Who came up with the idea...?

Question: Who came up with the idea!.!.!.!?

of having a last name!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

Usually it was just to determine what area a person is from!. Like Anthony D'Napoli or something!.

Then when people came to the U!.S!., when they were going through Ellis Island and immigration they gave people the last name based on their jobs!. Like Fiorentino (Flowers or florist) Www@QuestionHome@Com

The oldest use of family or surnames is unclear!. Surnames have arisen in cultures with large, concentrated populations where single names for individuals become insufficient to identify them clearly!. In many cultures, the practice of using additional descriptive terms in identifying individuals has arisen!. These identifying terms or descriptors may indicate personal attributes, location of origin, occupation, parentage, patronage, adoption, or clan affiliation!. Often these descriptors developed into fixed clan identifications which became family names in the sense that we know them today!.

In China, according to legend, family names originate with Emperor Fu Xi in 2852 BC!.
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American's I think!.
I really don't know!.

But in Paris they don't have last names!.

We have this foreign exchange kid in my Algebra II class and he gets all confused when we try to ask him about it!.
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