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Surnames began as a way to tell one person from another when they both shared the same first name. How do you tell two Johns or two Marys apart who live in the same town? People in the Middle Ages developed at least four types of surnames.

Where the person lived

For example, Leonardo da Vinci, the famous Italian artist and painter of the Mona Lisa, was known by where he lived, in Vinci, Italy. Da Vinci means "of Vinci," or "from Vinci."

What the person did for work

If you were a tailor, or as it was often spelled at the time as "taylor," you were one who sewed clothes for a living, and your last name would reflect that. It was how people knew you. Similar names might be Brewer, Baker, or Barker (a tanner).

What the person's father's name was

If your father was William, and you were John, you might be known in town as John, William's son, or John Williamson, or even John Wilson, which is a shortened version of Williamson. Part of your name may mean "son of" and sometimes, though less often, "daughter of." If your name has the following endings, then it usually means "son of:".

ing	kin	sin	sohn
son	uez	poulous	i
ian	ben	ski	sky
ich

If your name begins with Mac or O or Fitz, they also generally mean "son of." Fitzpatrick, for example, means "son of Patrick."

What the person looked like that would distinguish him from others

If your last name was Short, or Little, Long or Pretty, then your last name was descriptive of how you looked, or perhaps a characteristic of yours. (The name Yaffe means "Pretty" in Hebrew.) But how would you like your name to be Ivan the Terrible, John Strangeways or Erik Pinchpenny?

Surnames

Can you guess the most common last names in the United States? Make a list, and then see below if you are correct.

1. Smith	6. Miller
2. Johnson	7. David
3. Williams	8. Wilson
4. Brown	9. Anderson
5. Jones	10. Taylor