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{{Short description|Hereditary portion of a personal name}}
{{Redirect|Last name||Last Name (disambiguation)}}
{{Redirect|Family name||Family Name (disambiguation)}}
{{Distinguish|Suriname}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
[[File:FML names-2.png|thumb|300px|First/given/forename, middle, and last/family/surname with [[John F. Kennedy|John Fitzgerald Kennedy]] as example. This shows a structure typical for Anglophonic cultures (and some others). Other cultures use other structures for full names.]]

In many societies, a '''surname''', '''last''' '''family name''', or '''first''' '''family name''' is the mostly hereditary portion of one's [[personal name]] that indicates one's family.<ref>{{cite web|title=Surname|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/surname|website=Britannica|access-date=11 April 2023|language=en|archive-date=17 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230317203302/https://www.britannica.com/topic/surname|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite encyclopedia|title=surname|encyclopedia=[[OxfordDictionaries.com|Oxford Dictionaries]]|url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/surname|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170120071049/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/surname|url-status=dead|archive-date=20 January 2017|access-date=3 October 2017}}</ref> It is typically combined with a [[given name]] to form the [[full name]] of a person, although several given names and surnames are possible in the full name. In modern times most surnames are [[Heredity|hereditary]], although in most countries a person has a right to [[name change|change their name]].

Depending on culture, the surname may be placed either at the start of a person's name, or at the end. The number of surnames given to an individual also varies: in most cases it is just one, but in Portuguese-speaking countries and many Spanish-speaking countries, two surnames (one inherited from the mother and another from the father) are used for legal purposes. Depending on culture, not all members of a family unit are required to have identical surnames. In some countries, surnames are modified depending on gender and family membership status of a person. Compound surnames can be composed of separate names.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Haas|first1=Ann|last2=Elliott|first2=Marc N|last3=Dembosky|first3=Jacob W|last4=Adams|first4=John L|last5=Wilson-Frederick|first5=Shondelle M|last6=Mallett|first6=Joshua S|last7=Gaillot|first7=Sarah|last8=Haffer|first8=Samuel C|last9=Haviland|first9=Amelia M|title=Imputation of race/ethnicity to enable measurement of HEDIS performance by race/ethnicity|journal=Health Services Research|date=1 February 2019|volume=54|issue=1|pages=13–23|doi=10.1111/1475-6773.13099|pmid=30506674|pmc=6338295|issn=1475-6773}}</ref>

The use of names has been documented in even the oldest historical records. Examples of surnames are documented in the 11th century by the [[baron]]s in England. English surnames began to be formed with reference to a certain aspect of that individual, such as their trade, father's name, location of birth, or physical features, and were not necessarily inherited. By 1400 most English families, and those from Lowland Scotland, had adopted the use of hereditary surnames.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=BBC – Family History – What's in a Name? Your Link to the Past|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/familyhistory/get_started/surnames_01.shtml|access-date=21 September 2020|website=BBC History|language=en-GB|archive-date=20 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200920070313/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/familyhistory/get_started/surnames_01.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref>

The study of proper names (in family names, personal names, or places) is called [[onomastics]].

==History==
===Origin===
While the use of given names to identify individuals is attested in the oldest historical records, the advent of surnames is relatively recent.<ref name="Doll1992">{{Cite news|last=Doll|first=Cynthia Blevins|year=1992|title=Harmonizing Filial and Parental Rights in Names: Progress, Pitfalls, and Constitutional Problems|volume=35|page=227|work=Howard Law Journal|publisher=Howard University School of Law|issn=0018-6813}} ''Content available by subscription only. The first page of content is available via [https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=info:LBmZUSt6tbgJ:scholar.google.com/&hl=en&lr=&output=viewport&shm=1&pg=1 Google Scholar]''.</ref> Many cultures have used and continue to use additional descriptive terms in identifying individuals. These terms may indicate personal attributes, location of origin, occupation, parentage, patronage, adoption, or clan affiliation.<ref name="e082">{{cite web|last=Lederer|first=Richard|title=Our last names reveal a lot about our labor days|website=San Diego Union-Tribune|date=5 September 2015|url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-last-names-english-language-lederer-2015sep05-story.html|access-date=2024-06-02}}</ref>

In China, according to legend, family names started with Emperor [[Fuxi|Fu Xi]] in 2000 BC.<ref name="Danesi2007">{{Cite book|last=Danesi|first=Marcel|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=as6_qARSebIC|title=The Quest for Meaning|publisher=University of Toronto Press|year=2007|isbn=978-0-8020-9514-5|page=48|access-date=21 September 2008}}</ref> His administration standardised the naming system to facilitate census-taking, and the use of census information. Originally, [[Chinese surname]]s were derived [[matronymic|matrilineally]],<ref name="naming">{{cite web|url-status=dead|website=Berkeley Linguistics|date=2004|url=http://www.linguistics.berkeley.edu/~rosemary/55-2004-names.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110519142616/http://www.linguistics.berkeley.edu/~rosemary/55-2004-names.pdf|archive-date=19 May 2011|title=Naming practices|at=Chinese naming practices (Mak et al., 2003)}}</ref> although by the time of the [[Shang dynasty]] (1600 to 1046 BC) they had become [[Patronymic surname|patrilineal]].<ref name="naming" /><ref name="Zhimin">{{Cite journal|last=Zhimin|first=An|year=1988|title=Archaeological Research on Neolithic China|journal=Current Anthropology|volume=29|issue=5|pages=753–759 [755, 758]|doi=10.1086/203698|jstor=2743616|s2cid=144920735}}</ref> Chinese women do not change their names upon marriage.<ref name="q448">{{cite book|last=Ch'ien|first=E.N.M.|title=Weird English|publisher=Harvard University Press|year=2005|isbn=978-0-674-02953-8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fx6o5NXOLoQC&pg=PA310|access-date=2024-06-02|page=310}}</ref> In China, surnames have been the norm since at least the 2nd century BC.<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Koon|first=Wee Kek|date=18 November 2016|title=The complex origins of Chinese names demystified|url=https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/2046955/complex-origins-chinese-names-demystified|magazine=Post Magazine|access-date=3 October 2017|archive-date=4 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171004035355/http://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/2046955/complex-origins-chinese-names-demystified|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the early [[Islamic]] period (640–900 AD) the use of [[patronymics]] is well attested. The famous scholar [[Rhazes]] ({{circa|865–925 AD}}) is referred to as "al-Razi" (lit. the one from Ray) due to his origins from the city of [[Ray, Iran|Ray]], Iran. In the [[Levant]], surnames were in use as early as the [[High Middle Ages]] and it was common for people to derive their surname from a distant ancestor, and historically the surname would be often preceded with 'ibn' or 'son of'. Arab family names often denote either one's [[tribe]], [[profession]], a famous ancestor, or the place of origin; but they were not universal. For example, [[Hunayn ibn Ishaq]] (fl. 850 AD) was known by the nisbah "al-'Ibadi", a federation of Arab Christian tribes that lived in [[Mesopotamia]] prior to the advent of [[Islam]].

In Ancient Greece, as far back as the [[Archaic Greece|Archaic Period]] clan names and [[patronymic]]s ("son of") were also common, as in [[Aristides]] as Λῡσῐμᾰ́χου – a genitive singular form meaning son of Lysimachus. For example, [[Alexander the Great]] was known as [[Heracleidae|''Heracleides'']], as a supposed descendant of [[Heracles]], and by the dynastic name [[Caranus of Macedon|''Karanos''/''Caranus'']], which referred to the founder of the [[Argead dynasty|dynasty to which he belonged]]. These patronymics are already attested for many characters in the works of [[Homer]]. At other times formal identification commonly included the place of origin.<ref name="Gill2008">{{Cite book|url=http://ancienthistory.about.com/|title=About Ancient / Classical History|publisher=The New York Times Company|editor-last=Gill|editor-first=N.S.|chapter=Ancient Names – Greek and Roman Names|chapter-url=http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/nameetymologies/p/AncientNames.htm|access-date=13 May 2016|archive-date=28 November 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071128112818/http://ancienthistory.about.com/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Over the course of the Roman Republic and the later Empire, naming conventions went through multiple changes. (''See [[Roman naming conventions]].'') The [[Nomen gentilicium|''nomen'']], the name of the [[gens]] (tribe) inherited patrilineally, is thought to have already been in use by 650 BC.<ref name="Salway">[[Benet Salway]], "What's in a Name? A Survey of Roman Onomastic Practice from c. 700 B.C. to A.D. 700", in ''[[Journal of Roman Studies]]'', vol. 84, pp. 124–145 (1994).</ref> The ''nomen'' was to identify group kinship, while the ''[[praenomen]]'' (forename; plural ''praenomina'') was used to distinguish individuals within the group. Female ''praenomina'' were less common, as women had reduced public influence, and were commonly known by the feminine form of the ''nomen'' alone.

===Medieval era and beyond===
Later with the gradual influence of Greek and [[Christian culture]] throughout the Empire, Christian religious names were sometimes put in front of traditional ''cognomina'', but eventually people reverted to single names.{{cn|date=July 2025}} By the time of the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century, family names were uncommon in the [[Eastern Roman Empire]]. In Western Europe, where Germanic culture dominated the aristocracy, family names were almost non-existent. They would not significantly reappear again in Eastern Roman society until the 10th century, apparently influenced by the familial affiliations of the Armenian military aristocracy.{{cn|date=July 2025}} The practice of using family names spread through the Eastern Roman Empire, however it was not until the 11th century that surnames came to be used in West Europe.<ref name="j891">{{cite book|last=Kennett|first=D.|title=The Surnames Handbook: A Guide to Family Name Research in the 21st Century|publisher=History Press|year=2012|isbn=978-0-7524-8349-8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_8UTDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT19|access-date=2024-06-02|pages=19–20}}</ref>

Medieval Spain used a patronymic system. For example, Álvaro, a son of Rodrigo, would be named Álvaro Rodríguez. His son, Juan, would not be named Juan Rodríguez, but Juan Álvarez. Over time, many of these patronymics became family names, and they are some of the most common names in the Spanish-speaking world today. Other sources of surnames are personal appearance or habit, e.g. Delgado ("thin") and Moreno ("dark"); geographic location or ethnicity, e.g. Alemán ("German"); and occupations, e.g. Molinero ("miller"), Zapatero ("shoe-maker") and Guerrero ("warrior"), although occupational names are much more often found in a shortened form referring to the trade itself, e.g. Molina ("mill"), Guerra ("war"), or Zapata (archaic form of ''zapato'', "shoe").<ref>{{Cite web|title=What is the origin of the last name Molina?|url=https://www.last-names.net/lastname/molina/|access-date=2023-08-01|website=Last Name Meanings|language=en-US|archive-date=1 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230801151148/https://www.last-names.net/lastname/molina/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In England the introduction of family names is generally attributed to the preparation of the [[Domesday Book]] in 1086, following the [[Norman Conquest]]. Evidence indicates that surnames were first adopted among the feudal nobility and gentry, and slowly spread to other parts of society. Some of the early Norman nobility who arrived in England during the Norman conquest differentiated themselves by affixing 'de' (of) before the name of their village in France. This is what is known as a territorial surname, a consequence of feudal landownership. By the 14th century, most [[English surnames|English]] and most [[Scottish surnames|Scottish]] people used surnames and in Wales following unification under Henry VIII in 1536.<ref name="bbc.co.uk">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/familyhistory/get_started/surnames_01.shtml#:~:text=Over%20time%20many%20names%20became,and%20to%20get%20passed%20on.|title=BBC – Family History – What's in a Name? Your Link to the Past|access-date=17 May 2022|archive-date=17 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517182045/https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/familyhistory/get_started/surnames_01.shtml#:~:text=Over%20time%20many%20names%20became,and%20to%20get%20passed%20on.|url-status=live}}</ref>

