Okay, we all know that Leonardo was his given name, but did he have a surname, one that was used before he became well-known?
All of the sources I find give his father’s name as Ser Piero and his mother’s name as simply Caterina. Leonardo was illegitimate, but “claimed” and provided for by his father. Would he have used his father’s surname? Would he have used his mother’s surname? Is it possible that his mother, being a peasant, didn’t have a surname herself? Is it possible that Leonardo did not have a surname at any point?
I belive da Vinci was his surname. Keep in mind that surnames are not always family names, particularly in the past. The use of place of origin (e.g. da Vinci), profession (e.g. Smith), or relationship (MacDonald) was not uncommon. Today, these surnames have transformed into family names.
So before he moved to Vinci was he Leonardo de Anchiano? Would his surname change every time he moved, or would it “solidify” when he reached adulthood?
Well, you only need a surname if people want to distinguish you from someone else with the same name. How big was Anachiano? He could have been “Leonardo, Caterina’s son”, “Leonardo, the bastard”, “Little Leonardo”, etc.