A typical Scottish family name. How to spell Scottish last names in Russian

From the history of Scottish surnames

Most of the people in Scotland have surnames that begin with the prefix "Poppy". For example, MacDonald, Macdonald (McDonald), MacKenzie (Mackenzie). Surnames with a particle "Poppy" were originally patronymics (patronymics) and usually indicate the Gaelic origin of their carriers. The word "Mac" means "son", in other words, the surname MacDonald means "son of Donald", and the surname MacKenzie means "son of Kenzie". In the XVIII-XIX centuries. such surnames were classic among the highlanders of Scotland. A person who bore a surname starting with "Poppy" emphasized his belonging to some kind of relative or a certain clan.

The Scottish clan is a few families that share a similar surname. It was possible to find clan affiliation by costumes - for example, by kilt. The kilt had to be of a certain color and match the tartan (tartan is a woolen fabric that was wrapped around the belt, thrown over the shoulder). Exists great amount tartans associated with certain clans, and each clan owns a unique color.

On this moment such surnames are less used than in the past. Among the inhabitants of certain districts of Scotland there were very few surnames. Gaelic names were translated and reformulated into british language. Part of "Mas" disappeared from many names, and some Gaelic names completely disappeared. For example, when families moved to the Lowlands, families chose other surnames. So, the village in Banffshire Findochty (Findochti) consisted of 100 eighty 2 families. With all this, all 182 families had only four surnames: Flett (Flett), Sutherland (Sutherland), Smith (Smith) and Campbell (Campbell).

But not all Scottish surnames with a particle of "Mas" indicate belonging to the clan. Some Scottish surnames are based on geographical names, for example: Chrisholm (Chisholm), Douglas (Douglas), Forbes (Forbes), Baird (Bird), Drummond (Drummond), Gordon (Gordon), Urquhart (Urkhart), Murray (Murray ), Ross (Ross), Ogilvie (Ogilvy), Ramsay (Ramsay).

In almost all modern Scottish surnames, traces of Scandinavian influence are perfectly tracked. In the 9th-13th centuries, the Scandinavian population owned the main lands of western Scotland. Until the 15th century, the Scandinavians ruled the Orkney and Shetland Islands. The oldest Scottish surnames and their Norwegian layouts are known. Here are some examples: McColl and McCall by Kol, Auley and MacAuley by Olaf and Ola, McIver by Ivor, McManus by Magnus, Godfrey by Guthroo.

Among the Scottish surnames, surnames are noted in which an obvious French influence is traced. Such Scottish surnames include the following: Bruce (Bruce), Fletcher (Fletcher), Napier (Neper), Davidson (Davidson) and Sinclair (Sinclair).

In some areas of Scotland there were very few names, and nicknames were often monotonous. Some fishing villages are also known, in which the name of the fishing boat was added to the name of the fisherman. An unusual group of surnames are Scottish surnames, the carriers of which were originally from the conquered lands.

It is clear that the most common Scottish surname is the surname Macdonald (McDonald). In Scotland, this surname is 50 5 thousand people. A feature of Scottish surnames will be that they can be abbreviated. For example, in Scottish surnames, the original syllable is often reduced: Macdonald - Mcdonald (McDonald), MacDowell - McDowell (McDowell), etc.

How to spell Scottish last names in Russian

A feature of Scottish surnames is that there is no single rule for their spelling.

The particle "Poppy" can be written both with a hyphen and together. There is no generally accepted rule. Writing for each option individually. Usually in Russian, Scottish surnames were written together and in the absence of huge letters in the middle of the word: Macbeth, MacDowell, Macintosh. However, there were exceptions: McKinley, McMahon, McLuhan.

According to the draft Rules of Russian Spelling, proposed by the Spelling Commission of the Russian Academy (2006), it is proposed not to allow continuous spelling words, containing a single lowercase letter in the middle of a word. In other words, it is proposed to write a hyphen when the 2nd part of the word contains given name(Part I, § 124, note 2), but here too exceptions are given: McPherson, McCarthy, McDonald's.

In the Handbook of Spelling and Literary Editing, D.E. Rosenthal (under the editorship of I.B. Golub, 11th edition), it is said: “With lowercase letters, the ones before the surname O are written (after it an apostrophe is placed), attached with a hyphen Mac-, San-, Saint-, Saint-, to For example: O'Henry, McDowell, San Martin ... ".