A four-year study led by the [[University of the West of England]], which concluded in 2016, analysed sources dating from the 11th to the 19th century to explain the origins of the surnames in the [[British Isles]].<ref name="Origin study">{{Cite news|date=17 November 2016|title=Most common surnames in Britain and Ireland revealed|agency=BBC|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-38003201|access-date=21 July 2018|archive-date=2 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181102104217/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-38003201|url-status=live}}</ref> The study found that over 90% of the 45,602 surnames in the dictionary are native to Britain and Ireland, with the most common in the UK being [[Smith (surname)|Smith]], [[Jones (surname)|Jones]], [[Williams (surname)|Williams]], [[Brown (surname)|Brown]], [[Taylor (surname)|Taylor]], [[Davies]], and [[Wilson (name)|Wilson]].<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Hanks|first1=Patrick|url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199677764.001.0001/acref-9780199677764|title=The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland|last2=Coates|first2=Richard|last3=McClure|first3=Peter|date=17 November 2016|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-967776-4|language=en-US|doi=10.1093/acref/9780199677764.001.0001|access-date=1 March 2020|archive-date=26 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200526105824/https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199677764.001.0001/acref-9780199677764|url-status=live}}</ref> The findings have been published in the ''Oxford English Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland'', with project leader Richard Coates calling the study "more detailed and accurate" than those before.<ref name="Origin study" /> He elaborated on the origins: "Some surnames have origins that are occupational – obvious examples are Smith and Baker. Other names can be [[Toponymic surname|linked to a place]], for example, Hill or Green, which relates to a [[village green]]. Surnames that are 'patronymic' are those which originally enshrined the father's name – such as [[Jackson (surname)|Jackson]], or [[Jenkinson]]. There are also names where the origin describes the original bearer such as Brown, [[Short stature|Short]], or Thin – though Short may in fact be an ironic 'nickname' surname for a tall person."<ref name="Origin study"/>

In the modern era, governments have enacted laws to require people to adopt surnames. This served the purpose of uniquely identifying subjects for taxation purposes or for inheritance.{{sfn|Kennett|2012|p=20}} In the late [[Middle Ages]] in England, mandatory surnames were resisted as they were associated with taxes.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Anderson|first1=Raymond A.|title=Credit Intelligence and Modelling: Many Paths Through the Forest of Credit Rating and Scoring|date=2022|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-284419-4|pages=193–194|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=04lNEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA193|language=en}}</ref>

===Modern era===
During the modern era many cultures around the world adopted family names, particularly for administrative reasons, especially during the age of European expansion and particularly since 1600. The Napoleonic Code, adopted in various parts of Europe, stipulated that people should be known by both their given name(s) and a family name that would not change across generations. Other notable examples include the Netherlands (1795–1811), Japan (1870s), Thailand (1920), and Turkey (1934). The structure of the [[Japanese name]] was formalized by the government as ''family name'' + ''given name'' in 1868.<ref>Nagata, Mary Louise. "Names and Name Changing in Early Modern Kyoto, Japan." ''International Review of Social History'' 07/2002; 47(02):243 – 259. P. 246.</ref> <!-- Not verified; simply copied from "[[Japanese name]]" - Lembit Staan -->

In Breslau Prussia enacted the Hoym Ordinance in 1790, mandating the adoption of Jewish surnames.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1= |first1= |year=1790 |orig-date= |orig-year= |location= |title=Schlesischen Provinzialblättern 12 |script-title= |trans-title=Silesian Provincial Papers |magazine=St. 7 |series= |language=de |volume= |issue= |edition= |publication-place= |publisher= |publication-date= |page= |pages=52–61 |at= |no-pp= }}</ref><ref name="o738">{{cite book|last=Ury|first=S.|title=Barricades and Banners: The Revolution of 1905 and the Transformation of Warsaw Jewry|publisher=Stanford University Press|series=Stanford Studies in Jewish History and Culture|year=2012|isbn=978-0-8047-8104-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1_W-DuzHlAEC&pg=PA32|access-date=2024-06-02|page=32}}</ref> Napoleon also insisted on Jews adopting fixed names in a decree issued in 1808.<ref name="r467">{{cite journal|last1=Scott|first1=James C.|last2=Tehranian|first2=John|last3=Mathias|first3=Jeremy|title=The Production of Legal Identities Proper to States: The Case of the Permanent Family Surname|journal=Comparative Studies in Society and History|publisher=Cambridge University Press|volume=44|issue=1|year=2002|issn=0010-4175|jstor=3879399|pages=4–44|doi=10.1017/S0010417502000026 |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/3879399|access-date=2024-06-02|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

Names can sometimes be changed to protect individual privacy (such as in [[witness protection]]), or in cases where groups of people are escaping persecution.<ref name="x631">{{cite book|last=Ahmed|first=S.R.|title=Preventing Identity Crime: Identity Theft and Identity Fraud: An Identity Crime Model and Legislative Analysis with Recommendations for Preventing Identity Crime|publisher=Brill|year=2020|isbn=978-90-04-39597-8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DPPcDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA39|access-date=2024-06-02|page=39}}</ref> After arriving in the United States, European Jews who fled Nazi persecution sometimes [[anglicization|anglicized]] their surnames to avoid discrimination.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Holton|first1=G.|last2=Sonnert|first2=G.|title=What Happened to the Children Who Fled Nazi Persecution|date=25 December 2006|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-0-230-60179-6|page=96|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xAeMDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA96|language=en}}</ref> Governments can also forcibly change people's names, as when the [[National Socialist]] government of Germany assigned German names to European people in the territories they conquered.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lemkin|first1=Raphael|title=Axis Rule in Occupied Europe: Laws of Occupation, Analysis of Government, Proposals for Redress|date=2014|publisher=The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd.|isbn=978-1-58477-576-8|page=82|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ChhmqYeVS80C&pg=PA82|language=en}}</ref> In the 1980s, the [[People's Republic of Bulgaria]] forcibly changed the first and last names of its [[Turks in Bulgaria|Turkish citizens]] to Bulgarian names.<ref name="i395">{{cite book|last=Neuburger|first=M.C.|title=The Orient Within: Muslim Minorities and the Negotiation of Nationhood in Modern Bulgaria|publisher=Cornell University Press|year=2011|isbn=978-1-5017-2023-9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hf6tDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA77|access-date=2024-06-02|page=77}}</ref>

== Origins of particular surnames ==

===Patronymic and matronymic surnames=== <!-- [[Ancestral surname]] redirects here -->
{{Main|Patronymic surname|Matronymic surname}}
{{See also|Icelandic name|Habesha name|Arabic name|Hebrew name}}
{{Category see also|Patronymic surnames|Matronymic surnames}}
These are the oldest and most common type of surname.<ref name="hanks" /> They may be a first name such as "Wilhelm", a [[patronymic]] such as "[[Andersen]]", a [[matronymic]] such as "[[Beaton (surname)|Beaton]]", or a clan name such as "[[O'Brien dynasty|O'Brien]]". Multiple surnames may be derived from a single given name: e.g. there are thought to be over 90 Italian surnames based on the given name "[[Giovanni (name)|Giovanni]]".<ref name="hanks">[[Patrick Hanks|Hanks, Patrick]] and Hodges, Flavia. ''A Dictionary of Surnames''. Oxford University Press, 1989. {{ISBN|0-19-211592-8}}.</ref> [[File:Icelandic Patronyms.svg|thumb|250px|A family tree showing the Icelandic patronymic naming system]]

====Examples====
* '''Patronal''' from patronage (''Hickman'' meaning Hick's man, where Hick is a pet form of the name Richard) or strong ties of religion ''Kilpatrick'' (follower of [[Patrick (given name)|Patrick]]) or ''Kilbride'' (follower of Saint [[Brigid of Kildare]]).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hanks |first1=Patrick |year=2022 |title=Dictionary of American Family Names |language= |volume= |edition=2nd |publication-place= |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=42 |no-pp= |isbn= }}</ref>{{dubious|date=June 2025}}
:''Kil-'' refers to a church or monastery (see [[Kilbride (disambiguation)|Kilbride]] and [[Kilpatrick (disambiguation)|Kilpatrick]]).
* '''[[Patronymic]]s, [[matronymic]]s or ancestral''', often from a person's given name. e.g., from male name: ''[[Richardson (surname)|Richardson]]'', ''[[Stephenson]]'', ''[[Jones (surname)|Jones]]'' (Welsh for Johnson), ''[[Williams (surname)|Williams]]'', ''[[Jackson (surname)|Jackson]]'', ''[[Wilson (surname)|Wilson]]'', ''[[Thompson (surname)|Thompson]]'', ''[[Benson (surname)|Benson]]'', ''[[Johnson (surname)|Johnson]]'', ''[[Harris (surname)|Harris]]'', ''[[Evans (surname)|Evans]]'', ''[[Simpson (surname)|Simpson]]'', ''[[Willis (surname)|Willis]]'', ''[[Davies]]'', ''[[Reynolds (surname)|Reynolds]]'', ''[[Adams (surname)|Adams]]'', ''[[Dawson (surname)|Dawson]]'', ''[[Lewis (surname)|Lewis]]'', ''[[Rogers (surname)|Rogers]]'', ''[[Murphy]]'', ''[[Morrow (surname)|Morrow]]'', ''[[Nicholson (surname)|Nicholson]]'', ''[[Robinson (name)|Robinson]]'', ''[[Powell (surname)|Powell]]'', ''[[Ferguson (name)|Ferguson]]'', ''[[Davis (surname)|Davis]]'', ''[[Edwards (surname)|Edwards]]'', ''[[Hudson (surname)|Hudson]]'', ''[[Roberts (surname)|Roberts]]'', ''[[Harrison (name)|Harrison]]'', ''[[Watson (surname)|Watson]]'', or female names ''Molson'' (from Moll for Mary), ''[[Madison (name)|Madison]]'' (from Maud), ''Emmott'' (from Emma), ''Marriott'' (from Mary) or from a clan name (for those of Scottish origin, e.g., ''[[Macdonald (name)|MacDonald]]'', ''[[Clan Forbes|Forbes]]'', ''[[Henderson (surname)|Henderson]]'', ''[[Armstrong (surname)|Armstrong]]'', ''[[Grant (surname)|Grant]]'', ''[[Cameron (surname)|Cameron]]'', ''[[Stewart (name)|Stewart]]'', ''[[Douglas (surname)|Douglas]]'', ''[[Crawford (name)|Crawford]]'', ''[[Campbell (surname)|Campbell]]'', ''[[Hunter (name)|Hunter]]'') with "Mac" [[Goidelic languages|Gaelic]] for son.<ref>Katherine M. Spadaro, Katie Graham (2001) ''Colloquial Scottish Gaelic: the complete course for beginners'' p.16. Routledge, 2001</ref>

===Cognominal surnames===<!-- [[Cognominal surname]], [[Eke-name]], and [[Nickname surname]] redirects here -->
This is the broadest class of surnames, originating from nicknames,<ref name=bede>[[Bernard Deacon (linguist)|Bernard Deacon]], [https://bernarddeacon.com/cornish-surnames/classifying-surnames/ Classifying surnames] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604025727/https://bernarddeacon.com/cornish-surnames/classifying-surnames/ |date=4 June 2024 }}</ref> encompassing many types of origin. These include names based on appearance such as "Schwartzkopf", "Short", and possibly "Caesar",<ref name="hanks" /> and names based on temperament and personality such as "Daft", "Gutman", and "Maiden", which, according to a number of sources, was an English nickname meaning "effeminate".<ref name="hanks" /><ref name="cottle" />

