Surnames

As you research your family name, there are a number of things you’ll want to know. This page will help you find answers to common questions about surnames. Not only is it nice to know what the origin and meaning of your name is, but it can also help give you clues to find ancestors that you didn’t previously know about.

Also be sure to check the Surnames Index to find the family name you are researching.

Where did surnames originate?

There are generally three origins where virtually every family name started:

1. Patronymics

You may have guessed that the name ERICSON started with someone who was the son of Eric. This is called a patronymic, and was commonly used in some parts of the world (such as Scandinavia) as recently as the late 18th century. Other examples of patronymics and some regions they are associated with include:

2. Social association

It can be easy to identify some surnames that came from social class or occupation, but others might not be as easy to detect. Keep in mind the following examples can be translated to names in other languages as well.

3. Geography and places

It has always been easy to use where someone lives as a way to help identify them. It was no different before surnames were adopted as they are today.

What does your family name mean?

GenealogyStarter.com didn’t want to duplicate the hard work already completed by other great resources, so here we provide you links to the most relevant and reliable information for your family name.

Far and away, the best site for surname meanings is Ancestry.com. Not only do they have origins and meanings, but they also have many other facts for thousands of surnames, including.

  • Civil War Service Information
  • Immigration Years
  • Life Expectancy
  • Name Distribution (US & UK)
  • Newspaper Headlines
  • Occupations
  • Place of Origin
  • Ports of Departure

Other sites with reliable surname information include: