Roll Call: A History of Surnames

Surnames were invented because once upon a time there was not a limitless supply of first names to give your baby. Back in the day, adding the letter y in strange places to give your child an "original" name was not a socially acceptable practice.

Etymologists classify all surnames into one of five categories: given, occupational, location, nickname, ornamental.

Given surnames can be further divided into: simple first name, patronymic (father's name), matronymic (mother's name), or clan name.

Occupational names can be simple to decipher, or extremely complex. For instance, "Eisenhower" means "iron worker." 

Location names might be generic, like "Hill." But sometimes they refer to specific settlements.

Nicknames usually refer to someone's temperament or appearance, and are common among Jewish families who were forced to adopt surnames in the 1700s. If you didn't pick your own name, somebody else would choose for you, and the names they picked weren't always flattering. A lot of families later changed these unkind names, much to the frustration of their ancestors trying to do family research.

Ornamental surnames are similar to nicknames, but they don't usually reflect anything personal about the bearer. They are also most common among families of Central European Jewish origin.

• Abrams. Medieval English. "Abraham."
• Abdullah. Arabic. From the given name "Abd-Allah."
• Adams. English/Scottish. "Son of Adam." 
• Agrawal. N Indian. "Children of Agrasena." 
• Alexander. Scottish Highlands. "Son of Alsandair." 
• Allen. Scot-Irish. "Fair, handsome."
• Amos. Norman French. "Friend." In Late Latin, "amicus" was a name given to slaves. 
• Amason. Staffordshire. Norman French. "A stonemason."
• Appiah. Akan language, Ashanti Empire. Ghana/Ivory Coast. 
• Armstrong. Scotch. Middle English. "Son of a strong man."
• Ashcraft. Variant of Ashcroft. "By the ash trees."
• Atchison. Variant of Acheson. From the name "Atkin."
• Atkinson. See "Atchison."
• Avery. Norman French. From a county in Normandy.
• Ayers. "Heir." Or, "son of an old army man."
• Aycock. A pet name for someone whose name begins with "A."

• Barnett. "Land cleared by burning." Anglo-Saxon.
• Bagley. "By the wild woods."
• Baggett. Old German. "A fighter."
• Barger. Anglo-Saxon. "One who strips bark." Or, "shepherd."
• Bailey. Old French. "Steward of the court." Or, one who lives by the outer walls of a castle. 
• Barton. Anglo-Saxon. "Lives where barley is grown." 
• Ball. English. Short, fat person. Or, bald. Or, lives by a rounded hill. 
• Bates. Pet name for Bartholomew. Or, a boatman. 
• Benford. From the Norman surname "Bonville."
• Beach. Old English. "By the small river."
• Bergstresser. German. "From the Bergstrasse," N of Heidelberg. Or, "by the mountain road."
• Beg. Medieval Turkish. "Noble or senior official."
• Bell. Scottish. "Beauty." Or, "the bell-ringer." Or, "at the sign of the bell."
• Bonds. Anglo-Saxon. "A free landowner."
• Bowlin. "From Bowling," a city in Yorkshire.
• Boyd. "From the Isle of Bute." Scotch-Irish.
• Box. Probably a toolmaker.
• Booker. Anglo-Saxon. "Scribe/bookbinder." Or, "cloth bleacher."
• Boshell. "From Bossall," in N Yorkshire. Or, "corn merchant."
• Boone. Norman. "The good." Or, Anglo-Saxon. "Tall and lean."
• Boff. Old French. "Large man." Variant: Bouvier.
• Bradberry. "Broad fort." Places in Cheshire and Durham.
• Brannan. Irish. "Son of Bran." Or, "the Raven."
• Brister. "From Bristol."
• Brown. Germanic. "Brown complexion/hair." Or, a monk.
• Broman. Anglo-Saxon. Someone with a job in local politics. Or, "chamberlain/servant of the bower."
• Bruce. Scotch-Norman. "From Brix, France." 
• Burns. Scotch. "From Burnhouse." 
• Burkhalter. Swiss-German. "Castle on the hill."
• Butler. Norman. "One who supplies bottles to royalty/butler."
• Bush. Anglo-Saxon. "Bush." Seat at Yorkshire.
• Buchanan. Old Scotch. "House of the Canon."
• Burch. "By the birch." Manchester/Essex.
• Burroughs. "Lives by the fort."
• Buckles. "Maker of buckles."
• Burchfield. From village in Derby, Warwick, or Sussex.
• Busby. "Homestead by the thicket."
• Burger. German. "Member of the town council."

• Caldwell. Scotch. "By the cold spring."
• Camak. Scotch. From Cumberland.
• Canant. Irish. From the name "Conan."
• Canty. Irish, "Satirist." Scotch, "Singer." Scotch-Flemish, "Cloth seller."
• Caparas. Filipino. "Spicy hot." Or, "One who castrates."
• Carpenter. Gallic. "Carpenter."
• Carr. Scotch, "By an overgrown field." Irish, "Spear." Irish, "Servant of Cathar."
• Carlisle. "From Carlisle," in Cumberland.
• Carroll. Irish. "Grandson of a fierce warrior."
• Cassity. Irish. Clan name. "Son of curly hair."
• Chou. Chinese. From the Zhu clan.
• Chalkley. "From Chalkley Farm," Gloucestershire.
• Chastine. French. "From Chastain, Poitou, France."
• Chambers. English. "House servant."
• Chesser. From Cheshire.
• Cicero. Italian. "Grower of chickpeas."
• Clark. English. "Scribe."
• Cleveland. "From a hilly district," in N Yorkshire.
• Clowers. English. "Son of the nailer."
• Coggins. Welsh, from village near Cardiff. Irish, "Hound of War."
• Collett. English. "Son of Nicolas."
• Collins. English, "Son of Nicolas." Irish, "The Young Hound."
• Coleman. Irish. "Dove."
• Colburn. "Hill by a stream."
• Conner. Irish clan name.
• Conger. English. From Congleton, Cheshire.
• Corpuz. Filipino. "Of the body."
• Cowan. Irish. "Son of Owen."
• Coward. English. "The cattle-guard."