A group of nicknames look like occupational ones: [[King (surname)|King]], [[Bishop (surname)|Bishop]], [[Abbot (surname)|Abbot]], [[Sheriff (surname)|Sheriff]], [[Knight (surname)|Knight]], etc. but it is rather unlikely that a person with surname King was a king or descended from a king. [[Bernard Deacon (linguist)|Bernard Deacon]] suggests that the first nickname/surname bearer may have acted like a king or bishop, or was as corpulent as a bishop. etc.<ref name=bede/>

A considerable group of surname-producing nicknames may be found among [[ethnonymic surname]]s.<ref>Butkus, Alvydas, [https://www.proquest.com/openview/a9586f90d1ab73304fadfa2e0227c0d9/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=1818029 The Lithuanian Nicknames of Ethnonymic Origin], Indogermanische Forschungen; Strassburg Vol. 100, (1 January 1995): 223.</ref><ref>Tamás Farkas, [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/315457178_Surnames_of_Ethnonymic_Origin_in_the_Hungarian_Language Surnames of Ethnonymic Origin in the Hungarian Language], In: Name and Naming. Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Onomastics. Onomastics in Contemporary Public Space. Baia Mare, 9–11 May 2013, pp.504–517</ref>

===Ornamental/artificial surnames===
{{anchor|Ornamental}}'''Ornamental surnames''' (also known as {{anchor|Artificial}}'''artificial surnames'''<ref>Johannes Czakai, ''Nochems neue Namen: Die Juden Galiziens und der Bukowina und die Einführung deutscher Vor- und Familiennamen 1772-1820'', footnote 78 at [https://books.google.com/books?id=lB8-EAAAQBAJ&pg=PA292 p 292], referring to Beider</ref><ref>[[Alexander Beider]], [https://www.academia.edu/95851463/Introductory_chapters_to_Beider_Alexander_2004_A_Dictionary_of_Jewish_Surnames_from_Galicia_Bergenfield_NJ_Avotaynu Introductory chapters to: Beider, Alexander. 2004. A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from Galicia ], Section 2.3 "Artificial surnames", pp. 27–41</ref>) are not specific to any attribute (place, parentage, occupation, caste) of the first person to acquire the name. They were generally acquired later in history and generally when those without surnames needed them. In 1526, [[Frederick I of Denmark|King Frederik I of Denmark-Norway]] ordered that noble families must take up fixed surnames, and many of them took as their name some element of their coat of arms; for example, the [[Rosenkrantz (noble family)|Rosenkrantz]] ("rose wreath") family took their surname from a wreath of roses forming the torse of their arms,<ref>Hiort-Lorensen, H.R., and Thiset, A. (1910) ''Danmarks Adels Aarbog'', 27th ed. Copenhagen: Vilh. Trydes Boghandel, p. 371.</ref> and the [[Gyldenstierne (noble family)|Gyldenstierne]] ("golden star") family took theirs from a 7-pointed gold star on their shield.<ref>von Irgens-Bergh, G.O.A., and Bobe, L. (1926) ''Danmarks Adels Aarbog'', 43rd ed. Copenhagen: Vilh. Trydes Boghandel, p. 3.</ref> Subsequently, many middle-class Scandinavian families desired names similar to those of the nobles and adopted "ornamental" surnames as well.

Most other naming traditions refer to them as "acquired". They might be given to people newly immigrated, conquered, or converted, as well as those with unknown parentage, formerly enslaved, or from parentage without a surname tradition.{{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

Ornamental surnames are more common in communities that adopted (or were forced to adopt) surnames in the 18th and 19th centuries.<ref name="bowman"/> They occur commonly in Scandinavia, and among [[Sinti]] and [[Romani people|Romani]] and Eastern  [[Ashkenazi]] Jews in Germany and Austria.<ref name="hanks"/>

===Acquired/assigned surnames===
During the era of the [[Trans-Atlantic slave trade]] many Africans were given new names by their masters. Many of the family names of many African-Americans have their origins in slavery (''i.e.'' [[slave name]]). Some freed slaves later created family names themselves.<ref name="x915">{{cite web|last=Craven|first=Julia|title=Many African American last names hold weight of Black history|website=NBC News|date=24 February 2022|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/many-african-american-last-names-hold-weight-black-history-rcna17267|access-date=2024-06-02|archive-date=23 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240523215031/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/many-african-american-last-names-hold-weight-black-history-rcna17267|url-status=live}}</ref>

Another category of acquired names is [[Child abandonment|foundlings]]' names. Historically, children born to unwed parents or extremely poor parents would be abandoned in a public place or anonymously placed in a [[Baby hatch#History|foundling wheel]]. Such abandoned children might be claimed and named by religious figures, the community leaders, or adoptive parents. Some such children were given surnames that reflected their condition, like (Italian) [[Esposito]], [[Innocenti (surname)|Innocenti]], [[Casagrande|Della Casagrande]], [[Trovato]], Abbandonata, or (Dutch) Vondeling, Verlaeten, Bijstand. Other children were named for the street/place they were found (Union, Liquorpond (street), di Palermo, Baan, Bijdam, van den Eyngel (shop name), [[van der Stoep (surname)|van der Stoep]], von Trapp), the date they were found ([[Monday (surname)|Monday]], Septembre, Spring, di Gennaio), or festival/feast day they found or christened (Easter, SanJosé). Some foundlings were given the name of whoever found them.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Finding Foundlings: Searching for Abandoned Children in Italy|url=https://www.legacytree.com/blog/finding-foundlings-italy|access-date=27 July 2021|website=Legacy Tree Genealogists|date=14 September 2017|archive-date=27 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210727061540/https://www.legacytree.com/blog/finding-foundlings-italy|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=England Regional, Ethnic, Foundling Surnames (National Institute)|url=https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/England_Regional,_Ethnic,_Foundling_Surnames_(National_Institute)|access-date=27 July 2021|website=FamilySearch Research Wiki|date=4 September 2014|archive-date=27 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210727044744/https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/England_Regional,_Ethnic,_Foundling_Surnames_(National_Institute)|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Deciphering Dutch Foundling Surnames|url=https://www.dutchancestrycoach.com/Deciphering%20Dutch%20Foundling%20Surnames|access-date=27 July 2021|website=Dutch Ancestry Coach|archive-date=27 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210727044755/https://www.dutchancestrycoach.com/Deciphering%20Dutch%20Foundling%20Surnames|url-status=usurped}}</ref>

===Occupational surnames {{anchor|Occupational}}=== <!-- [[Technonym]], [[Occupational name]] and [[Occupational surname]] redirect here -->
{{Category see also|Occupational surnames}}
[[Vocation|Occupational]] names include ''[[Smith (surname)|Smith]]'', Taylor (Tailor), ''[[Miller (name)|Miller]]'', ''[[Farmer (surname)|Farmer]]'', ''[[Thatcher (disambiguation)#Surname|Thatcher]]'', ''[[Shepherd (surname)|Shepherd]]'', ''[[Potter (surname)|Potter]]'', and so on, and analogous names in many other languages; see, for example, [[template:Smith-surname|various surnames associated with the occupation of smith]]. There are also more complicated names based on occupational titles. In England it was common for servants to take a modified version of their employer's occupation or first name as their last name,{{citation needed|date=July 2018}} adding the letter ''s'' to the word, although this formation could also be a [[patronymic]]. For instance, the surname ''[[Vickers (surname)|Vickers]]'' is thought to have arisen as an occupational name adopted by the servant of a vicar,<ref name="reaney">Reaney, P.H., and Wilson, R.M. ''A Dictionary of English Surnames.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997. Rev. 3rd ed. {{ISBN|0-19-860092-5}}.</ref> while ''[[Roberts (surname)|Roberts]]'' could have been adopted by either the son or the servant of a man named Robert. A subset of occupational names in English are names thought to be derived from the medieval [[Mystery play#English mystery plays|mystery plays]]. The participants would often play the same roles for life, passing the part down to their oldest sons. Names derived from this may include ''[[King (surname)|King]]'', ''[[Lord (surname)|Lord]]'' and ''Virgin''.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}} ''A Dictionary of English Surnames'' says that "surnames of office, such as [[Abbot (surname)|Abbot]], [[Bishop (surname)|Bishop]], [[Cardinal (surname)|Cardinal]] and King, are often nicknames".<ref name="reaney"/> The original meaning of names based on medieval occupations may no longer be obvious in modern English.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

===Toponymic surnames===<!-- [[Habitation name]], [[Habitational name]], [[Habitative name]], and [[Location name]] redirects here -->
{{Main|Toponymic surname}}
Location (toponymic, habitation) names derive from the inhabited location associated with the person given that name. Such locations can be any type of settlement, such as homesteads, farms, enclosures, villages, hamlets, strongholds, or cottages. One element of a habitation name may describe the type of settlement. Examples of [[Old English]] elements are frequently found in the second element of habitational names. The habitative elements in such names can differ in meaning, according to different periods, different locations, or with being used with certain other elements. For example, the Old English element ''tūn'' may have originally meant "enclosure" in one name, but can have meant "farmstead", "village", "manor", or "estate" in other names.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Moss |first=John |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i7jpDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT42 |title=A History of English Place Names and Where They Came From |date=2020-05-30 |publisher=Pen and Sword History |isbn=978-1-5267-2285-0 |language=en}}</ref>

Location names, or habitation names, may be as generic as "Monte" (Portuguese for "mountain"), "Górski" (Polish for "hill"), or "Pitt" (variant of "pit"), but may also refer to specific locations. "Washington", for instance, is thought to mean "the homestead of the family of Wassa",<ref name="cottle">Cottle, Basil. ''Penguin Dictionary of Surnames''. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967. No ISBN.</ref> while "Lucci" means "resident of [[Lucca]]".<ref name="hanks" /> Although some surnames, such as "London", "Lisboa", or "Białystok" are derived from large cities, more people reflect the names of smaller communities, as in [[Ó Creachmhaoil]], derived from a village in [[County Galway]]. This is thought to be due to the tendency in Europe during the Middle Ages for migration to chiefly be from smaller communities to the cities and the need for new arrivals to choose a defining surname.<ref name="cottle" /><ref name="bowman">Bowman, William Dodgson. ''The Story of Surnames''. London, George Routledge & Sons, Ltd., 1932. No ISBN.</ref>

In [[Portuguese-speaking countries]], it is uncommon, but not unprecedented, to find surnames derived from names of countries, such as Portugal, França, Brasil, Holanda. Surnames derived from country names are also found in English, such as "England", "Wales", "Spain".

Some [[Japanese name|Japanese surnames]] derive from geographical features; for example, [[Ishikawa (surname)|Ishikawa]] (石川) means "stone river" (and is also [[Ishikawa Prefecture|the name of one of Japan's prefectures]]), [[Yamamoto]] (山本) means "the base of the mountain", and [[Inoue]] (井上) means "above the well".

Arabic names sometimes contain surnames that denote the city of origin. For example, in cases of [[Saddam Hussein]] al Tikriti,<ref name="saddam">{{Cite news|date=15 January 2007|title=Saddam Hussein's top aides hanged|work=BBC News|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6261965.stm|access-date=17 October 2011|archive-date=2 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160302020820/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6261965.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> meaning Saddam Hussein originated from [[Tikrit]], a city in [[Iraq]]. This component of the name is called a ''[[Nisbat (onomastics)|nisbah]]''.

