

In the Middle East surnames have been and are still of great importance.
MEDIEVAL LAST NAMES HYPHENATION RULES PLUS
In the past, women's given names were often not publicly known, and women were referred in official documents by their family name plus the character "Shi" and when married by their husband's surname, their birth surname, and the character "Shi".

MEDIEVAL LAST NAMES HYPHENATION RULES FULL
They can be referred to either by their full birth names or by their husband's surname plus the word for wife. Chinese women do not change their names upon marriage. Originally, Chinese surnames were derived matrilineally, although by the time of the Shang dynasty (1600 to 1046 BC) they had become patrilineal. His administration standardised the naming system in order to facilitate census-taking, and the use of census information. In China, according to legend, family names started with Emperor Fu Xi in 2000 BC. These descriptors often developed into fixed clan identifications that in turn became family names as we know them today. These terms may indicate personal attributes, location of origin, occupation, parentage, patronage, adoption, or clan affiliation. Many cultures have used and continue to use additional descriptive terms in identifying individuals. While the use of given names to identify individuals is attested in the oldest historical records, the advent of surnames is relatively recent. In China, surnames have been the norm since at least the 2nd century BC. During the late Middle Ages surnames gradually re-emerged, first in the form of bynames, which typically indicated an individual's occupation or area of residence, and gradually evolving into modern surnames. During the Middle Ages, that practice died out as Germanic, Persian and other influences took hold. In Europe, the concept of surnames became popular in the Roman Empire and expanded throughout the Mediterranean and Western Europe as a result.

The tradition has arisen separately in different cultures around the world. Surnames have not always existed and are still not universal in some cultures. A one-name study is a collection of vital and other biographical data about all persons worldwide sharing a particular surname.

The study of proper names (in family names, personal names, or places) is called onomastics. By 1400 most English families, and those from Lowland Scotland, had adopted the use of hereditary surnames. English surnames began as a way of identifying a certain aspect of that individual, such as by trade, father's name, location of birth, or physical features, and were not necessarily inherited. Examples of surnames are documented in the 11th century by the barons in England. Using names has been documented in even the oldest historical records. Compound surnames can be composed of separate names. In some countries, surnames are modified depending on gender and family membership status of a person. Depending on culture, not all members of a family unit are required to have identical surnames. The number of surnames given to an individual also varies: in most cases it's just one, but in many Spanish-speaking countries, two surnames are used for legal purposes. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person.ĭepending on culture, the surname may be placed at either the start of a person's name, or at the end. Other cultures use other structures for full names.Ī surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. This shows a structure typical for Anglophonic cultures (and some others). JSTOR ( February 2023) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)įirst/given/forename, middle, and last/family/surname with John Fitzgerald Kennedy as example.Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. This article needs additional citations for verification.
