefix Mac, the Irish 0′, the Norman-French Fitz: Macdonald, 0′Brien, Fitzherbert.

As we know, in the past people did not travel very much. They lived in small villages and had different first names. For this reason there was no misunderstanding. But travels, different cultures, new discoveries, and above all increases in population had power to influence this usance: second names were gradually created.

A family name or surname, is that part of a person’s name that indicates to what family this person belongs. In English one’s family name is usually written after one’s first name.

Location names were referred to a location of residence and were also usually used. They were, for example: Brook, Wood, Green, Rivers, Forrest, London, Mill, Hill and were commonly used as a basis for the surname. We can easily understand the reasons: these surnames came from the towns, estates, cities where the people lived.

Latin speakers used family names during the centuries of Roman empire, but this use became rare in western Europe after the western Roman empire fell.