Family name

A family name, or surname, is the part of a person's name that indicates to what family he or she belongs.

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In {{ll|English}}-, Dutch-, German- and {{ll|French}}-speaking countries, people often have two or more given names (first and middle), and the family name goes at the end, which is why it is sometimes called a last name. (Occasionally it is inaccurately called "second name", which can be confused with the middle name). In Spain, people have one or more given names (that acts as a single name) and two family names (one from the father and one from the mother, in that order). In Italy, people may have one or more given name, but there is not the concept of Middle name. In most documents the family name is listed first. For example, Rossi Mario or Neri Elisabetta.

Related Topics:
Dutch - German - Given name - Middle - Spain

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The word surname is "name" prefixed by the French word sur (meaning "on"), which derives from Latin super ("over"). In the past it was sometimes spelled sirname or sirename (suggesting that it meant "man's name" or "father's name") due to fake etymology.

Related Topics:
Name - Prefix - Latin - Fake etymology

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Some women change their family name upon marriage. When a woman does so, her original family name (before any marriages) is known as her maiden name. Such a woman usually adopts her husband's family name; any children as a result of the union also take this family name. This is merely traditional however — few countries mandate such a change, and many permit children to have a different family name. In any case, since most countries allow name changes, a man can also take his wife's last name upon marriage. In modern times, particularly in English-speaking countries, there are other options. Some people choose to take a double-barrelled name upon marriage, combining both family names, joined by a hyphen. Other people choose to create a new name, as a combination of letters of previous surnames, or without connection to their previous surnames.

Related Topics:
Maiden name - Double-barrelled name

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Family names are not universal. In particular, Icelanders, Tibetans and Javanese often do not use a family name — well-known people lacking a family name include Suharto and Sukarno (see Indonesian names). Also, many royal families do not use family names.

Related Topics:
Iceland - Tibetan - Java - Suharto - Sukarno - Indonesian names

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In the 19th century, Francis Galton published a statistical study of the extinction of family names. See Galton-Watson process for an account of some of the mathematics.

Related Topics:
Francis Galton - Galton-Watson process

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