MyHeritage welcomes you to a new weekly blog post, "Surname of
the week." We'll discuss the origin, history and other
information of one surname in each post. Surnames first appeared
in the Middle Ages as a way to record and document people and
for tax purposes. Details included given names, nicknames,
parents’ names, occupation and residence. This personal
information later became an important part of the history of
surnames. English surnames, as we know them today, began in
England as early as the 11th century. However, it was not until
the late-17th-century that many families adopted permanent
surnames. Generally speaking, family names fall into the
following categories with some examples given: - Occupation:
Smith, Taylor or Miller - Personal characteristics: Young, Black
or White - Geographic or locations: Hamilton, Bush, Hill,
Windsor or Murray - Patronymics, Matronymics or Ancestral:
Stephenson, Richardson or Harris In honor of American-British
Actress Elizabeth Taylor's birthday, we look at TAYLOR thi