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Old 07-13-2012, 01:05 AM
 
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About what time did the use of first and last names come about? Or first names? Or two names?

I'm trying to research someone by the name of Heoreston, born about 900 AD. That's the only name I can find, I assume its a last name---Oh, from England, or whatever it was called back then.
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Old 07-13-2012, 04:28 AM
 
Location: North Carolina
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I don't believe there is any set date. In my experience, some family names go back to Viking and Angelo-Saxon periods, some were established as late as the mid 19th century.

In 900AD, "surnames" (which probably weren't known as such) were more fluid and people were mostly known by their first names followed by their father's name, their occupation, or where they were born/came from. We know that most last names today derive from one of these three origins but in 900AD, I don't believe they were necessarily known as a "name". If a man was known as "John the Blacksmith", he would not be identified only as "the Blacksmith" unless he was the only blacksmith in town. And "Blacksmith" was not necessarily considered a "family name" because the next generation could theoretically be identified in another way. The son of John the Blacksmith may have become a fisher (though sons often inherited their father's trade) and therefore be known as Thomas the Fisher instead. The same goes for patronymic names - Thomas might be known as Thomas Johnson but his son would not be Henry Johnson, he'd be Henry Thomason. At what point surnames became static for every generation varies greatly depending on the culture and individual family.

Without knowing more information on where you found this name, what type of record it appears on, how it was referenced, etc, it's hard to give any specific advice. There is possibly an alternate spelling of Horeston, which is now known as a surname ( Family Facts for: Horeston ) but could have once been based off of a given name. I have a German branch by the name of Gottschalk which was originally a given name until about the 18th century when it became the family name.

There is also a location in Warwickshire called Horeston Grange but this name was established from a manor house built there long after 900AD. Horeston Grange, Warwickshire - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Old 07-13-2012, 08:42 AM
bjh
 
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It varies from place to place.
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Old 07-13-2012, 10:10 AM
 
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Pazuk & BJH---thanks for the information!

The guy I'm researching is actually the father of the one I'm interested in---St Dunstan. There's a ton of info out there on St Dunstan, but hardly anything about his father, except the one name Horeston, b~950 AD.
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Old 07-13-2012, 12:33 PM
 
Location: Elsewhere
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The Dutch didn't have surnames until Spain occupied The Netherlands in the 16th century. The Spanish demanded they come up with names to help identify them (and count their property) so the Dutch provided them--often using the name of their town or coming up with ridiculous names that the Spanish didn't realize translated into things like Born Naked.
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Old 07-13-2012, 01:04 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MaryleeII View Post
About what time did the use of first and last names come about? Or first names? Or two names?

I'm trying to research someone by the name of Heoreston, born about 900 AD. That's the only name I can find, I assume its a last name---Oh, from England, or whatever it was called back then.
Back in those time, i believe a name was linked to a certain county or locale ...such as : ' Eric of Gladstone' . So it would help if you knew the specific area he was born in or lived out his life in . I think last names started to become popular in an effort to more definitively address a person and as the population grew.
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Old 07-13-2012, 01:35 PM
 
Location: Cushing OK
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 007.5 View Post
Back in those time, i believe a name was linked to a certain county or locale ...such as : ' Eric of Gladstone' . So it would help if you knew the specific area he was born in or lived out his life in . I think last names started to become popular in an effort to more definitively address a person and as the population grew.
Those of property had 'surnames' before, linked to the estate. The French 'de' in a name the linking 'of'. Because births out of wedlock were very common and the offspring usually higher up they got just the 'd'. John de Grange would be legitimate. John d Grange would be officially acknowledge and usually raised with the family but not.

In the wonderful PBS series Michael Wood's Story of England, about the history of one town from the celts to modern Britan, they show the way ordinary people began to identify. Tenant farmers might or might not use a place name but as after the failed 13th century uprising of pesants, a number of tenant farmers were given ownership of their land. They took the name of the town as the were offically freed. Later, when some moved up the economic ladder, they had shops in other towns and would be of two places. It was a way to show loyalty to home as well.

My grandmothers last name is one connected way back to possibly viking origions, and I'd really love to find out when it was used as part of a name and when.
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Old 07-14-2012, 12:08 AM
 
Location: Little Rock AR USA
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And didn't I read somewhere that when someone (Romans?) did a census of the Celts they couldn't understand the name given and sure couldn't spell it, so that person was given a "made-up" name?
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Old 07-14-2012, 02:49 AM
 
Location: Southern California
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Originally Posted by ArkansasSlim View Post
And didn't I read somewhere that when someone (Romans?) did a census of the Celts they couldn't understand the name given and sure couldn't spell it, so that person was given a "made-up" name?
That wouldn't be surprising. The same thing happened at Ellis Island when immigrants entered the U.S. Many names were altered. In the Philippines, families were forced to adopt a Spanish surname during the Spanish occupation. I have Hawaiian ancestors with only one name in the 1800's, and in 1860 that Hawaiians were forced to take their father's name as a surname, then they had to switch their first names to middle names and take a Christian first name. A lot of Hawaiian names still follow that pattern, although I'm seeing Hawaiian first names in generations that were born later than I was, which I'm happy to see.
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Old 07-14-2012, 05:20 AM
 
Location: North Carolina
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Originally Posted by TribalCat View Post
That wouldn't be surprising. The same thing happened at Ellis Island when immigrants entered the U.S. Many names were altered.
Not this again.

Our Name Was Changed at Ellis Island - Dispelling the Myth of Ellis Island Name Changes
Genealogy.com: They Changed Our Name at Ellis Island
No, Family Names Were Not Changed at Ellis Island - Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter
ILW.COM - immigration news: American Names: Declaring Independence
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