Discover the origin of your name

What does your surname mean?

As every genealogist knows, we're all the product of our family's history. But genetics aren't the only thing that we pass down the generations. Used to identify our familial bonds, surnames link us to even our most distant ancestors. If your curious about your family history, doing a surname search is a great place to start.

The origin of your last name can reveal a lot about your earliest ancestors' birthplaces, occupations and more.

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Surname of the week

Hall

If you meet a Hall, tell them...

Hall is a surname with various supposed origins from throughout England, Scotland and Wales. It was most commonly assumed to have Anglo-Saxon roots, and spreading from there to other nations, but with numerous explanations as to coming into being. Most often the surname Hall is thought to derive from someone who lived or worked at some kind of hall or manor, as a location or occupation based name. Notably, one source of the Hall name is thought to be from Lincoln in 1090, where nobleman Arthur FitzWilliam decided to change his surname to Hall in order to separate his identity from his similarly named older brother. Another particular grouping of Halls were one of the sixty major families of the Marches of Scotland.