In today’s society we all want to know who we are and where are names originated from.
             Our names are what give us our style and individuality. Our ancestors came from all over the
             world all having names that are a true mystery to us. Surnames or better known as last names
             are a very interesting topic, they are like our first names but give us identity through our family.
             Looking back into history our names have changed drastically keeping some from knowing what
             their surnames really originated. We can all find where our names originated from or what they
             represent, by doing some research. There are many ways to do this whether you call a relative,
             research in a library or, play on the Internet. If you are curious about what your surname means
             or where it originated then I suggest you look into it.
             Curious about where my surname originated, I began to research it. I started out on the
             Internet and then I headed to the library. I found many things that did not pertain to my current
             search, but I kept on plugging away to find what I wanted. I found that my surname was from an
             old Cheshire family traced from a Norman Origin before the year of 1100. The surname had
             many nobles, castles, estates and manors. The Richardson surname spread throughout Europe in
             the eleventh and twelfth century. The first settlers to the states by this name settled in New
             England in 1637 and then the name branched off towards Virginia in 1640. Never thinking
             about what my surname was until now, I wondered how surnames originated.
             The use of surnames originated in Europe in the eleventh and fifteenth century. Also in
             Scandinavia around the same time surnames were introduced. The reason there was not
             surnames before this time was the fact that most people were illiterate living in small villages in
             a country atmosphere. Living out in the country these people had no reason to learn to read or
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