The semi-official reference service of the Russian language Gramota.ru suggests sticking to the hyphenated spelling of the first part of the surnames Poppy- in this case, in that case there is no stable tradition of continuous spelling (fixation in trustworthy dictionaries, encyclopedias, special literature, etc.). However, countless exceptions are also recognized, due either to spelling in the source language or the established tradition of consumption in the Russian language. For example, it is customary to write together the following Scottish surnames: MacDowell (McDowell), Macbeth (Macbeth), Macdonald (McDonald) and Macintosh (Mac). The name of Paul McCartney is recorded in dictionaries in the same continuous spelling (see, for example, the dictionary by F.L. Ageenko “Proper names in the Russian language”. M., 2001).

Historian, culturologist and editor G.V. Zgursky, taking into account the instability of the norm, suggests the opposite approach: write Scottish surnames in the classic Russian spelling (continuously and without huge letters in the middle of the word) - except when another spelling is recorded in trustworthy dictionaries, encyclopedias and specialized literature.

For a specific example:

American astronaut Ronald Ervin McNair(1950-1986). In the classic Russian spelling: Ronald Erwin McNair(in the reference book "Foreign Names and Appellations in the Russian Text" by R.S. Gilyarevsky and B.A. Starostin (M., 1985) it is proposed to transfer a combination of letters air like "er"). According to the proposed new rules: Ronald Erwin McNair(in modern transcription, it is customary not to soften the consonant in class names Ronald, Donald). The McNair variant is unnecessary (McNair is in the list of astronauts (US astronauts) on Wikipedia). And doubling the consonant "k" in the middle of the surname is absolutely unacceptable.

Sources and additional materials:

Additional to the site:

A surname is a kind of anthroponym, an inherited official naming, indicating that a person belongs to a particular family. c.34.

The source of the name, surname is a nickname. The nickname appeared when it became necessary to distinguish one individual from another. c.35.

Nicknames and surnames are divided into 4 main classes:

Genealogical

Professional and official

Descriptive. c.34.

Genealogical- nicknames and surnames indicating kinship by father, mother, brother, etc.:

Ida waes Eoppin was the son of Eoppa .

We note the use of personal names as surnames, which do not undergo any changes during the transition:

Anthony, Allen, Baldwin, Cecil, Godfrey, Henry, Neale, Owen, etc.

Many genealogical surnames are associated with Teftonic mythology:

Surnames derived from Scandinavian personal names:

Swanson (on behalf of Thor - Scandinavian god)

The names that came with the Norman conquests became the basis of personal surnames:

During late Middle Ages, the role of biblical names that have become surnames increases:

from St. Lawrence:

Often there is a formant -son- the son of someone:

The insert -t- speaks of the northern origin of the bearer of the surname:

Johnston - lives in the north of England

Johnson - lives in the south of England

Local- nicknames and surnames formed from a toponym or an appellative indicating the place of residence of an individual:

Thomas Atte Wood-Attwood

Local surnames make up 50% of all English surnames.

Local surnames, based on the meaning of the nicknames from which they originated, can be divided:

Surnames formed from nicknames, which in turn indicated the origin of their owners from a particular area, city or country

When the population moved, it became necessary to use a certain sign, for example

Scott is a surname more common in England than in Scotland.

Ingle is a common surname in Scotland.

Many surnames are derived from the names of countries and regions. Western Europe:

From county names:

Surnames in which topographically remarkable points of a certain area are reflected.:

Surnames reflecting features are not uncommon flora:

Local also include surnames formed from the names of rivers:

Many English surnames go back to images of various animals, plants and other objects that serve as house signs:

Lyon. .c.41.

Professional and official-nicknames and surnames reflecting the carrier's occupation:

Richard le Flesmongere-(modern butcher-butcher)

William le Baker-baker

Humphey le Hunte-hunter

descriptive- nicknames that characterize the carrier from different points of view:

according to external physical qualities: Henry Bigge-big, Thomas Blac-black.

clothing: Curtmantel

by social status: Poor, Power, Richson

by moral qualities: Goode, Lovegold, Perfect

by characteristic statements or by the similarity of a person with animals, fish, etc .:

William Bulloc

Robert Calf-calf

Richard Starling - starling

John le Wolf

Geoffrey Poppy-Poppy c.36.