====Examples====
* '''Estate names''' For those descended from land-owners, the name of their holdings, castle, manor or estate, e.g. [[Ernle]], [[House of Windsor|Windsor]], [[Staunton (surname)|Staunton]]
* '''Habitation (place) names''' e.g., [[Burton (name)|Burton]], [[Flint (surname)|Flint]], [[Hamilton (surname and title)|Hamilton]], [[London (name)|London]], [[Laughton (surname)|Laughton]], [[Leighton (surname)|Leighton]], [[Murray (surname)|Murray]], [[Sutton (surname)|Sutton]], [[Tremblay (surname)|Tremblay]]
* '''[[Topographic surname]]s''' (geographical features) e.g., [[Bridge (surname)|Bridge]] or [[Bridges (surname)|Bridges]], [[Brook (surname)|Brook]] or [[Brooks (surname)|Brooks]], [[Bush (surname)|Bush]], [[Camp (surname)|Camp]], [[Hill (surname)|Hill]], [[Lake (surname)|Lake]], [[Lee (English name)|Lee]] or [[Leigh (surname)|Leigh]], [[Wood (surname)|Wood]], [[Grove (surname)|Grove]], [[Holmes (surname)|Holmes]], [[Forest (name)|Forest]], [[Underwood (surname)|Underwood]], [[Hall (surname)|Hall]], [[Field (surname)|Field]], [[Stone (surname)|Stone]], [[Morley (name)|Morley]], [[Moore (surname)|Moore]], [[Perry (surname)|Perry]]

===Other===
The meanings of some names are unknown or unclear. The most common European name in this category may be the Irish name [[Ryan (surname)|Ryan]], which means 'little king' in Irish.<ref name="cottle" /><ref name="reaney" /> Also, Celtic origin of the name Arthur, meaning '[[Artur|bear]]'. Other surnames may have arisen from more than one source: the name [[DeLuca|De Luca]], for instance, likely arose either in or near Lucania or in the family of someone named Lucas or Lucius;<ref name="hanks" /> in some instances, however, the name may have arisen from Lucca, with the spelling and pronunciation changing over time and with emigration.<ref name="hanks" /> The same name may appear in different cultures by coincidence or romanization; the surname [[Lee (English name)|Lee]] is used in English culture, but is also a romanization of the Chinese surname ''[[Li (surname 李)|Li]]''.<ref name="reaney" /> In the [[Russian Empire]], illegitimate children were sometimes [[Russian surnames of illegitimate children|given artificial surnames]] rather than the surnames of their adoptive parents.<ref>[[Boris Unbegaun]], ''Russian surnames'', — Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1972; Russian version: ''Русские фамилии'', 1989, [https://archive.org/details/russiansurnames/page/n181/mode/2up Chapter IX: "Artificial surnames"]</ref><ref>[http://gramma.ru/SPR/?id=2.5 НЕСТАНДАРТНЫЕ РУССКИЕ ФАМИЛИИ], citing Суслова А.В., Суперанская А.В., ''О русских именах'', Л.: Лениздат, 1991</ref>

== Order of names ==
{{Further|Personal name#Name order}}

In many cultures (particularly in [[Culture of Europe|European]] and European-influenced cultures in the Americas, Oceania, etc., as well as West Asia/North Africa, South Asia, and most Sub-Saharan African cultures), the surname or family name ("last name") is placed after the personal, [[Given name|forename]] (in Europe) or given name ("first name"). In other cultures the surname is placed first, followed by the given name or names. The latter is often called the [[Name order|Eastern naming order]] because Europeans are most familiar with the examples from the [[East Asian cultural sphere]], specifically, [[Chinese name|Greater China]], [[Korean name|Korea (both North and South)]], [[Japanese name|Japan]], and [[Vietnamese name|Vietnam]]. This is also the case in [[Cambodia]] and among the [[Hmong people|Hmong]] of [[Laos]] and [[Thailand]]. The [[Telugu language|Telugu]] people of south India also place surname before personal name, and historically the [[Tamil language|Tamil]] people did the same.<ref>{{Cite news|url = http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/open-page/first-name-middle-name-surname-real-name/article387414.ece|title = First name, middle name, surname... real name?|newspaper = The Hindu|date = 4 April 2010|last1 = S. A.|first1 = Hariharan|access-date = 30 November 2022|archive-date = 29 November 2014|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141129185654/http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/open-page/first-name-middle-name-surname-real-name/article387414.ece|url-status = live}}</ref> There are some parts of Europe, in particular [[Hungary]], where the surname is placed before the personal name.{{sfn|Kennett|2012|p=10}} In [[Dalarna]] and nearby parts of [[Sweden]] the old naming system is name of the family farm, personal name, patronymic; the name of the family farm takes the function of a family name. 

Since given name is normally written first in European societies, the terms first name is commonly used for the given name, while in [[Japan]] (with [[vertical writing]]) the given name may be referred to as "lower name" ({{Nihongo||下の名前|shita-no-namae}}).

When people from areas using Eastern naming order write their personal name in the [[Latin alphabet]], it is common to reverse the order of the given and family names for the convenience of Westerners, so that they know which name is the family name for official/formal purposes. Reversing the order of names for the same reason is also [[Norm (social)|customary]] for the [[Mordvins]] and the [[Hungarian people|Hungarians]], but other [[Uralic languages|Uralic peoples]] traditionally did not have surnames, perhaps because of the [[clan]] structure of their societies. The [[Samis]], depending on the circumstances of their names, either saw no change or did see a transformation of their name. For example: Sire in some cases became Siri,<ref>{{Cite web|date=29 May 2017|title=Guttorm|url=http://snl.no/Aslak_Jacobsen_H%C3%A6tta|access-date=16 April 2018|publisher=Snl.no|archive-date=8 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180208182845/https://snl.no/Aslak_Jacobsen_H%C3%A6tta|url-status=live}}</ref> and Hætta Jáhkoš Ásslat became [[Aslak Hætta|Aslak Jacobsen Hætta]] – as was the [[Convention (norm)|norm]]. Recently, integration into the EU and increased communications with foreigners prompted many Samis to reverse the order of their full name to given name followed by surname, to avoid their given name being mistaken for and used as a surname.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}

Indian surnames may often denote village, profession or [[caste]] and are invariably mentioned along with the personal or first names. However, hereditary last names are not universal. In [[Telugu language|Telugu]]-speaking families in south India, surname is placed before the personal or first name and in most cases it is only shown as an initial (for example 'S.' for Suryapeth).<ref>{{Cite book|last=Brown|first=Charles Philip|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pnAIAAAAQAAJ&q=name|title=A Grammar of the Telugu Language|date=1857|publisher=printed at the Christian Knowledge Society's Press|pages=209|language=en}}</ref>

In English and other languages, although the usual order of names is "first middle last", for the purpose of cataloging in libraries and in citing the names of authors in scholarly papers, the order is changed to "last, first middle," with the last and first names separated by a comma, and items are alphabetized by the last name.<ref>[http://www.ala.org/tools/libfactsheets/alalibraryfactsheet27 "Filing Rules"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130121153423/http://www.ala.org/tools/libfactsheets/alalibraryfactsheet27|date=21 January 2013}} on the [[American Library Association]] website</ref><ref>[http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/05/ "MLA Works Cited Page: Basic Format"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130107033746/http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/05/|date=7 January 2013}} on the [[Purdue Online Writing Lab]] website, [[Purdue University]]</ref> In France, Italy, Spain, [[Belgium]] and Latin America, administrative usage is to put the surname before the first on official documents.{{citation needed|date=June 2013}}

==Gender-specific versions of surname==<!---Category:Gendered surnames redirects here--->
{{Main|Surname inflection}}
{{Category see also|Gendered surnames|}} 
In most [[Balto-Slavic languages]] (such as Latvian, Lithuanian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Russian, Polish, Slovak, Czech, etc.) as well as in [[Greek language|Greek]], Irish, [[Icelandic language|Icelandic]], and [[Azerbaijani language|Azerbaijani]], some surnames change form depending on the gender of the bearer.<ref>{{cite thesis|last1=Donner|first1=Paul|title=Differences in publication behaviour between female and male scientists. Bibliometric analysis of longitudinal data from 1980 to 2005 with regard to gender differences in productivity and involvement, collaboration and citation impact|date=2012|publisher=Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin|url=http://eprints.rclis.org/19542/|type=Thesis|language=en|access-date=10 April 2023|archive-date=10 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410144628/http://eprints.rclis.org/19542/|url-status=live}}</ref>

