This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/wk4.2ACEB/9493.4 Message Board Post: In England you were known by your first name and where you were from ( John from Houston) or John de Houston. As you can see this could get confussing, so the King of England said you had to have a last name.Our ancestors were keepers of the Royal hunting park and were called parker. Thus they choose their last name to be Parker.Because there were difference families who were parker when they also took on the name of Parker.They wood not necessary be kin thus we have difference lines that are not kin to each other. Wayne Parker