Where does your family surname come from?

My family surname is as widespread as Smith, in the county I come from, but uncommon anywhere else. We have a crest too.

I suspect, however, a bit like the Derbyvilles in Thomas Hardy's 'Tess', that my branch of the family were the peasant farmers.

How does this work without signing up?

The family name is mentioned in the Domesday Book. Well it would be, wouldn't it ? Very interesting though.

My maiden name is found in both Sicily and Malta. My paternal grandfather grew up in Malta speaking Italian. Researching my surname it's far more common in the US and Australia than here stronger patterns of immigration to those places. My mother's maiden name was French. The French side of my grandfather's paternal family came from both La Rochelle and Alsace. Her French surname is also very prevalent in the southern states of America. My mother also had an Irish grandmother from Limerick, anyone who has Irish ancestors, most of us know that because the IRA blew up the central records office, it's quite hard to get information about Irish family names Not so with the English side of her family who were in and around villages in Kent, the surnames I have for them go back several centuries, they're all pretty bog standard English surnames, like Townsend, a name I imagine which is pretty self explanatory! My paternal grandmother's English side came from North Devon. I've found loads of names on that line, as the church records go back almost pre Reformation. When I first started on my genealogy quest there was a site, possibly on Ancestry, which showed geographical clusters of particular surnames. Although I always remember reading that the prevalence of Scandinavian names, such as Anderson are far more likely to be in the north of England and Scotland.

I have one of the most boring surnames known to man. And woman.

No idea where it came from

I wish it had stayed there

Maiden name is a clan name and married name is southern German. There are only 6 or so of us and we’re all related.

My surname isn't listed but there are only 7 of us and we're all related.
My maiden name is locked and it wants me to subscribe to find anything out, I'm not that interested.

My maiden name comes from a well known Danish Viking king.
I've always had an affinity with the sea, GGFs+ were masters of colliers trading in the Baltic and the Med.

My maiden name is the Durham version of Richardson. My married name is Welsh, and very common.

I missed the free access!

A few generations ago one branch of DH's family fell out with the rest of them and changed their name to an entirely made up word. There are only about 500 people in the world with our surname. And we're all related.

Same as me Septimia, Maiden name is a place as is my married name.

Maiden name French, married name a profession. Neither very common and always asked to spell them.
Funnily enough the French cannot pronounce the English version of my maiden surname, great fun with cold callers as I refuse to co-operate unless they do, hehe.

Mine originated from Scandonavia and family members move to America.
And ironically all the females were all house keepers as was i.

and my maiden name- straight from Huguenot ancestors

Devon- Stoke Gabriel

Both my maiden name and my married surname are both of occupations and very humble ones.
I know my place.

My husbands 3x ggf came from Devon apparently anyone with his unusual surname all come from one small village even nowadays if you see it you can be sure they originate from there.I'm in contact with Australian s and Canadians with the name and they all go back to 5xggp's from the village .

Easy - maiden name is clearly a place name, and I can trace ancestors back to that area. Married name is a place name, too.

Mine is from the Romans. I know that much

We don't know.

Someone once suggested to Grandpa that it meant a person who makes dry stone dykes.

Myself I suspect someone just couldn't spell and wrote a fairly common Mc name with a different letter after Mc than usual.

Or alternatively, swopped a for e in the last syllable.

Surnames are:

a) describe some ancestor's appearance e.g. Campbell = crooked mouth. Kennedy=ugly head or big head.

or

b) trade e.g. Taylor=tailor. Telfer means blacksmith. Lorimer means harness maker. Smith=smith. Ray=king or servant or tenant of king. May be some ancestor who possessed a useful and expensive thing to do with their trade such as Bull.

c) where ancestor came from i.e. a place name including topographical names like Hill. Also may refer to an ancestor who belonged to a great estate or landowner like Earl.
Place name names were often given to ancestors by strangers in work places the ancestor had moved to to find work.

d) very common are names like Sanderson or Roberts which refer to an ancestor's parentage.

e) Fitz names refer to the illegitimate son of some important person who recognises the son but does not make him his heir.

f) Mac names refer to an ancestor who belonged to a clan as a relation or a servant or a tenant. There are Welsh and Irish equivalents.

g) names that date back to a foreigner and have become corrupted from the original.

Help, I think everyone is on there, I'm struggling to access it.

Could you provide a link please?

Polite, courteous and well bred.
Got it in 1 (3) ?
Bit of a giveaway