{|class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Forms of gendered names
! Language !! Male form !! Female form !! class=unsortable|Reference 
|-
|[[Icelandic name|Icelandic patronymics]]||Suffix {{lang|is|-son}}||Suffix {{lang|is|-dóttir}}||<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Heijnen|first1=Adriënne|title=Relating through Dreams: Names, Genes and Shared Substance|journal=History and Anthropology|date=1 September 2010|volume=21|issue=3|pages=307–319|doi=10.1080/02757206.2010.499909|s2cid=143703825|issn=0275-7206}}</ref>
|-
|[[Greek name#Family names|Greek surnames]]||Suffixes {{lang|el-latn|-os}}, {{lang|el-latn|-as}}, {{lang|el-latn|-is}}||Suffixes {{lang|el-latn|-ou}}, {{lang|el-latn|-a}}, {{lang|el-latn|-i}}||<ref name="Greek Diminutive Use Problematized">{{cite journal|last1=Makri-Tsilipakou|first1=Marianthi|title=Greek Diminutive Use Problematized: Gender, Culture and Common Sense|journal=Discourse & Society|date=November 2003|volume=14|issue=6|pages=699–726|doi=10.1177/09579265030146002|s2cid=145557628}}</ref>
|-
|[[Irish name#Surnames and prefixes|Irish surnames]]||Prefixes {{lang|ga|Mac}}, {{lang|ga|Ó}}, {{lang|ga|Ua}}, {{lang|ga|Mag}}||Prefixes {{lang|ga|Bean Uí}}, {{lang|ga|Nic}}, {{lang|ga|Bean Mhic}}, {{lang|ga|Ní}}, {{lang|ga|Mhic}}, {{lang|ga|Nig}}||<ref>{{cite book|last1=Mac Mathúna|first1=Liam|chapter=What's in an irish name?|title=The Celtic Englishes IV: The interface between English and the Celtic languages; Proceedings of the Fourth International Colloquium on the "Celtic Englishes" held at the University of Potsdam in Golm (Germany) from 22–26 September 2004|date=2006|pages=64–87|url=https://publishup.uni-potsdam.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/3908|publisher=University of Potsdam|location=Potsdam|access-date=10 April 2023|archive-date=10 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410172819/https://publishup.uni-potsdam.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/3908|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|[[Lithuanian name#Feminine forms|Lithuanian surnames]]||Suffixes {{lang|lt|-as}}, {{lang|lt|-ys}}, {{lang|lt|-is}}, {{lang|lt|-us}}||Suffixes {{lang|lt|-ienė}}, {{lang|lt|-uvienė}}, {{lang|lt|-aitė}}, {{lang|lt|-utė}}, {{lang|lt|-iūtė}}, {{lang|lt|-ytė}}, {{lang|lt|-ė}}||<ref>{{cite thesis|last1=Smoriginaitė|first1=Jovita|title=Visuomenės reakcijos į kalbinę lyčių problematiką. Nepriesaginių moteriškų pavardžių atvejis Lietuvoje, "hen" įvardžio – Švedijoje|date=2022|url=https://epublications.vu.lt/object/elaba:143533685/|publisher=Vilniaus universitetas|access-date=10 April 2023|archive-date=10 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410174524/https://epublications.vu.lt/object/elaba:143533685/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|[[Latvian name|Latvian surnames]]||Suffixes {{lang|lv|-us}}, {{lang|lv|-is}}, {{lang|lv|-s}}, {{lang|lv|-iņš}}||Suffixes {{lang|lv|-a}}, {{lang|lv|-e}}, {{lang|lv|-iņa}}||
|-
|[[Scottish Gaelic#Names|Scottish Gaelic surnames]]||Prefix {{lang|gd|Mac-}}||Prefix {{lang|gd|Nic-}}||<ref>{{cite book|last1=Graham|first1=Katie|last2=Spadaro|first2=Katherine M.|title=Colloquial Scottish Gaelic: The Complete Course for Beginners|date=11 August 2005|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-134-62415-7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d0uFAgAAQBAJ|language=en|access-date=15 May 2023|archive-date=7 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231007170706/https://books.google.com/books?id=d0uFAgAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|[[Bulgarian name|Bulgarian]] and [[Macedonian name|Macedonian surnames]]||Suffixes {{lang|bg-latn|-ov}}, {{lang|bg-latn|-ev}}, {{lang|bg-latn|-ski}}||Suffixes {{lang|bg-latn|-ova}}, {{lang|bg-latn|-eva}}, {{lang|bg-latn|-ska}}||
|-
|[[Eastern Slavic naming customs#Grammar|East Slavic surnames and patronymics]]||Suffixes {{lang|zle|-ov}}, {{lang|zle|-ev}}, {{lang|zle|-in}}, {{lang|zle|-iy}}, {{lang|zle|-oy}}, {{lang|zle|-yy}}, {{lang|zle|-ou}}<br>Patronymics {{lang|zle|-ovich}}, {{lang|zle|-ovych}}, {{lang|zle|-yovych}}, {{lang|zle|-avich}}||Suffixes {{lang|zle|-ova}}, {{lang|zle|-eva}}, {{lang|zle|-ina}}, {{lang|zle|-aya}}<br>Patronymics {{lang|zle|-ovna}}, {{lang|zle|-ivna}}, {{lang|zle|-yivna}}, {{lang|zle|-ouna}}||<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Canada|first1=Library and Archives|title=Item – Theses Canada|journal=Library-archives.canada.ca|date=1 September 2022|url=https://library-archives.canada.ca/eng/services/services-libraries/theses/Pages/item.aspx?idNumber=16024166}}</ref>
|-
|[[Czech name#Female surnames|Czech]] and [[Slovak name|Slovak surnames]]||Suffixes {{lang|cs|-ov}}, {{lang|cs|-ý}}, {{lang|cs|-ský}}, {{lang|cs|-cký}}||Suffixes {{lang|cs|-ová}}, {{lang|cs|-á}}, {{lang|cs|-ská}}, {{lang|cs|-cká}}||<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Kolek|first1=Vít|last2=Valdrová|first2=Jana|title=Czech gender linguistics: Topics, attitudes, perspectives|journal=Slovenščina 2.0: Empirične, aplikativne in interdisciplinarne raziskave|date=6 August 2020|volume=8|issue=1|pages=35–65|doi=10.4312/slo2.0.2020.1.35-65|s2cid=225419103|language=en|issn=2335-2736|doi-access=free}}</ref> 
|-
|[[Polish names|Polish surnames]]||Suffixes {{lang|pl|-ski}}, {{lang|pl|-cki}}, {{lang|pl|-dzki}}||Suffixes {{lang|pl|-ska}}, {{lang|pl|-cka}}, {{lang|pl|-dzka}}||<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Nalibow|first1=Kenneth L.|title=The Opposition in Polish of Genus and Sexus in Women's Surnames|journal=Names|date=1 June 1973|volume=21|issue=2|pages=78–81|doi=10.1179/nam.1973.21.2.78|issn=0027-7738}}</ref>
|-
|[[Azerbaijani name|Azerbaijani surnames and patronymics]]||Suffixes {{lang|az|-ov}}, {{lang|az|-yev}}, Patronymic {{lang|az|oğlu}}||Suffixes {{lang|az|-ova}}, {{lang|az|-yeva}}, Patronymic {{lang|az|qızı}}||
|}

In Slavic languages, substantivized adjective surnames have commonly symmetrical adjective variants for males and females ({{lang|pl|Podwiński}}/{{lang|pl|Podwińska}} in Polish, {{lang|cs|Nový}}/{{lang|cs|Nová}} in Czech or Slovak, etc.). In the case of nominative and quasi-nominative surnames, the female variant is derived from the male variant by a possessive suffix (Novák/Nováková, Hromada/Hromadová). In Czech and Slovak, the pure possessive would be {{lang|cs|Novákova}}, {{lang|cs|Hromadova}}, but the surname evolved to a more adjectivized form {{lang|cs|Nováková}}, {{lang|cs|Hromadová}}, to suppress the historical possessivity. Some rare types of surnames are universal and gender-neutral: examples in Czech are {{lang|cs|Janů}}, {{lang|cs|Martinů}}, {{lang|cs|Fojtů}}, {{lang|cs|Kovářů}}. These are the archaic form of the possessive, related to the plural name of the family. Such rare surnames are also often used for transgender persons during transition because most common surnames are gender-specific.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

The informal dialectal female form in Polish and Czech dialects was also {{lang|pl|-ka}} ({{lang|pl|Pawlaczka}}, {{lang|pl|Kubeška}}). With the exception of the {{lang|pl|-ski}}/{{lang|pl|-ska}} suffix, most feminine forms of surnames are seldom observed in Polish.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

Generally, inflected languages use names and surnames as living words, not as static identifiers. Thus, the pair or the family can be named by a plural form which can differ from the singular male and female form. For instance, when the male form is Novák and the female form Nováková, the family name is {{lang|cs|Novákovi}} in Czech and {{lang|sk|Novákovci}} in Slovak. When the male form is Hrubý and the female form is Hrubá, the plural family name is Hrubí (or "rodina Hrubých").{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

In Greece, if a man called Papadopoulos has a daughter or wife, she will likely be named Papadopoulou, the genitive form, as if the daughter/wife is "of" a man named Papadopoulos. Likewise, the surnames of daughters and wives of males with surnames ending in -as will end in -a, and those of daughters and wives of males with the -is suffix will have the -i suffix.<ref name="Greek Diminutive Use Problematized"/>

Latvian, like Lithuanian, uses strictly feminized surnames for women, even in the case of foreign names. The function of the suffix is purely grammatical. Male surnames ending {{lang|lv|-e}} or {{lang|lv|-a}} need not be modified for women. Exceptions are:
* The female surnames which correspond to nouns in the sixth declension with the ending "{{lang|lv|-s}}" – "Iron", ("iron"), "rock"
* Surnames of both genders, which are written in the same nominative case form because they correspond to nouns in the third declension ending in "{{lang|lv|-us}}" ("{{lang|lv|Grigus}}", "{{lang|lv|Markus}}")
* Surnames based on an adjective have indefinite suffixes typical of adjectives: "{{lang|lv|-s}}, {{lang|lv|-a}}" ("{{lang|lv|Stalts}}", "{{lang|lv|Stalta}}") or the specified endings "{{lang|lv|-ais}}, {{lang|lv|-ā}}" ("{{lang|lv|Čaklais}}", "{{lang|lv|Čaklā}}") ("diligent").{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

In Iceland, surnames have a gender-specific suffix (-dóttir = daughter, -son = son).<ref>{{cite web|title=Icelandic names – everything you need to know|url=https://www.re.is/blog/icelandic-names/|publisher=Reykjavik Excursions|access-date=23 June 2023|archive-date=13 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230613145935/https://www.re.is/blog/icelandic-names/|url-status=live}}</ref> This was also the case in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, until they were abolished by law in 1856, 1923, and 1966 respectively.

Finnish used gender-specific suffixes up to 1929 when the Marriage Act forced women to use the husband's form of the surname. In 1985, this clause was removed from the act.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Paikkala|first=Sirkka|date=2014|title=Which name upon marriage? Family names of women in Finland|url=https://doi.org/10.2436/15.8040.01.88|journal=eLS noms en la vida quotidiana. Actes del XXIV Congrés Internacional d'ICOS sobre Ciències Onomàstiques|language=en|pages=853–861|doi=10.2436/15.8040.01.88|access-date=2024-06-06|via=gencat}}</ref>

Until at least 1850, women's surnames were suffixed with an -in in Tyrol.

===Indication of family membership status===
{{see also|Maiden and married names}}
Some Slavic cultures originally distinguished the surnames of married and unmarried women by different suffixes, but this distinction is no longer widely observed. Some Czech dialects (Southwest-Bohemian) use the form "{{lang|cs|Novákojc}}" as informal for both genders. In the culture of the [[Sorbs]] (a.k.a. Wends or Lusatians), [[Sorbian languages|Sorbian]] used different female forms for unmarried daughters ({{lang|wen|Jordanojc}}, {{lang|wen|Nowcyc}}, {{lang|wen|Kubašec}}, {{lang|wen|Markulic}}), and for wives ({{lang|wen|Nowakowa}}, {{lang|wen|Budarka}}, {{lang|wen|Nowcyna}}, {{lang|wen|Markulina}}). In Polish, typical surnames for unmarried women ended {{lang|pl|-ówna}}, {{lang|pl|-anka}}, or {{lang|pl|-ianka}}, while the surnames of married women used the possessive suffixes {{lang|pl|-ina}} or {{lang|pl|-owa}}. In Serbia, unmarried women's surnames ended in -eva, while married women's surnames ended in -ka. In Lithuania, if the husband is named Vilkas, his wife will be named Vilkienė and his unmarried daughter will be named Vilkaitė. Male surnames have suffixes -as, -is, -ius, or -us, unmarried girl surnames aitė, -ytė, -iūtė or -utė, wife surnames -ienė. These suffixes are also used for foreign names, exclusively for grammar; Welby, the surname of [[Justin Welby|a former Archbishop of Canterbury]] for example, becomes {{lang|lt|Velbis}} in Lithuanian, while his wife is ''Velbienė'', and his unmarried daughter, ''Velbaitė''.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

Many surnames include prefixes that may or may not be separated by a space or punctuation from the main part of the surname. These are usually not considered true compound names, rather single surnames are made up of more than one word. These prefixes often give hints about the type or origin of the surname (patronymic, toponymic, notable lineage) and include words that mean from [a place or lineage], and son of/daughter of/child of.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

{{anchor|Celtic_compound_names}}The common Celtic prefixes "{{lang|cel|Ó}}" or "{{lang|cel|Ua}}" (descendant of) and "{{lang|cel|Mac}}" or "{{lang|cel|Mag}}" (son of) can be spelled with the prefix as a separate word, yielding "{{lang|cel|Ó Briain}}" or "{{lang|cel|Mac Millan}}" as well as the anglicized "{{lang|cel|O'Brien}}" and "{{lang|cel|MacMillan}}" or "{{lang|cel|Macmillan}}". Other Irish prefixes include {{lang|ga|Ní}}, {{lang|ga|Nic}} (daughter of the son of), {{lang|ga|Mhic}}, and {{lang|ga|Uí}} (wife of the son of).{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

A surname with the prefix "Fitz" can be spelled with the prefix as a separate word, as in "Fitz William", as well as "FitzWilliam" or "Fitzwilliam" (like, for example, [[Robert FitzRoy]]). "[[Fitz]]" comes from French ({{lang|fr|fils}}) thus making these surnames a form of patronymic.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

