surname
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SURNAME. A name which is added to the christian name, and which, in modern
times, have become family names.
2. They are called surnames, because originally they were written over
the name in judicial writings and contracts. They were and are still used
for the purpose of distinguishing persons of the same name. They were taken
from something attached to the persons assuming them, as John Carpenter,
Joseph Black, Samuel Little, &c. See Name.