In an effort to classify the beginning of the current era in European History, scholars used to divide the medieval period into two separate parts, the Dark Ages (4th through 9th century) and the Middle Ages (up through 14th century) . The use of the surname, one thing that was lost at the end of Roman Empire, or the beginning of the Dark Ages, was also an effort to classify, however in this case it was meant to distinguish between different individuals with the same given name. This paper will explore the history of the surname as its use re-emerged in European society between the 4th and the 14th centuries.
During the peak of the Roman Empire, ancient Italy is estimated to have had a population of at least 6.7 million people from such diverse places as Bavaria, Provence, Albania, Greece, and even Brittania . This diverse population, coupled with a geography that encouraged endogamy (marrying within one's locale), helped to establish and create an elaborate three-name system that included one's given name, clan name, and a family name . After the collapse, however, this practice was lost and not resurrected until at least six hundred years later in Venice. It then spread to France and onto parts of England, Germany, and Scandinavia . By the time William the Conquerer came to England in 1066 C.E., surnames were quite common in France and becoming more so in England and other parts of Europe .
As noted by William Camden in Remaines of a Greater Worke Concerning Britaine (1586), these surnames were not necessarily the names of the sires or fathers of people who were using them. There were called "surnames" because they were "super added" to the Christian names in an effort to distinguish between different individuals of the same name, such as "John" or "Mary". Another term for these surnames was "renombres", Spanish for "renames" . These surnames came from a variety of different places. For example, in areas such as Swede...