== Surname law ==

A family name is typically a part of a person's [[personal name]] and, according to law or custom, is passed or given to children from at least one of their parents' family names. The use of family names is common in most cultures around the world, but each culture has its own rules as to how the names are formed, passed, and used. However, the style of having both a family name (surname) and a given name (forename) is far from universal (see [[#History|§History]] below). In many cultures, it is common for people to have one name or [[:wikt:mononym|mononym]], with some cultures not using family names. Issues of family name arise especially on the passing of a name to a newborn child, the adoption of a common family name on marriage, the renunciation of a family name, and the changing of a family name.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

[[Surname law]]s vary around the world. Traditionally in many European countries for the past few hundred years, it was the custom or the law for a woman, upon marriage, to use her husband's surname and for any children born to bear the father's surname. If a child's paternity was not known, or if the [[putative father]] denied paternity, the newborn child would have the surname of the mother. That is still the custom or law in many countries. The surname for children of married parents is usually inherited from the father.<ref name=":0">Kelly, 99 W Va L Rev at 10; see id. at 10 n 25 (The custom of taking the father's surname assumes that the child is born to parents in a "state-sanctioned marriage". The custom is different for children born to unmarried parents.). Cited in [http://www.publications.ojd.state.or.us/docs/A127262.htm#N_15_ Doherty v. Wizner, Oregon Court of Appeals] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304112032/http://www.publications.ojd.state.or.us/docs/A127262.htm#N_15_|date=4 March 2016}} (2005)</ref> In recent years,<!-- When is this? --> there has been a trend towards equality of treatment in relation to family names, with women being not automatically required, expected or, in some places, even forbidden, to take the husband's surname on marriage, with the children not automatically being given the father's surname. In this article, both family name and surname mean the [[patrilineal]] surname, which is handed down from or inherited from the father, unless it is explicitly stated otherwise. Thus, the term "maternal surname" means the ''patrilineal'' surname that one's mother inherited from either or both of her parents. For a discussion of ''[[matrilineal]]'' ('mother-line') surnames, passing from mothers to daughters, see [[matrilineal surname]].{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

==Surname of women==
King [[Henry VIII]] of England (reigned 1509–1547) ordered that marital births be recorded under the surname of the father.<ref name="Doll1992"/> In England and cultures derived from there, there has long been a tradition for a woman to change her surname upon marriage from her [[Name at birth|birth name]] to her husband's family name. (See [[Maiden and married names]].){{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

In the Middle Ages, when a man from a lower-status family married an only daughter from a higher-status family, he would often adopt the wife's family name.{{Citation needed|date=February 2018}} In the 18th and 19th centuries in Britain, bequests were sometimes made contingent upon a man's changing (or hyphenating) his family name, so that the name of the [[testator]] continued.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

The United States followed the naming customs and practices of English common law and traditions until recent times. The first known instance in the United States of a woman insisting on the use of her birth name was that of [[Lucy Stone]] in 1855, and there has been a general increase in the rate of women using their birth name. Beginning in the latter half of the 20th century, traditional naming practices (writes one commentator) were recognized as "com[ing] into conflict with current sensitivities about children's and women's rights".<ref>Richard H. Thornton, ''The Controversy Over Children's Surnames: Familial Autonomy, Equal Protection, and the Child's Best Interests'', 1979 Utah L Rev 303.</ref> Those changes accelerated a shift away from the interests of the parents to a focus on the best interests of the child. The law in this area continues to evolve today mainly in the context of paternity and custody actions.<ref>[http://writ.news.findlaw.com/grossman/20030812.html Joanna Grossman, ''Whose Surname Should a Child Have''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160428155556/http://writ.news.findlaw.com/grossman/20030812.html|date=28 April 2016}}, FindLaw's Writ column (12 August 2003), (last visited 7 December 2006).</ref>

Naming conventions in the US have gone through periods of flux, however, and the 1990s saw a decline in the percentage of name retention among women.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Goldin|first=Claudia|author-link=Claudia Goldin|date=2004|title=Making a Name: Women's Surnames at Marriage and Beyond.|journal=The Journal of Economic Perspectives|volume=18|issue=2|pages=143–160|doi=10.1257/0895330041371268|jstor=3216895|doi-access=free}}</ref> As of 2006, more than 80% of American women adopted the husband's family name after marriage.<ref>[https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5482928 "American Women, Changing Their Names"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171004140220/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5482928|date=4 October 2017}}, ''[[National Public Radio]]''. Retrieved 10 April 2013.</ref>

It is rare but not unknown for an English-speaking man to take his wife's family name, whether for personal reasons or as a matter of tradition (such as among [[matrilineal]] [[First Nations in Canada|Canadian aboriginal]] groups, such as the [[Haida people|Haida]] and [[Gitxsan]]). Upon marriage to a woman, men in the United States can change their surnames to that of their wives, or adopt a combination of both names with the federal government, through the [[Social Security Administration]]. Men may face difficulty doing so on the state level in some states.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

It is exceedingly rare but does occur in the United States, where a married couple may choose an entirely new last name by going through a legal change of name. As an alternative, both spouses may adopt a [[double-barrelled name]]. For instance, when John Smith and Mary Jones marry each other, they may become known as "John Smith-Jones" and "Mary Smith-Jones". A spouse may also opt to use their birth name as a middle name, and e.g. become known as "Mary Jones Smith".{{Citation needed|date=February 2018}} An additional option, although rarely practiced{{Citation needed|date=December 2012}}, is the adoption of the last name derived from a blend of the prior names, such as "Simones", which also requires a legal name change. Some couples keep their own last names but give their children hyphenated or combined surnames.<ref>Daniella Miletic (20 July 2012) [http://m.theage.com.au/victoria/most-women-say-i-do-to-husbands-name-20120719-22d5c.html Most women say 'I do' to husband's name]. The Age.</ref>

In 1979, the United Nations adopted the ''[[Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women]]'' ("CEDAW"), which declared in effect that women and men, and specifically wife and husband, shall have the same rights to choose a "family name", as well as a profession and an occupation.<ref>UN Convention, 1979. [https://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/text/econvention.htm "Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women"]. [https://web.archive.org/web/20110406123853/http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/text/econvention.htm Archived at WebCite on 1 April 2011.]</ref>

In some places, civil rights lawsuits or constitutional amendments changed the law so that men could also easily change their married names (e.g., in British Columbia and California).<ref name="Risling2007">{{Cite news|last=Risling|first=Greg|date=12 January 2007|title=Man files lawsuit to take wife's name|work=The Boston Globe (Boston.com)|agency=Associated Press|location=Los Angeles|url=https://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/01/12/man_files_lawsuit_to_take_wifes_name|url-status=dead|access-date=22 September 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070127041401/http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/01/12/man_files_lawsuit_to_take_wifes_name/|archive-date=27 January 2007|quote=Because of Buday's case, a California state lawmaker has introduced a bill to put a space on the marriage license for either spouse to change names.}}</ref> [[Québec]] law permits neither spouse to change surnames.<ref>{{cite web|url-status=dead|url=http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=72ddc06b-4660-4b92-8b92-3a26ae24b377&k=5969|title=Quebec newlywed furious she can't take her husband's name|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102072805/http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=72ddc06b-4660-4b92-8b92-3a26ae24b377&k=5969|archive-date=2 January 2016|first1= Marianne|last1=White|agency=CanWest News Service|date=8 August 2007|access-date=3 November 2013|website=canada.com}}</ref>

In France, until 1 January 2005, children were required by law to take the surname of their father. Article 311-21 of the French [[Civil code]] now permits parents to give their children the family name of either their father, mother, or hyphenation of both – although no more than two names can be hyphenated. In cases of disagreement, both names are used in alphabetical order.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/article_lc/LEGIARTI000027432045/|website=Légifrance|title=Article 311-21 – Code civil|access-date=24 May 2021|archive-date=24 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210524153305/https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/article_lc/LEGIARTI000027432045/|url-status=live}}</ref> This brought France into line with a 1978 declaration by the [[Council of Europe]] requiring member governments to take measures to adopt equality of rights in the transmission of family names, a measure that was echoed by the United Nations in 1979.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women|url=http://www.hrweb.org/legal/cdw.html|access-date=16 April 2018|publisher=Human Rights Web|archive-date=21 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180421154002/http://www.hrweb.org/legal/cdw.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Similar measures were adopted by [[West Germany]] (1976), Sweden (1982), [[Denmark]] (1983), Finland (1985) and Spain (1999). The European Community has been active in eliminating gender discrimination. Several cases concerning discrimination in family names have reached the courts. ''Burghartz v. Switzerland'' challenged the lack of an option for husbands to add the wife's surname to his surname, which they had chosen as the family name when this option was available for women.<ref>''Burghartz v. Switzerland'', no. 16213/90, 22 February 1994.</ref> ''Losonci Rose and Rose v. Switzerland'' challenged a prohibition on foreign men married to Swiss women keeping their surname if this option was provided in their national law, an option available to women.<ref>''Losonci Rose and Rose v. Switzerland'', no. 664/06, 9 November 2010.</ref> ''Ünal Tekeli v. Turkey'' challenged prohibitions on women using their surname as the family name, an option only available to men.<ref>''Ünal Tekeli v Turkey'', no. 29865/96, 16 November 2004.</ref> The Court found all these laws to be in violation of the convention.<ref>{{Cite web|title=European Gender Equality Law Review – No. 1/2012|url=http://ec.europa.eu/justice/gender-equality/files/law_reviews/egelr_2012-1_final_web_en.pdf|access-date=16 April 2018|publisher=Ec.europa.eu|page=17|archive-date=22 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171122190442/http://ec.europa.eu/justice/gender-equality/files/law_reviews/egelr_2012-1_final_web_en.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

From 1945 to 2021 in the Czech Republic women by law had to use family names with the ending -ová after the name of their father or husband (so-called ''přechýlení''). This was seen as discriminatory by a part of the public. Since 1 January 2022, Czech women can decide for themselves whether they want to use the feminine or neutral form of their family name.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Novela zákona o matrikách, jménech a příijmeni|url=https://www.zakonyprolidi.cz/monitor/7284310.htm|access-date=3 April 2022|archive-date=3 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403131654/https://www.zakonyprolidi.cz/monitor/7284310.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Compound surnames==
{{unreferenced section|date=August 2023}}
While in many countries surnames are usually one word, in others a surname may contain two words or more, as described below.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

=== English ===
{{Further|Double-barrelled name#British tradition}}
Compound surnames in English and several other European cultures feature two (or occasionally more) words, often joined by a [[hyphen]] or hyphens. However, it is not unusual for compound surnames to be composed of separate words not linked by a hyphen, for example [[Iain Duncan Smith]], a former leader of the [[Conservative Party (UK)|British Conservative Party]], whose surname is "Duncan Smith".<ref>{{cite news |title=Iain Duncan Smith resigns as work and pensions secretary |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-35848899 |work=BBC News |date=2016-03-19 |access-date=2025-11-04}}</ref>

=== Chinese ===
{{main|Chinese compound surname}}
Some [[Chinese surname]]s use more than one [[Chinese character|character]] though this is very rare.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Learn |first=Sayari |date=2020-07-23 |title=Understanding Naming Conventions in China to Enhance Investigations |url=https://learn.sayari.com/understanding-naming-conventions-in-china-to-enhance-investigations/#:~:text=Surnames%20are%20almost%20always%20a,but%20these%20are%20very%20rare. |access-date=2025-03-21 |website=Sayari Learn |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Multiple surnames ==
=== Spanish-speaking countries ===
{{Main|Spanish naming customs|Naming customs of Hispanic America}}
{{See also|Surnames by country#The Philippines}}

