How to find out what my last name means?

• I just curious to find out what my last name means. I know a little bit what my last name means but I would like to know of a good website that can define my last name.

• Answer:

  People often look for a deep profound meaning in their name; however, the truth of the matter is that the use of surnames is a fairly recent thing AND finding the meaning doesn't tell you anything about your own unique heritage. With that said, there are several sites out there, but keep in mind that if you have a rare surname, you may not find your name amongst them. http://www.swyrich.com/ http://www.houseofnames.com/ http://genealogy.about.com/library/surna... http://surnames.behindthename.com/...... http://links2history.com/names.htm...... http://www.ancestry.com/learn/facts/defa... I hope these help. Please keep in mind though that not all names have a "meaning" Surnames, for the most part, drew their meanings from the lives of men in the Middle Ages, and their origins can be divided into four main categories: OCCUPATIONS Many names as you probably already know like Baker, Farmer, Miller, and Carpenter are names that reflect the persons trade. PLACES Other names especially names in the Netherlands are reflective of places. The prefix "van" means from and "van der" means "from the" like van Heukelem, van Appeldorn, van Dijk, etc. Other examples of place names are Westwood, Parris, Springfield, and Holland. PATRONYMIC English and Scandinavian names ending in "son" are patronymic surnames, as are many names prefixed with the Gaelic "Mac," the Norman "Fitz," the Irish "O," and the Welsh "ap." Examples Erickson, Williamson, and Ellison, O'Neil, O'Brien, Hendriks, Williams, McDonald etc DESCRIPTIVE These are derived from a physical or other characteristic of first bearer. They make up an estimated 10% of all surname or family names. These descriptive surnames are thought to have originally evolved as nicknames during the Middle Ages when men created nicknames or pet names for his neighbors and friends based on personality or physical appearance. Examples Strong, Goodman, etc Without knowing what your last name is, it is hard to tell what your name means. But keep in mind that there are names that don't fit any of these catagories. It is fairly common for different branches of the same family to carry different last names, as the majority of English and American surnames have, in their history, appeared in four to more than a dozen variant spellings. Some people changed their surnames to something totally different. My point is this. Your surname may not have a meaning at all. I hope this long drawn out answer helps. Blessings