What's in a name? Frequently, we don't recognize how important it is to understand our surname origins. Our last name is not just the primary key for every family tree search that we undertake. It represents our family's heritage and history. In fact, it is who we are and why we are living here, wherever that is. Recognizing the origin and meaning of our last names tells us the countries that our ancestors lived in and helps us understand the struggles and challenges that our family has endured over the centuries.
Our last name origins are as unique as our names. When we are researching our family tree we see that some families have lived and died in the same county for many generations. Other families have traveled the globe. Some were seeking a new and better life while others were trying to avoid persecution, famine or war. By taking the time to understand the meaning of our names and recognize its origin we can gain a little insight into our heritage and the strength and perseverance of our ancestors.
When you are researching the meaning of names in your family tree, take the time to trace your ancestry from country to country and try to understand why they moved. Take pride in their fortitude to pack up all of their family and belongings, say goodbye to all their friends and loved ones and move to a new county, country or continent. Record down those moves and trace your surname origins as far back as you can. Document your findings about your origin for future generations. So they too can know, what's in a name.