In Spain and in most [[Hispanophone|Spanish-speaking countries]], the custom is for people to have two surnames, with the first surname coming from the father and the second from the mother; the opposite order is now legally allowed in Spain but still unusual. In informal situations typically only the first one is used, although both are needed for legal purposes. A child's first surname will usually be their father's first surname, while the child's second surname will usually be their mother's first surname. For example, if José García Torres and María Acosta Gómez had a child named Pablo, then his full name would be Pablo García Acosta. One family member's relationship to another can often be identified by the various combinations and permutations of surnames.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}
{{tree chart/start|align=center|summary=An example family tree}}
{{tree chart|||JGT|y|MAG|||JGT=José '''{{font color|red|García}} Torres'''|MAG=María '''{{font color|blue|Acosta}} Gómez'''|}}
{{tree chart||||||!|||||||}}
{{tree chart|||||PGA||||||PGA=Pablo '''{{font color|red|García}} {{font color|blue|Acosta}}'''|}}
{{tree chart/end}}

In some instances, when an individual's first surname is very common, such as for example in [[José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero]], the second surname tends to gain preeminence over the first one in informal use. Rodríguez Zapatero, therefore is more often called just ''Zapatero'' and almost never ''Rodríguez'' only; in other cases, such as in writer [[Mario Vargas Llosa]], a person becomes usually called by both surnames. This changes from person to person and stems merely from habit.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

In Spain, feminist activism pushed for a law approved in 1999 that allows an adult to change the order of his/her family names,<ref>{{Cite news|last=Govan|first=Fiona|date=1 June 2017|title=Spain overhauls tradition of 'sexist' double-barrelled surnames|url=https://www.thelocal.es/20170601/spain-overhauls-tradition-of-sexist-double-barrelled-surnames|newspaper=The Local Spain|access-date=16 October 2017|archive-date=17 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171017044322/https://www.thelocal.es/20170601/spain-overhauls-tradition-of-sexist-double-barrelled-surnames|url-status=live}}</ref> and parents can also change the order of their children's family names if they (and the child, if over 12) agree, although this order must be the same for all their children.<ref>[http://noticias.juridicas.com/index.php?doc=http%3A//noticias.juridicas.com/base_datos/Privado/lrc.html ''Art. 55 Ley de Registro Civil'' – Civil Register Law] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171216035754/http://noticias.juridicas.com/index.php?doc=http%3A%2F%2Fnoticias.juridicas.com%2Fbase_datos%2FPrivado%2Flrc.html|date=16 December 2017}} (article in Spanish)</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Juan Carlos|first=R.|date=11 February 2000|title=Real Decreto 193/2000, de 11 de febrero, de modificación de determinados artículos del Reglamento del Registro Civil en materia relativa al nombre y apellidos y orden de los mismos.|url=http://noticias.juridicas.com/base_datos/Privado/rd193-2000.html|access-date=22 September 2008|website=Base de Datos de Legislación|publisher=Noticias Juridicas|language=es|archive-date=3 October 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081003040754/http://noticias.juridicas.com/base_datos/Privado/rd193-2000.html|url-status=live}} ''Google auto-translation of title into English'': Royal Decree 193/2000, of 11 February, to amend certain articles of the Civil Registration Regulations in the field on the name and order.</ref>

In Spain, especially [[Catalonia]], the paternal and maternal surnames are often combined using the conjunction ''y'' ("and" in Spanish) or ''i'' ("and" in [[Catalan language|Catalan]]), see for example the economist [[Xavier Sala-i-Martin]] or painter [[Salvador Dalí|Salvador Dalí i Domènech]].{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

In Spain, a woman does not generally change her legal surname when she marries. In some Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America, a woman may, on her marriage, drop her mother's surname and add her husband's surname to her father's surname using the preposition ''de'' ("of"), ''del'' ("of the", when the following word is masculine) or ''de la'' ("of the", when the following word is feminine). For example, if "Clara Reyes Alba" were to marry "Alberto Gómez Rodríguez", the wife could use "Clara Reyes ''de'' Gómez" as her name (or "Clara Reyes Gómez", or, rarely, "Clara Gómez Reyes". She can be addressed as ''[[Mrs.|Sra]]. de Gómez'' corresponding to "Mrs Gómez"). Feminist activists have criticized this custom {{when|date=June 2018}} as they consider it sexist.<ref>{{Cite web|date=9 January 2012|title=Proper married name?|url=http://www.spanishdict.com/answers/219019/proper-married-name|website=Spanish Dict|access-date=16 October 2017|archive-date=17 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171017093424/http://www.spanishdict.com/answers/219019/proper-married-name|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last1=Frank|first1=Francine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_fvHy48GiIEC|title=Language and the Sexes|last2=Anshen|first2=Frank|publisher=SUNY Press|year=1985|isbn=978-0-87395-882-0|page=18}}</ref> In some countries, this form may be mainly social and not an official name change, i.e. her name would still legally be her birth name. This custom, begun in medieval times, is decaying and only has legal validity {{citation needed|date=October 2010}} in [[Dominican Republic]], [[Ecuador]], [[Guatemala]], [[Nicaragua]], [[Honduras]], [[Peru]], [[Panama]], and to a certain extent in Mexico (where it is optional but becoming obsolete), but is frowned upon by people in Spain, Cuba, and elsewhere. In Peru and the Dominican Republic, women normally conserve all family names after getting married. For example, if ''Rosa María Pérez Martínez'' marries ''Juan Martín De la Cruz Gómez'', she will be called ''Rosa María Pérez Martínez de De la Cruz'', and if the husband dies, she will be called ''Rosa María Pérez Martínez Vda. de De la Cruz'' (Vda. being the abbreviation for ''viuda'', "widow" in Spanish). The law in Peru changed some years ago, and all married women can keep their maiden last name if they wish with no alteration.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

Historically, sometimes a father transmitted his combined family names, thus creating a new one e.g., the paternal surname of the son of ''Javier'' (given name) ''Reyes'' (paternal family name) ''de la Barrera'' (maternal surname) may have become the new paternal surname ''Reyes de la Barrera''. For example, Uruguayan politician [[Guido Manini Rios]] has inherited a compound surname constructed from the patrilineal and matrilineal surnames of a recent ancestor. ''De'' is also the [[nobiliary particle]] used with Spanish surnames. This can not be chosen by the person, as it is part of the surname, for example, "Puente" and "Del Puente" are not the same surname.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

Sometimes, for single mothers or when the father would or could not recognize the child, the mother's surname has been used twice: for example, "Ana Reyes Reyes". In Spain, however, children with just one parent receive both surnames of that parent, although the order may also be changed. In 1973 in Chile, the law was changed to avoid stigmatizing illegitimate children with the maternal surname repeated.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

Some Hispanic people, after leaving their country, drop their maternal surname, even if not formally, so as to better fit into the non-Hispanic society they live or work in. Similarly, foreigners with just one surname may be asked to provide a second surname on official documents in Spanish-speaking countries. When none (such as the mother's maiden name) is provided, the last name may simply be repeated.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

A new trend in the United States for Hispanics is to hyphenate their father's and mother's last names. This is done because American-born English-speakers are not aware of the Hispanic custom of using two last names and thus mistake the first last name of the individual for a middle name. In doing so they would, for example, mistakenly refer to Esteban Álvarez Cobos as Esteban A. Cobos. Such confusion can be particularly troublesome in official matters. To avoid such mistakes, Esteban Álvarez Cobos, would become Esteban Álvarez-Cobos, to clarify that both are last names.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

In some churches, such as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where the family structure is emphasized, as well as a legal marriage, the wife is referred to as "''hermana''" [sister] plus the surname of her husband. And most records of the church follow that structure as well.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

==== Informal traditional names ====
In many places, such as villages in Catalonia, [[Galicia (Spain)|Galicia]], and [[Asturias]] and in Cuba, people are often informally known by the name of their dwelling or collective family nickname rather than by their surnames. For example, Remei Pujol i Serra who lives at Ca l'Elvira would be referred to as "Remei de Ca l'Elvira"; and Adela Barreira López who is part of the "Provisores" family would be known as "Adela dos Provisores".{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

Also in many places, such as [[Cantabria]], the family's nickname is used instead of the surname: if one family is known as "Ñecos" because of an ancestor who was known as "Ñecu", they would be "José el de Ñecu" or "Ana la de Ñecu" (collective: the Ñeco's). Some common nicknames are "Rubiu" (blond or red hair), "Roju" (reddish, referring to their red hair), "Chiqui" (small), "Jinchu" (big), and a bunch of names about certain characteristics, family relationship or geographical origin ({{lang|ca|italic=no|pasiegu}}, {{lang|ca|italic=no|masoniegu}}, {{lang|ca|italic=no|sobanu}}, {{lang|ca|italic=no|llebaniegu}}, {{lang|ca|italic=no|tresmeranu}}, {{lang|ca|italic=no|pejinu}}, {{lang|ca|italic=no|naveru}}, {{lang|ca|italic=no|merachu}}, {{lang|ca|italic=no|tresneru}}, {{lang|ca|italic=no|troule}}, {{lang|ca|italic=no|mallavia}}, {{lang|ca|italic=no|marotias}}, {{lang|ca|italic=no|llamoso}}, {{lang|ca|italic=no|lipa}}, {{lang|ca|italic=no|ñecu}}, {{lang|ca|italic=no|tarugu}}, {{lang|ca|italic=no|trapajeru}}, {{lang|ca|italic=no|lichón}}, {{lang|ca|italic=no|andarível}}).

==== Compound surnames ====
Beyond the seemingly "compound" surname system in the Spanish-speaking world, there are also true compound surnames. These true compound surnames are passed on and inherited as compounds. For instance, former chairman of the [[Military junta|Supreme Military Junta]] of [[Ecuador]], General [[Luis Telmo Paz y Miño]] Estrella, has [[Luis]] as his first given name, Telmo as his middle name, the true compound surname Paz y Miño as his first (i.e. paternal) surname, and Estrella as his second (i.e. maternal) surname. Luis Telmo Paz y Miño Estrella is also known more casually as Luis Paz y Miño, Telmo Paz y Miño, or Luis Telmo Paz y Miño. He would never be regarded as Luis Estrella, Telmo Estrella, or Luis Telmo Estrella, nor as Luis Paz, Telmo Paz, or Luis Telmo Paz. This is because "Paz" alone is not his surname (although other people use the "Paz" surname on its own).<ref name=":0" /> In this case, [[Pazmiño|Paz y Miño]] is in fact the paternal surname, being a true compound surname. His children, therefore, would inherit the compound surname "Paz y Miño" as their paternal surname, while Estrella would be lost, since the mother's paternal surname becomes the children's second surname (as their own maternal surname). "Paz" alone would not be passed on, nor would "Miño" alone.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

To avoid ambiguity, one might often informally see these true compound surnames hyphenated, for instance, as Paz-y-Miño. This is true especially in the [[English-speaking world]], but also sometimes even in the Hispanic world, since many Hispanics are unfamiliar with this and other compound surnames, "Paz y Miño" might be inadvertently mistaken as "Paz" for the paternal surname and "Miño" for the maternal surname. Although Miño did start off as the maternal surname in this compound surname, it was many generations ago, around five centuries, that it became compounded, and henceforth inherited and passed on as a compound.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

