Why is it that people can have the same last name but not be related?
In: Biology
To answer this you need to understand where the names come from and that, in England at least, hereditary names didn’t take hold until the 16th century when parish records became more commonplace.
Amongst English speaking countries (I can’t speak for others but they are likely similar) there are many reasons for the use of names, including:
– the changing of surnames to fit in, something immigrants have been doing for centuries (such as the surname Schmit being changed to Smith upon arrival to the US etc).
– the adoption of a name related to a profession, some well known still (Smith, Cook, Miller etc) and some not commonly known as professions today (such as Fletcher, Devine, Fowler etc).
– the adoption of a surname related to a physical place (Underhill, Smallwood, York etc)
– the adoption of a surname based to match the feudal power you were living under, sometimes confused with the last point as the last names of the lord often denoted a title or claim to the land (Dudley, Warwick, Ireland)
– the adoption of a surname based on a physical trait (Short, Armstrong, Hardy).
– the adoption of a surname based on your lineage (Robetson, Peterson, Thomson). Interestingly, the name Fitz added to the beginning of a surname was to denote illegitimacy (Fitzroy indicating the illegitimate child of a king).
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