Kay Manternack, aged 10, of Denver, Colo. for her question:

How did family names originate?

Once in a blue moon we meet a carpenter whose real name is Mr. Carpenter, or a baker named Mr. Baker. Nowadays, this suitable naming is always a surprise. But there was a time when all, or nearly all, family names were reasonable. The miller was named Miller, the Smith was named Smith and the butcher was named Butcher.

This was about nine hundred years ago, when William I conquered England. William was an orderly fellow and he had the names of most of his subjects written in a book ‑ the Doomsday Book. This was confusing, for family names were not commonly in use at the time. There were long lists of Johns and Samuels and no way of telling which John was which or one Sam from another.

So it seemed sensible to tack, an extra bit of information after the given name of each John and Sam. This one is John the biker. That one is John the tailor. This one is Sam the Carter and that one, Sam the smith. Very soon this became John Baker and Sam Smith. And the second name was shared by the whole family. Taylor, Tylor, Wright, Clark and Cooper and family names which started in this fashion. Naturally, this failed to make sense after Peter Baker, the baker's son, decided to be a miller. For he stayed Peter Baker, and his children were Baker after him.

Other family names were taken from the father's first name. The first Bill Johnson was William, son of John. This distinguished him from Bill Peterson, who was William, son of Pete. The Scots tacked the syllable meaning son‑of in front of the father's given name. Alan Mac Donald meant Alan, son of Donald, The Irish out an 0 in front of the father's given name to make a family name. The first to be named James 0' Brian, was James, son of Brian,

Some people took their family name from a place. There were the Moores who once probably lived on or near or across a, moor. There were the Fords who may have lived near or even tended a ford in .a, river. There were Hills, Woods, Lakes and Wells ‑ all family names taken from places. And some family names were taken from directions, maybe direct ans in which people  directions in which people lived or where they came from. Such family names as North, and Eastman, West and Southerly are taken from directions which at one time had a meaning for the family.

These names seem reasonable enough. But what of the families named wolf, Fox, Lyon, Lamb or Swann? Was some remote ancestor hungry as a wolf, clever as a fox, brave a s a lion, gentle as a lamb or graceful as a swan? Maybe. But more likely these names were taken from shop signs. Inns and taverns displayed pictures and iron cutouts, often of animals, over the doors. A family may have taken its name from the wolf over the door.

Family names grew much the same way in other languages. Some distant ancestor had a good reason for taking this or that family name. And he handed it on to his children .‑ whether it suited them or not.