Other surnames which started off as compounds of two or more surnames, but which merged into one single word, also exist. An example would be the surname [[Pazmiño]], whose members are related to the Paz y Miño, as both descend from the "Paz Miño" family{{citation needed|date=February 2023}} of five centuries ago.<!--This isn't a specific century! What century is this? See WP:DATED.-->

[[Álava]], Spain is known for its incidence of true compound surnames, characterized for having the first portion of the surname as a patronymic, normally a Spanish patronymic or more unusually a [[Basque language|Basque]] patronymic, followed by the [[preposition]] "de", with the second part of the surname being a placename from Álava.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

=== Portuguese-speaking countries ===
{{Main|Portuguese name}}

In Portuguese naming customs, the main surname (the one used in alpha sorting, indexing, abbreviations, and greetings), appears last.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

Each person usually has two family names: though the law specifies no order, the first one is usually the maternal family name and the last one is commonly the paternal family name. In Portugal, a person's full name has a minimum legal length of two names (one given name and one family name from either parent) and a maximum of six names (two first names and four surnames – he or she may have up to four surnames in any order desired picked up from the total of his/her parents and grandparents' surnames). The use of any surname outside this lot, or of more than six names, is legally possible, but it requires dealing with bureaucracy. Parents or the person him/herself must explain the claims they have to bear that surname (a family nickname, a rare surname lost in past generations, or any other reason one may find suitable). In Brazil, there is no limit of surnames used.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

In the Portuguese tradition, the mother's surname usually comes first, followed by the father's surname. A woman may adopt her husband's {{as written|surname(s)}}, but nevertheless, she usually keeps her birth name or at least the last one. Since 1977 in Portugal and 2012 in Brazil, a husband can also adopt his wife's surname. When this happens, usually both spouses change their name after marriage.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

The custom of a woman changing her name upon marriage is recent. It spread in the late 19th century in the upper classes, under French influence, and in the 20th century, particularly during the 1930s and 1940, it became socially almost obligatory. Nowadays, fewer women adopt, even officially, their husbands' names, and among those who do so officially, it is quite common not to use it either in their professional or informal life.{{Citation needed|date=June 2010}}

The children usually bear only the last surnames of the parents (i.e., the paternal surname of each of their parents). For example, ''Carlos da Silva Gonçalves'' and ''Ana Luísa de Albuquerque Pereira (Gonçalves)'' (in case she adopted her husband's name after marriage) would have a child named ''Lucas Pereira Gonçalves''. However, the child may have any other combination of the parents' surnames, according to [[euphony]], social significance, or other reasons. For example, is not uncommon for the firstborn male to be given the father's full name followed by "Júnior" or "Filho" (son), and the next generation's firstborn male to be given the grandfather's name followed by "Neto" (grandson). Hence ''Carlos da Silva Gonçalves'' might choose to name his first born son ''Carlos da Silva Gonçalves Júnior'', who in turn might name his first born son ''Carlos da Silva Gonçalves Neto'', in which case none of the mother's family names are passed on.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

{{tree chart/start|align=center|summary=An example family tree}}
{{tree chart|||CSG|e|ALAP|||CSG=Carlos '''da Silva {{font color|red|Gonçalves}}'''|ALAP=Ana Luísa '''de Albuquerque {{font color|blue|Pereira}}'''|}}
{{tree chart||||||!|||||||}}
{{tree chart|||||LPG||||||LPG=Lucas '''{{font color|blue|Pereira}} {{font color|red|Gonçalves}}'''|}}
{{tree chart/end}}

In ancient times a patronymic was commonly used – surnames like ''Gonçalves'' ("son of ''Gonçalo''"), ''Fernandes'' ("son of ''Fernando''"), ''Nunes'' ("son of ''Nuno''"), ''Soares'' ("son of ''Soeiro''"), ''Sanches'' ("son of ''Sancho''"), ''Henriques'' ("son of ''Henrique''"), ''Rodrigues'' ("son of ''Rodrigo''") which along with many others are still in regular use as very prevalent family names.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

In medieval times, Portuguese nobility started to use one of their estates' names or the name of the town or village they ruled as their surname, just after their patronymic. [[Soeiro Mendes da Maia]] bore a name "Soeiro", a patronymic "Mendes" ("son of Hermenegildo – shortened to Mendo") and the name of the town he ruled "[[Maia, Porto, Portugal|Maia]]". He was often referred to in 12th-century documents as "Soeiro Mendes, senhor da Maia", Soeiro Mendes, lord of Maia. Noblewomen also bore patronymics and surnames in the same manner and never bore their husband's surnames. First-born males bore their father's surname, other children bore either both or only one of them at their will.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

Only during the Early Modern Age, lower-class males started to use at least one surname; married lower-class women usually took up their spouse's surname, since they rarely ever used one beforehand. After the [[1755 Lisbon earthquake]], Portuguese authorities realized the benefits of enforcing the use and registry of surnames. Henceforth, they became mandatory, although the rules for their use were very liberal.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

Until the end of the 19th century, it was common for women, especially those from a very poor background, not to have a surname and so to be known only by their first names. A woman would then adopt her husband's full surname after marriage. With the advent of republicanism in Brazil and Portugal, along with the institution of civil registries, all children now have surnames.
During the mid-20th century, under French influence and among upper classes, women started to take up their husbands' {{as written|surname(s)}}. From the 1960s onwards, this usage spread to the common people, again under French influence, this time, however, due to the forceful legal adoption of their husbands' surname which was imposed onto Portuguese immigrant women in France.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

From the 1974 [[Carnation Revolution]] onwards the adoption of their husbands' {{as written|surname(s)}} receded again, and today both the adoption and non-adoption occur, with non-adoption being chosen in the majority of cases in recent years (60%).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Identidade, submissão ou amor? O que significa adoptar o apelido do marido|date=18 November 2014|url=http://lifestyle.publico.pt/artigos/341672_identidade-submissao-ou-amor-o-que-significa-adoptar-o-apelido-do-marido|access-date=16 April 2018|publisher=Lifestyle.publico.pt|archive-date=17 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180417024656/http://lifestyle.publico.pt/artigos/341672_identidade-submissao-ou-amor-o-que-significa-adoptar-o-apelido-do-marido|url-status=live}}</ref> Also, it is legally possible for the husband to adopt his wife's {{as written|surname(s)}}, but this practice is rare.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}
[[File:Map of Most Commons Surnames in the United States by State.svg|thumb|Map of Most Common Surnames in the United States by State]]

== Prevalence ==
{{See also|Lists of most common surnames}}
In the United States, 1,712 surnames cover 50% of the population, and about 1% of the population has the surname [[Smith (surname)|Smith]], the most common American name.<ref name=":2">[https://www.census.gov/genealogy/names/dist.all.last Genealogy] {{webarchive|url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20101012101346/http://www.census.gov/genealogy/names/dist.all.last|date=12 October 2010}}, U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division (1995).</ref>

According to some estimates, 85% of China's population shares just 100 surnames. The names Wang (王), Zhang (张), and Li (李) are the most frequent.<ref>LaFraniere S. [https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/21/world/asia/21china.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper&pagewanted=all Name Not on Our List? Change It, China Says] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181025070924/https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/21/world/asia/21china.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper&pagewanted=all|date=25 October 2018}}. ''New York Times''. 20 April 2009.</ref>

The surname Silva is by far the most common surname in Brazil and Portugal, forming the basis of Brazilian onomastics. The surname is borne by 34,030,104 (thirty-four million, thirty thousand, one hundred and four) Brazilians. This colossal number represents 16.76% of the total population analyzed, consolidating Silva as the most fundamental and widespread surname in the country.<ref name="censo2022.ibge.gov.br">{{cite web|access-date=8 November 2025 |language=pt |title=Nomes no Brasil: Silva (sobrenome) |url=https://censo2022.ibge.gov.br/nomes/nome/silva?tipo=sobrenome&localidade=0}}<!-- auto-translated from Spanish by Module:CS1 translator --></ref>

== See also ==
{{div col}}
* [[Dit name]]
* [[Genealogy]]
* [[Generation name]]
* [[Irish name]]
* [[Legal name]]
* [[List of family name affixes]]
* [[Lists of most common surnames]]
* [[Maiden and married names]]
* [[Matriname]]
* [[Name blending]]
* [[Name change]]
* [[Naming law]]
* [[One-name study]]
* [[Skin name]]
* [[Spanish naming customs]]
* [[Galton–Watson process|Surname extinction]]
* [[Surname map]]
* [[Surnames by country]]
* {{Lang|nl|[[Tussenvoegsel]]}}
* [[van (Dutch)|Van]]
* [[Von]]
{{div col end}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* Blark. Gregory, et al. ''The Son Also Rises: Surnames and the History of Social Mobility'' (Princeton University Press; 2014) 384 pages; uses statistical data on family names over generations to estimate social mobility in diverse societies and historical periods.
* Bowman, William Dodgson. ''The Story of Surnames'' (London, George Routledge & Sons, Ltd., 1932)
* Cottle, Basil. ''Penguin Dictionary of Surnames'' (1967)
* Hanks, Patrick and Hodges, Flavia. ''A Dictionary of Surnames'' (Oxford University Press, 1989)
* Hanks, Patrick, Richard Coates and Peter McClure, eds. ''The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland'' (Oxford University Press, 2016), which has a lengthy introduction with much comparative material.
* Reaney, P.H., and Wilson, R.M. ''A Dictionary of English Surnames'' (3rd ed. Oxford University Press, 1997)

== External links ==
{{Wiktionary|surname|Appendix:Names}}
* ''[http://www.ipl.org/div/pf/entry/48533 Comprehensive surname information and resource site]''
* ''[http://jeantosti.com/indexnoms.htm Dictionnaire des noms de famille de France et d'ailleurs] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081113080912/http://www.jeantosti.com/indexnoms.htm|date=13 November 2008}}, French surname dictionary''
* ''[http://www.ancestry.com/learn/facts/default.aspx Family Facts Archive], [[Ancestry.com]], including UK & US census distribution, immigration, and surname origins (''Dictionary of American Family Names'', [[Oxford University Press]]'')
* ''[http://www.one-name.org/ Guild of One-Name Studies]''
* ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20051104014832/http://www.shtetlinks.jewishgen.org/Kolomea/nameorigin.htm History of Jewish family Names]''
* ''[http://www.genealogytoday.com/names/origins/ Information on surname history and origins]''
* ''[http://italia.indettaglio.it/eng/cognomi/cognomi.html Italian Surnames], free searchable online database of Italian surnames''.
* ''[http://www.polishroots.org/Research/Surnames/tabid/360/Default.aspx Short explanation of Polish surname endings and their origin] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160615042328/http://www.polishroots.org/Research/Surnames/tabid/360/Default.aspx|date=15 June 2016}}''
* {{Cite web|last=Summers|first=Neil|date=4 November 2006|title=Welsh surnames and their meaning|url=http://www.amlwchhistory.co.uk/newdata/welshsurnames.htm|access-date=19 September 2008|website=Amlwch history databases|archive-date=19 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120519115707/http://www.amlwchhistory.co.uk/newdata/welshsurnames.htm|url-status=dead}}
* {{Cite journal|last=Wilkinson|first=Hugh E.|date=December 2010|title=Some Common English Surnames: Especially Those Derived from Personal Names|url=http://www6.ocn.ne.jp/~wil/scn.pdf.pdf|url-status=dead|journal=Aoyama Keiei Ronshu|volume=45|issue=3|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130115170805/http://www6.ocn.ne.jp/~wil/scn.pdf.pdf|archive-date=15 January 2013}}

{{Family}}
{{Personal names}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Surname| ]]