Another sharing and passing along. again thanks to Sally.. So much knowledge to share and pass along. Glory Bee Until the thirteenth century, most people in England were known only by their first names. They did not have last names (surnames) at all. A few members of England's upper class of society started using an extra name, or surname, to identify the family members. Little by little, the practice of using surnames propagated downward though English society. By the end of the sixteenth century, almost everyone in England had adopted a surname. These surnames were passed down from father to sons and to daughters, indicating family members. Many of the early surnames were based on a person's relationship with another, their trade, where they lived, or even their appearance or character. For example: Johnson normally means "John's son." Nottingham is the name given to many who lived in Nottingham, England. Smith was applied to blacksmiths, tinsmiths or other tradesmen. Ford would be a name given to someone who lived near a shallow river crossing. Black might indicate someone with black hair or a swarthy complexion. Indeed, it is quite possible that your name came from England of the late Middle Ages. To be sure, there have been tens of thousands of name changes since then. Your family may not be from England at all, even if you do now carry an English-sounding surname. Yet, it can be interesting to find the original meaning of your surname as it was originally used in England. Family Chronicle Magazine has compiled a list of the more common surnames and their original meanings. Try one of the links below to discover the origin of your surname. A-E Surnames http://www.familychronicle.com/namesae.htm F-L Surnames http://www.familychronicle.com/namesfl.htm M-R Surnames http://www.familychronicle.com/namesmr.htm S-Z Surnames http://www.familychronicle.com/namessz.htm Please note that there is no insinuation that this applies to your earliest ancestors. These surname meanings simply indicate that someone was given that surname for the reason listed. That "someone" may or may not be your ancestor. Indeed, the names mentioned above (Johnson, Nottingham, Ford and Black) are common and were given to many unrelated families. The same may be true of your surname. How common is your surname in America? Smith, Johnson, Williams, Jones, and Brown are the most commonly occurring surnames in the United States today. Find out how common or unique your surname is at the PBS Web site at http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2001/thesweetestsound/popularityindex.html . (This is a fun one.) If you have an interest in this topic, you might also enjoy these Web sites: U.S. Census Bureau Distribution of Last Names: http://www.census.gov/genealogy/names/dist.all.last American Surnames by Elsdon C. Smith: http://www.genealogy.com/genealogy/18_smith.html (The following article is from Eastmans Online Genealogy Newsletter and is copyright 2004 by Richard W. Eastman. It is re-published here with the permission of the author. Information about the newsletter is available at http://www.eogn.com) Sally Rolls Pavia