According to K.B. Zaitseva, morphological anthroponymy uses the terms theme and subtheme.

The theme is the basis of the name (Steele, Fuller, Roberts, Pearson, Freeman, Whitesmith, Armstrong).

Sub-theme is a suffixed appellative of transparent semantics (Jackson, Blackman).

Anthroponymic suffix -s, -er, -ing.

According to the morphological structure, one can distinguish:

Single-dark (simple and derivative) surnames

Surnames consisting of topic + subtopic

Two-dark (complex) surnames.

Simple solid surnames are formed from nouns or adjectives. The topic noun can semantically refer to different classes of words:

To personal names: Albert, Arnold, Herbert.- from German.- Thomas, Adam, Daniel.

To toponyms: London - by city, Kent - by county, Holland, England - by country.

To topographic terms: Hurst, Hearst- OE-forest, Slade- OE-small valley, Brook- OE-stream, Church-church.

To different appeals: Brint-pickle, Bull-core, Cannon-cannon, Parish-parish, Squire-squire, Bond-serf, Cox-helmsman, Cook-chef, Reed-cane.

Theme-adjective can be derived from qualitative adjectives indicating:

-External data of the first carrier: Long,Young,Black,White,Gray,Brown,Red.

-Internal qualities of the first carrier: Best-best, Blunt-dumb, Bright-smart, Proud-proud, Gay-cheerful, Sharp-sharp, sharp, Smart-smart, Humble-timid.

-Social status: Rich-rich, Poor-poor, Power-powerful.

Derived monothematic surnames were formed with the help of prefixation and suffixation.

Among the prefixes, there is not a single prefix of Germanic origin.

Mac(Mc)- prefix of Irish-Scottish origin - MacDonald

Fitz- prefix of Norman origin - FitzRoy

P-prefix of Welsh origin - Prichard

O"-prefix of Irish origin- O" Grady.

Among suffixes, the suffix -s has priority, which is added:

-to the full or short name: Adams, Roberts, Robins, Higgs, Hobbs, Kits, Dobbs, Watts.

- to nickname:

Brooks, Mills, Wells, Woods, Butters.

The suffix -ing, common to all Germanic languages, indicates descent from the person whose name is the subject of the surname.

The suffixes -ster, -er- indicate the profession of the first bearer:

Brewer, Fuller, Parker, Baker, Fowler, Webster, Baxter, Spinster.

Surnames consisting of a topic and a subtopic.

Sub-themes used in English surnames may indicate:

-for kinship-son:

Tilloson, Abbotson, Donaldson, Robinson, Rawson, Wilson, Clarkson, Sislerson, Widowson,

-on the position of a servant, on the profession of the first carrier, on the quality that the carrier possessed-man:

Workman, Addyman, Hughesman, Appleman, Dayman, Ruhman, Longman, Hardman.

-on the manufacturer of what is indicated in the subject- wright.:

Cartwright Chesewright Tellwright. c.46.

Double-dark surnames.

Double-dark surnames are not currently common, as they retain transparency and do not always evoke pleasant connotations..

Among surnames of this type, combinations with the -maker component are common.

Basically - to make smth. - do something:

Dressmaker,Shoemaker,Pattenmaker,Waxmaker.

You can often see the model ... +smith "blacksmith", where the first component indicates the color of the metal on which the blacksmith worked:

Brownsmith-copper, Blacksmith-iron, Greensmith-lead, Whitesmith-tin, Redsmith-gold, Arrowsmith-arrow, Spearsmith-lance.

Model …+ hewer- he who cuts:

Wodehewer, Stonehewer, Flashhewer.

Model …+ ward-guard:

Hayward, Durward

Model …+ herd-shepherd:

Models "noun + adjective":

Goodfellow, Fairfax, Fairbaern, Goodlad, Merryweather, Whitebrow, Truelove, Longfellow, Slyman.

All of them point to the moral or external factors of the first bearer.

Reverse model "noun + adjective":

In addition to the above, the following models of surnames are also found in English anthroponymy:

-proper name + common noun: Darcyuncle

- common noun + adverb: Foolenough

- adverb + adjective: Littleproud, Lillywhite

-adverb + participle II: wellbelloved

-verb + preposition + noun: Gotobed, Sweatinbed.

- participle + noun: Drawword.

-numeral + noun: Fivecoat.

