Prior to arrival in the US my family did not have a surname. Therefore, I can state with confidence that we acquired it in my present country of residence, thanks to the government official who went down a list of surnames and assigned one to my grandfather’s family.
I am the third generation. As there are no sons to bear the surname, this generation will also be the last to hold it.
In the 1980’s
It’s a Spanish name, so Spain probably, unless it came there from somewhere else.
Two.
It’s between 700 and 800, which is more frequent than I would’ve guessed. If I lived in the Southwest, there would be more of us.
The paternal surname is German although the family spoke French up until my Dad’s generation. They came from Alsace-Lorraine, which explains it. Maternal surname is English.
Paternal surname has been in the country about 5 generations. Maternal surname has been here since Jamestown.
Paternal surname isn’t in the top 2000 on the frequency list.
Thanks to vanity searches on Google, however, I’ve discovered that there are several people with my name in the country who aren’t related in any way.
German; 6 generations; not listed.
I don’t mean to pry and I’m not asking you to reveal your name, but can you go into more detail about this “no surname” thing? That’s fascinating to me.
Norway
4 generations - my great-grandfather immigrated in the late 1880’s
64318
Ukraine, although it was changed at Ellis Island.
My grandfather came to the US from Ukraine at age 12. My father and my aunt were the first generation of his family to be born here.
In the 6250s.
Germany, it’s a moderately common name derived from a range of related occupations.
I know seven generations, but the name has been around since the middle ages.
7324
Lessee:
My present last name is my stepfather’s. The name is Welsh in origin, and in America I’ve only traced it to 1803. Since it’s not a blood line, I didn’t pursue it further.
The last name I was born with is Prussian, possibly Polish, with ancestral traces to the Slavic countries. The American immigrant arrived in 1842, and I’ve traced it back to about 1730 in Ahrenshagen. The name is unusual and rare and doesn’t appear on the index.
On my mother’s side, her maiden name is English by way of Ireland, and prior to that (apparently) from Denmark. I’ve traced it officially to about 1560 in Buckinghamshire, but there is a document that speaks of relationships to European royalty. Its authenticity is in question. In America, the family goes back to about 1675. The name is in the 400s for frequency.
1) I’m not asking you to reveal your surname – but if you know its origin, as in which foreign country it first appeared in, can you identify that country (or countries)? (If you’re certain that the name originated in the country where you live now, please make that distinction.)
It’s Scottish. However, my ancestors apparently made lots of hormone-fueled trips to Ireland, and now those two countries are comparable in numbers ( I think Scotland still has the edge, from memory). I’m from the Scottish side only, as far as I know, but ut’s a bit murky.
2) If you know, or can make a reasonable guess, how many generations of ancestors with your surname have lived in your present country?
I think my paternal grandfather was the first one born here.
3) Roughly where does your surname appear on a Surname Frequency list? (such as THIS ONE
2700 series. In Sydney, a city of about four million, there are usually about forty of us in the telephone book each year.
My maiden surname is English in origin.
According to my genealogist brother, the family name arrived in the U.S. in the early 1700s.
Within my family, it has been spelled two different ways. The spelling my immediate family uses ranks about 4,600. The other spelling ranks about 1,500.
Slovakia.
No idea.
Not on the list.
My surname is from Calabria, though ultimately of Germanic origin, and upon immigrating to the US, my part of the family modified the spelling so it looks German again instead of Italian.
Four.
In its original Italian form, way down there (as in its not even on that list, and it’s uncommon even in Italy), though in its modified form, it’s one of the more common names in Germany, and isn’t that rare in the US, either.
I always thought it was English, but more recently learned it’s probably from Scotland.
I really couldn’t guess about generations but according to mom, it’s pre-revolution.
18200s on that list. My mom’s original maiden name was Henspeter, which doesn’t even show up on the list. Maybe I’ve got the spelling wrong? I’m a little fuzzy on the details, but she’s also a Snodgrass, which is 2337 on the list.
Before mom died she’d done quite a bit of genealogical research. But just before she died, we think some of her friends picked through her things, and all the research was lost. She had a bunch of old photographs going back many generations, but that was “lost” too. :mad:
My surname is German; my paternal grandfather came from Austria.
I’m the only one here, though my children carry my surname as their middle name. In my country of birth, as far as I know, the first people to bear the name were immigrants of my grandfather’s generation; I am of the third generation to bear the name in the US and the second generation born there.
The U.S. Census folks disclaim all knowledge of my surname 
Maiden name:
Married name: