How did last names come about?
Many western surnames come from occupational or regional labels. During America’s colonization, some surnames were assigned or changed upon arriving to appropriate their role in the new world. Many foreign names were changed at this time to sound more like English. Also, criminals could easily adopt a new life and identity in the new world; “Jones” was a very common choice for criminals wanting anonymity. The link below is an etymology dictionary of surnames. Most of the names there can be directly traced to occupations or locations; for example, the common last name “Smith” means means “metal worker”, derived from Old English smið. Santana, a common Spanish/Portuguese surname, means from any of the numerous cities named Santa Ana. Bush (as in “George Bush”) was given to a person who lived in or near bushes. Also, from that website: In Europe, surnames began to be used in the 12th century, but it took several centuries before the majority of Europeans had one. The primary purpose of th