-exclamations: Bigod, Bugod, Gordon.

Two-tone surnames are, as a rule, descriptive and professional-official. Transparent semantics speaks of their relatively recent formation. c.48.

Scottish, Irish and Welsh surnames.

In the modern anthroponymy of Scotland, traces of Scandinavian influence are clearly traced. Scandinavians owned for the most part western Scotland (IX-XIII centuries), and the Orkey and Shetland Islands were under Scandinavian rule until the XV century. Consider a few examples of the most ancient Scottish surnames and their Norwegian prototypes:

Godfrey by Guthroo

McIver by Ivor

McColl, McCall by Kol

Auley,McAuley by Olaf,Ola

McManus by Magnus

Many surnames are based on geographical names:

Baird,Chrisholm,Douglas,Drummond,Forbes,Gordon,Murray,Ogilvie,Ross,Urquhart.

The French influence is most clearly seen in such surnames as:

Bruce, Davidson, Fletcher, Grant, Napier, Robertson, Sinclair.

A significant number of Irish surnames were anglicized in the second half of the 17th century., and surnames such as O "Breen and O" Nail became O "Brien and O" Neal.

In 1645 An unsuccessful attempt was made by the British to force all Irish people to abandon their surnames and switch to English. The law said that every Irishman had to take as his last name either the name of an English city (Sutton, Chester, Trym, Corke), or the name of a color (White, Brown, Black), or the name of a craft (Smith, Carpenter, Book, Butler) .

Among Welsh surnames, more often than in other areas of the British Isles, there are double surnames:

Nash-Williams, Lloyd-George.

The most common surnames.

Millions of population North America have Scottish roots. To successfully search for Scottish roots, extensive information is needed, including information about the origin and distribution of Scottish surnames. Consider the features of Scottish surnames. Most of the people in Scotland have surnames that begin with the syllable "Poppy". For example, Macdonald (McDonald), MacKenzie (McKenzie). Surnames with the particle "Poppy" were originally patronymics (patronins). The word 'Mac' means 'son', so the Scottish surname 'McDonald' would mean 'son of Donald', the Scottish surname 'McKenzie' would mean 'son of Kenzie'. That is, a person who bears a surname starting with the syllable "Poppy" feels that he belongs to a family or a particular clan. In the 1800s, such Scottish surnames were used in the Highlands. A Scottish clan is a group of families that share the same last name. Clan affiliation could be determined by costumes. For example, on a kilt. The color of the kilt had to be specific and match the tartan. Tartan is a woolen fabric that is wrapped around the waist and thrown over the shoulder. A kilt made from this material was popular in the seventeenth century. There are many tartans associated with certain Scottish clans. Each clan has a unique color. Members of the clan are required to wear this color on kilts. The official is responsible for the observance of this tradition. The particle "Poppy" usually means the Gaelic origin of Scottish surnames. Popular surnames in Scotland are the surnames Campbell (Campbell) and Cameron (Cameron). Initially, the surname Campbell (Campbell) was carried by vassals of the Earls of Lennox from Western Scotland. Representatives of this family were often royal lieutenant generals. Scottish surnames beginning with the particle "Mas" were also originally patronymics. However, not all Scottish surnames with the particle "Mas" indicate belonging to the clan. Now such surnames are less used than in the past. Among the inhabitants of some districts of Scotland there were very few surnames. Gaelic names were translated and reformulated into English. The "Mas" particle has been dropped from many titles. And some Gaelic names disappeared altogether. For example, when families moved to the Lowlands, families chose other surnames. For example, the village in Banffshire Findochty (Findochty) consisted of one hundred and eighty-two families. At the same time, these one hundred and eighty-two families had only four surnames. These are Flett (Flett), Sutherland (Sutherland), Smith (Smith), and Campbell (Campbell). Some areas of Scotland also had very few names, and the nicknames were often the same. Some fishing villages are also known, in which the name of the fishing boat was added to the name of the fisherman. special group The surnames are made up of Scottish surnames, which are known to hail from conquered lands. A feature of modern Scottish surnames is that they clearly trace the imprints of Scandinavian influence. In the ninth to thirteenth centuries, the Scandinavian population owned the main lands of western Scotland. Until the fifteenth century, Orkney and Shetland were under Scandinavian control. Ancient Scottish surnames are known, as well as their Norwegian prototypes. Here are a few examples of them: McColl and McCall by Kol and Auley and MacAuley or Olaf and Ola, McIver by Ivor, McManus or Magnus, Godfrey by Guthroo. A feature of many Scottish surnames is that they are based on geographical names. Examples of such surnames: Chrisholm (Chisholm), Douglas (Douglas), Forbes (Forbes), Baird (Bird), Drummond (Drummond), Gordon (Gordon), Urquhart (Urkhart), Murray (Murray), Ross (Ross), Ogilvie (Ogilvie), Ramsay (Ramsay). Among the Scottish surnames, there are surnames in which a clearly French influence is traced. Such Scottish surnames include the following: Bruce (Bruce), Fletcher (Fletcher), Napier (Neper), Davidson (Davidson), Sinclair (Sinclair), Grant (Grant), Robertson (Robertson) and Napier (Napier). Many people wonder how to write Scottish surnames correctly? A feature of Scottish surnames is that there is no single rule for their spelling. From the materials of Wikipedia, that is, the free encyclopedia, you can read the following: the particle “Poppy”, meaning “son”, can be written both with a hyphen and together. general rule No. Writing for each case individually. In most cases, the particle "Mac" will be written with a hyphen. But there are exceptions. For example, it is common to write together the following Scottish surnames: MacDowell (McDowell), Macbeth (Macbeth) and Macdoald (MacDonald). According to the rules of Russian spelling, approved by the Spelling Commission Russian Academy sciences from the year two thousand and six, not allowed continuous spelling words containing one capital letter in the middle of a word. That is, you need to write a hyphen when the second part of the word contains its own name. Rosenthal's reference book of the Russian language says that the particle "Poppy" before the Scottish surname is joined by a hyphen. It is known that the most common Scottish surname is the surname Macdoald (MacDonald). In Scotland, this surname is fifty-five thousand people. A feature of Scottish surnames is that they can be abbreviated. For example, in Scottish surnames, the initial syllable is often reduced: Macdonald - Mcdonald (McDonald), MacDowell - McDowell (McDowell), MacKenzie - McKenzie (McKenzie), MacIver - McIver (MakIver), MacManus - McManus (MacManus), MacKinnon - McKinnon (McKinnon ), MacTavish - McTavish (McTavish), MacThomas - McThomas (McThomas), MacFarlane - McFarlane (MacFarlane), MacPherson - McPherson (Mapherson), MacAlister - McAlister (MacAlister), MacAlpine - McAlpine (MacAlpin), MacBean - McBean (McBean).

