surnames
Inherited last names
Surnames are family names, passed from parents to children across generations.
In most Western cultures, the surname comes last (John Smith), though some cultures place it first.
Surnames often originated from occupations (Miller, Smith), locations (Hill, Brooks), parentage (Johnson, O'Brien), or personal characteristics (Strong, Little).
A married person may take a spouse's surname, hyphenate, or keep their own.
Study of family descent
- pedigreeRecord of descent
- descentDownward slope or lineage
- bloodlineAncestry through generations
- ancestorsThose from whom one descends
forebears · progenitors · clan · dynasty · kinship · heritage · ancestry · heirs
Successive family rulers
- inheritanceProperty received from ancestors
- bequestGift left by will
- estateProperty and grounds
- heirloomInherited family treasure
succession · birthright · patrimony · primogeniture · posterity · descendants · continuation · namesake
Russian father-derived name
- PetrovRussian patronymic surname
- O'BrienIrish patronymic surname
- O'ConnorIrish patronymic surname
- MacDonaldPatronymic from Donald
Johansson · McGregor · bin · ben · bat · patronym · matronymic
Unique personal character
- distinctivenessQuality of being distinguishable
- uniquenessQuality of being singular
- identificationEstablishing who someone is
- personhoodStatus as a person
selfhood · self-identification · recognition · belonging · ethnicity · nationality · culture · heritage
genealogy
Study of family descent
ancestors · forebears · progenitors · clan · dynasty · kinship · heritage · ancestry · heirs · scion
dynasty
Successive family rulers
- inheritanceProperty received from ancestors
- bequestGift left by will
- estateProperty and grounds
heirloom · succession · birthright · patrimony · primogeniture · posterity · descendants · continuation · namesake · eponym
Ivanovich
Russian father-derived name
Johansson · MacDonald · McGregor · bin · ben · bat · patronym · matronymic
individuality
Unique personal character
- distinctivenessQuality of being distinguishable
- uniquenessQuality of being singular
- identificationEstablishing who someone is
personhood · selfhood · self-identification · recognition · belonging · ethnicity · nationality · culture · heritage · tradition
- namesgiven names, first names, names, first name, last name
- namingpersonal names, nomenclature, nicknames, naming conventions, aliases
- Canadian genealogyancestors, ancestry, descendants, family history, family tree
- Family Heritagelineage, ancestral lineage, ancestral records, family trees, pedigree
- family generationsgenerations, generation, grandparents, grandchildren, grandparent
- Family Mattersgenealogy, family tree, ancestry, family history, heirlooms
surnamesgiven names
Individual's personal appellations
first names · forenames · Christian names · personal names · birth names
surnamesnicknames
Informal substitute names
pet names · diminutives · aliases · pseudonyms · stage names
surnamesanonymity
Unknown identity state
namelessness · pseudonyms · aliases · numbers · designations
- common surnameWidely shared family name
- French surnamesHereditary family names from France
- English surnamesLast names from England
- Irish surnameAncestral name from Ireland
- Scottish surnameHighland family designation
- German surnameFamily name from Germany