When did we start using them? Where did the idea start? Were there rules & regs about choosing them? In Denmark, upon reaching majority, one can choose eather ones father’s or mother’s last name.(I’mnot sure if one can take a non-family name) I have 2 cousins (brothers), one with his mother’ family name, the other with his dad’s (same father).
Elderberry
I’m going to cheat. Here are the Britannica links:
surnames and Forms of personal names
from
The Encyclopædia Britannica is now free on the web: http://www.britannica.com/
The concept of a surname can show up in rather different ways in different cultures. Most of us would think of “Caesar” as being the surname of Julius Caesar. While that is correct, his full name was actually Caius (or Gaius) Julius Caesar. Caius was the gens (superfamily or tribe) to which the Caesar family belonged, so Julius had “family” names at both ends of his name.
Tom~
In pre-Spanish Philippines, it was often the tradition for a parent to use the name of their child (not sure if it was first child or not). So, my dad could take the name: “Butch Father of Eric” (eric is my older brother). Or, a distinguishing physical trait.
I myself am an incorrigible conlang slut. I love oral lex.