Traditionally, in English-speaking countries, a child receives two names at birth: personal name(or first name) And middle name. The most significant, of course, is the personal name. Since word order is fixed in English, the surname follows the given name. But in alphabetical lists, as well as in official documents, the reverse order is sometimes used. middle name(middle name) - a name, usually located between a personal name and a surname.

The emergence and development of surnames is associated with the development of mankind as a whole. Until a certain stage of development, there were no family names, but in order to distinguish each other, people came up with nicknames, which later turned into surnames. One of the main factors that contributed to the transition of a nickname into a surname was the loss of its motivation, the loss of information about the reasons for its occurrence. So, if modern John Cook not a chef Thomas Hill does not live on a hill, but Richard Red not red, then we can guess that distant ancestors had these distinctive features or were representatives of the profession imprinted in the nickname.

In ancient times, fixing hereditary family names in England and Scotland was the privilege of the nobility, but in the XII century. has become essential for most people.

Studying the etymology of "ancient nicknames", scientists divided them into main groups:

• local surnames
• Professional official English surnames
• Use of personal names as surnames
• Descriptive English surnames

local surnames- this is the largest group of English surnames, covering approximately 50% of all. They indicate the origin of the owners from a particular locality, city or country. It is known that the United Kingdom consisted of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. When moving residents, they were given a nickname for the area where they came from. This is how the surname came about. Scott, whose carriers in England and now are much more than in Scotland. These are also the names Ingle, Ingleman, Langley, Irish, Wales, Welsh, Welshman, Wallace. Many surnames from the names of countries and regions of Western Europe: Germain, France, Spain, Norman. From county names: Cornish, Cornwall, Cheshire, Kent, Surrey. Nicknames of immigrants from various cities and villages of England: York, Longford, Troubridge, Westley, Eastthorpe, Sutton and etc.

