{"id":85330,"date":"2024-02-09T15:53:24","date_gmt":"2024-02-09T10:23:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.articlesreader.com\/?p=85330"},"modified":"2024-02-12T14:36:48","modified_gmt":"2024-02-12T09:06:48","slug":"most-common-last-names","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.articlesreader.com\/most-common-last-names\/","title":{"rendered":"20 Most Common Last Names in the World"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Common<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Last names are the strongest historical ties we have to our ancestors. For example, the most popular last names in the U.S., are a country of immigrants, typically of English and Spanish origin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Common last names are evolving in regions where migration is very high. We can look at lists of common last names or popular surnames and compare data over time to see changing trends. Interestingly, the Hispanic surnames Rodriguez and Garcia entered the top ten for the first time in U.S. history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Brief History of Last Names<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

First of all, what is a last name? That\u2019s not as simple as this question looks like. Not all countries have a tradition of even using last names, and most of those who do–looking at you, Europe–only adopted them in the late Middle Ages or afterwards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tradition of how a last name is assigned, and how it is passed from generation to generation, is complex. Not only does it vary between cultures, but how we get our last names has also shifted over time because of social changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, in Anglophone (English-speaking<\/a><\/strong>) cultures, it is traditional for a woman to change her birth last name (the so-called \u201cmaiden name\u201d) to her husband\u2019s last name once she marries. This tradition decreased somewhere after the feminist and suffragist movements and continues to decline significantly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In contrast, the people from West Sumatra, Minangkabau don’t have familial last names. Instead, they have clan names which pass matrilineally. In other words, clan names are given to the children from their mothers, not their fathers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, remember that in many cultures and countries, last names are a relatively recent phenomenon. For example, the last name used as part of your legal identification in European culture only dates back to about the 15th century. Some countries have adopted last names even more recently. Turkey, for instance, only adopted the usage of last names in 1934–by legal mandate!  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Societies that use last names usually use them to help identify a person\u2019s current community, ancestry, or other culturally identifying characteristic. According to anthropologists and linguists, last names tend to fall broadly into these five categories:<\/p>\n\n\n\n