Where did last names come from and do they have any meaning?

Question: Where did last names come from and do they have any meaning!?
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

Last names or surnames were originally assumed by people to distinguish themselves, one from another!. The names adopted were taken from the place they lived, the work they did, something about their appearance, a nick-name, or simply they were named as John's son = Johnson !. Richard's son = Richardson, or they might have taken the name of their feudal master, patron saint, king, the source was almost without bounds!.

Helmer
Last name origins & meanings:
South German: occupational name for a helmet-maker, from Middle High German helm ‘helmet’ + the agent suffix -er!.
German and Dutch: from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements helm ‘helmet’, ‘protection’ + heri, hari ‘army’; or from one composed of the elements hail ‘whole’, ‘sound’ + mari, meri ‘renowned’; or from one composed of the elements helm ‘helmet’ + hard ‘hardy’, ‘brave’, ‘strong’!.
Jewish (Ashkenazic): ornamental name, a derivative of Helm!.

Edit : surnames in Europe took well over 100 years to become established as hereditary names, that is something around four generations and more during the 13th!. and 14th!. centuries, it became necessary because of the ever increasing population size and the number of people in the same villages and towns using the same first name,they were not 'introduced', nobody said "from tomorrow you must have a hereditary surname", they basically just evolved through necessity and convenience!. Had it been for taxation purposes we would probably now have a valuable resource available to us for genealogical research!. In Britain (and most of Europe) from the time of the Norman conquest the majority of the population was unfree, they were serfs and villeins whose lives were controlled by their 'lords' and 'masters', this situation began to change during the latter half of the 14th!. century but did not die out completely until about 1600 so it would have been comparatively easy to collect taxes from a "captive" population, and it was done, often through the churches, very efficiently, prior to the adoption sunames!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Last names, or surnames, are names added onto to a given name that gives identifying information about a person!. What information they gave depends on the culture the name came from!. In the modern United States, surnames carry little meaning!. They can be changed at will or even made up!. In historic England, the name might identify the trade of a person (or of their ancestors), such as Baker or Cooper!. Patrynomic surnames like the Scandanavian Oleson (son of Ole) or Russian Ivanova (daughter of Ivan) gave information about who the father was!. Other names denoted origin or standing in the community!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Originally, last or surnames related to the work or trade someone did or was related to a relationship in a family as a way of identifying a specific individual!.!.!. e!.g!. Johnson!.!.!.the son of John, Fletcher!.!.!.one who made feathers for arrows, Farmer (guess!), Butcher, one who worked with meat, Carpenter!.!.!.one who worked with wood or Cooper, a person who made barrels!.
Overtime, spellings have changed as standard spelling happened much later!.
Some names e!.g!. Christian may have been used to identify an aspect of a persons character!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation!. In England this was known as Poll Tax!. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

You can find out about your last name on Google, it's easy, anyway, last names originated when people wanted people to know what family they came from, and yes it has meaning!.Www@QuestionHome@Com