As the popular rhyme goes:
In ford, in ham, in ley, in ton
The most of English surnames run,

where -ford, -ham, -ley, -ton are popular English toponymic suffixes.

Found their reflection in the family row and points of a certain area: Brook, Hill, Cliff, Dale, Fell, Moore, Fields.

Surnames reflecting the peculiarities of the plant world are not uncommon: Aspen, Beech, Birch, Holly, Shrub, Yewdale, Wood, Tree.

From river names: Tees, Cherwell, Teems, Calder, Becker etc.

Living near the road (road) could claim a nickname, and later on a surname Royds, Rodd.

A special place among local surnames occupy names derived from signboards depicting animals or plants and serving both to recognize houses on the streets and to designate workshops, shops, and hotels. In ancient records, the names of some of these owners have been preserved: Thomas at the Dolphin, Will at the Bull, George at the Whitehouse.

Professional official English surnames make up about 20% of all family names.

Surnames ascending to various titles, ranks, positions, whose carriers in medieval England engaged in direct service to the king, members of the royal family: Stewart, or Stuart(royal seneschal) Wardrop(cloakroom attendant) Barber, Spencer(manager), Page(gives towel) Says or Sayers(he tasted the food before it was served on the royal table, checking if it was poisoned).

Surnames associated with agricultural occupations: Hurd, Hird, Heard derived from herd (shepherd). Hoggart and Porcher took care of the pigs goddart- for goats Gozzard herding geese, Shepherd- sheep.

Smith(blacksmith) - the most common surname in England and the USA - originally meant "metal worker"; she is part of such complex surnames as Brownsmith, Blacksmith, Greensmith, Whitesmith, Redsmith, Goldsmith, whose carriers, respectively, dealt with copper, iron, lead, tin or gold.

Use of personal names as surnames, which do not undergo any changes during this transition: Anthony, Allen, Baldwin, Cecil, Dennis, Thomas, Walter. Name Roland gave surnames Rowland, Rowlandson, from Richard went Richardson, Ritchie, Hitch, Rick, and Dixon, Dickson and etc.

Many surnames originated from the abbreviated names of the parents. In the Middle Ages the name David often shortened to Dawe, hence the surnames Dawe And Dawson.

A number of surnames arose from affectionate or diminutive names, which were formed by adding the suffixes -kin, -cock / -cox, -ot / -et, -kin: Simpkin, Tomkinson; Haycock, Haycox, Wilcox; Hewett("Little Hugh").

Descriptive English surnames are nicknames that reflect the biological characteristics of a person. The physiological characteristics of a person are reflected in the following surnames: Bigg, Strong, High, Low, Little, Longman, Strongman, Littler, Younger, Elder, Small; Head, Hands, Arms; Armstrong.

Characteristics moral character and mental abilities of a person were reflected in such surnames as Bad, Good, Wise, Gay, Joyce, Makepeace.

Many descriptive surnames come from nicknames that reflect the living conditions of their carriers: Poore, Rich, Ragman.

Descriptive surnames are often derived from nicknames given "on the contrary". So, one of Robin Hood's closest friends Little John was of great stature.

Scottish, Irish and Welsh surnames

A special group is made up of surnames, originally from the conquered territories. In modern surnames in Scotland, traces of Scandinavian influence are clearly visible. Here are the most ancient Scottish surnames and their Norwegian prototypes: godfrey from Guthroo; McIver from Ivor; McColl, McCall etc.

Many surnames are based on geographical names: Baird, Chrisholm, Douglas, Drummond, Forbes, Gordon, Murray, Ogilvie. The French influence is most evident in surnames such as Bruce, Davidson, Fletcher, Grant, Napier, Robertson, Sinclair.

A significant number of Irish surnames have been anglicised, such as O'breen And O'Nail become O "Brien And O'Neal. In 1465, the British made an unsuccessful attempt to force all Irish people to give up their names and switch to English. The attempt ended in complete failure, and there are now very few surnames in Ireland derived from English place names.

We also note that among Welsh surnames, more often than in other parts of the British Isles, there are double hyphenated ones: Nash-Williams, Lloyd-George.

Of course, in one article it is impossible to consider all English surnames, their history and etymology, this is a work for scientists, but we got a general idea of ​​​​the phenomenon of "family name, surname" (Brit.), or "last name".