Surname conventions and laws vary around the world. This article gives an overview of surnames around the world.
A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather, or an earlier male ancestor. It is the male equivalent of a matronymic.
A personal name, full name or prosoponym is the set of names by which an individual person or animal is known, and that can be recited as a word-group, with the understanding that, taken together, they all relate to that one individual. In many cultures, the term is synonymous with the birth name or legal name of the individual. In linguistic classification, personal names are studied within a specific onomastic discipline, called anthroponymy. As of 2023, aside from humans, dolphins and elephants have been known to use personal names.
Icelandic names are names used by people from Iceland. Icelandic surnames are different from most other naming systems in the modern Western world in that they are patronymic or occasionally matronymic: they indicate the father of the child and not the historic family lineage. Iceland shares a common cultural heritage with the Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Unlike these countries, Icelanders have continued to use their traditional name system, which was formerly used in most of Northern Europe. The Icelandic system is thus not based on family names. Generally, a person's last name indicates the first name of their father (patronymic) or in some cases mother (matronymic) in the genitive, followed by -son ("son") or -dóttir ("daughter").
Eastern Slavic naming customs are the traditional way of identifying a person's family name, given name, and patronymic name in East Slavic cultures in Russia and some countries formerly part of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union.
A matronymic is a personal name or a parental name based on the given name of one's mother, grandmother, or any female ancestor. It is the female equivalent of a patronymic. Around the world, matronymic surnames are far less common than patronymic surnames. In some cultures in the past, matronymic last names were often given to children of unwed mothers. Or if a woman was especially well known or powerful, her descendants might adopt a matronym based on her name. A matronymic is a derived name, as compared to a matriname, which is an inherited name from a mother's side of the family, and which is unchanged.
Pavić or Pavič is a South Slavic surname, common in Croatia and Serbia. It is derived from the personal name Pavao/Pavo, by means of patronymic-forming suffix -ić.
The Bulgarian name system has considerable similarities with most other European name systems, and with those of other Slavic peoples such as the Russian name system, although it has certain unique features.
Gerretsen, Gerrets and Gerretse are Dutch patronymic surnames. Notable people with this name include:
Ben-Aharon is a patronymic surname most commonly found in Israel, originating from "Aaron" of the Old Testament, and meaning "son of mountaineer". There are several patronym surname variants including "Aharonson", "Aaronson", and "Aaronsohn". Aharon is a Hebrew masculine given name common in Israel. Notable people with the surname Ben-Aharon include:
In Finland, a person must have a surname and at least one given name with up to four given names permitted. Surnames are inherited either patrilineally or matrilineally, while given names are usually chosen by a person's parents. Finnish names come from a variety of dissimilar traditions that were consolidated only in the early 20th century. The first national act on names came into force in 1921, and it made surnames mandatory. Between 1930 and 1985, the Western Finnish tradition whereby a married woman took her husband's surname was mandatory. Previously in Eastern Finland, this was not necessarily the case. On 1 January 2019, the reformed Act on Forenames and Surnames came into force.
Heritable family names were generally adopted rather late within Scandinavia. Nobility were the first to take names that would be passed on from one generation to the next. Later, clergy, artisans and merchants in cities took heritable names. Family names (surnames) were still used together with primary patronyms, which were used by all social classes. This meant that most families until modern times did not have surnames. Scandinavian patronyms were generally derived from the father's given name with the addition of a suffix meaning 'son' or 'daughter' or by occupation like Møller - naming tradition remained commonly used throughout the Scandinavian countries during the time of surname formation. Forms of the patronymic suffixes include: -son, -sen, -fen, -søn, -ler, -zen, -zon/zoon, and -sson,'datter'.
Urbonavičius is a Lithuanian family name, a patronymic from the given name Urbonas created with the suffix -ičius, which is a Lithuanization of the Polish/Ruthenian patronymic suffix -wicz/-vich.
Scottish surnames are surnames currently found in Scotland, or surnames that have a historical connection with the country.
Shahbazian or Shahbazyan is an Armenian/Iranian patronymic surname. Related surname: Shahbazi. It is derived from the word "Shahbaz" + patronymic suffix "-ian"/"-yan" meaning "descendant of".
By the 18th century almost all Ukrainians had family names. Most Ukrainian surnames are formed by adding possessive and other suffixes to given names, place names, professions and other words.
Arents is a Dutch and German patronymic surname. The form Arentsz is primarily known as a patronym. Notable people with the surname include:
Lievens is a Dutch patronymic surname ("Lieven's") most common in Belgium. People with this surname or patronym include:
Lupulescu is a Romanian-language surname: lup (=wolf) + -ul + -escu. It may also be transcribed via Cyrillic alphabet and back to Latin as Lupulesku. Notable people with this surname include:
Eftimov, feminine: Eftimova is a Bulgarian and Macedonian patronymic surname and a patronym derived from the given name Eftim.
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