What is the earliest knowledge you have of your family name?

[Vtec44]

Probably around 500 BC, no joke. My ancestors were disciples of Confucius. The most well known was Zeng Shen ( 曾參 ). That's my last name in Chinese (曾).

 

[petrochemist117 142]

I've traced my surname back to a marriage (& subsequent birth) in 1741 in Holland, in the town where my grandfather was born. I expect 'Hent' would have been born about 1700-1725.
That's 7 generations back from me. In the records I've been able to find on-line there's are no examples of my family name in the UK prior to 1815 and very few I can't trace the link too.
Variations in the spelling of the name have pretty much ruled out taking it back further, I've seen at least 5 variations in letters delivered at home!

My mothers side the I have ancestors with her surname back to 1730, (7 generations again) and unconfirmed links going back to Hamelin Plantagenet (Half brother of King Henry II ~1150) and before that supposedly back to Odin. I'm sure there has been some creative recording of ancestry of the noble families just how far before Geoffrey le Bon this is I couldn't say!
If the link of Elizabeth Glanville to the family she's reputably descended from can be traced the rest is fairly confident as far as the Plantagenets.
Mum's confirmed pedigree goes back to 9 generations from me but I don't have DOB for the earliest 2 generations having a grandson born 1727 almost certainly takes him back to the late 1600's)

 

[SquarePeg37 8]

Interesting thread. On my mom's side, I have an aunt who is the family historian. She's been working on our family tree which goes back to Portugal and Ireland. I've been largely avoiding discussing it with her as she tends to go on for hours when she finds an interested ear. I'll have to bite the bullet when I see her this weekend and ask her how far back she's gotten. As for my maiden surname, my dad was adopted by his stepfather but I do have his biological father's birth certificate which shows his father (my biological great great grandfather) who would have been born around the turn of the century. I've never tried to trace it back further than that but I've heard stories that he came over from Italy before WW1.

 

[pendennis]

My own research has taken me to 18th century Virginia and Maine (then part of Massachusetts) on my father's side. I have a cousin who has done genealogical research on my mother's family, all the way back to 15th century England and France. However, there are some dead ends.

I've belonged to Ancestry.com for several years, and they're a great source of data. However, as with any research, there are errors encountered in public records, and there's often no substitute for personally visiting historical record sites.

 

[table1349]

there's often no substitute for personally visiting historical record sites.

I keep telling my wife that but she keeps saying I can't go to Edinburgh Scotland for a couple of weeks.

 

[limr30 3]

I have never had any real interest in genealogy, so I can't tell you how far back my own personal relations to my surname go. I do know that my surname from my father has been around since the 9th century and is thought to have originated with the Visigoths, who then made their way to central Portugal. This is where my father is from,which certainly explains why my mother used to call my father a Visigoth when she was angry at him.

I also have a surname from my mother, and it dates back to the 11th century, associated with the northern region of Portugal and the Galician area of Spain. And yes, my mother is from northern Portugal. This area was largely Celtic before the Romans arrived. They weren't exactly the most peaceful people, so my mother should really not have been throwing stones at my Visigoth father.

So...I'm Portuguese and have two surnames that have been Portuguese for centuries. Both those surnames are extremely common in their respective areas, and I have exactly zero interest in trying to sort out which ones are distantly related to me and which weren't. It would affect my life in no way whatsoever.

 

[table1349]

The general family tree these days.

 

[weepete]

Round about 902

 

[table1349]

Round about 902

Was that the time this morning or the year?

 

[Piccell]

Do you mean actual connection to the name ... or just earliest record of the surname possibly unrelated ?

... and for someone who does not seem a participant in the forum ... why do you ask ?

If by participant, you mean one who participates by offering ideas, opinions or starting topics of discussion, it would appear that the OP is participating right now...in this thread.
You don't seem very neighborly or welcoming.
Your comment reminds me of the Sheriff that walks up to you after he pulls you over for no reason and says; "Yo not from around here, are ya? We don't take to strangers in our town, best be moving along so as no one gets hurt none. Yo have a nice day now, y'hear?"

The OP has been a member for over a year & has posted 2 threads unrelated to photography & AFAIK nothing related. So the comment is not unjustified...

I never said it was unjustified, I said it is unfriendly, and it is. That's all.

 

[Piccell]

17895ish. In that year, in the village my ancestors came from, there two lads with the same name. One went to Australia and the other (my ancestor) went to London. As we do not know which lad was which, we cannot trace our family any further back.

17985??? That's 15,969 years off in the future isn't it? :") I am definitely intrigued, please tell us more.

Too many damn keys on this keyboard!

Darn, a standard common mistake, I had hoped for so much more. I was going to ask if we were still Earthbound or if we had moved to other planets and stars. Oh well.

 

[dxqcanada2]

I never said it was unjustified, I said it is unfriendly, and it is. That's all.

No prob ... just the way forums are.

 

[table1349]

I never said it was unjustified, I said it is unfriendly, and it is. That's all.

No prob ... just the way forums are.

Wow, who would have ever thought that a forum would be like the real world?

 

[snowbear115 47]

Don't know, for sure, but the first polar bears appeared about 120,000 years ago.

 

[Piccell]

I never said it was unjustified, I said it is unfriendly, and it is. That's all.

No prob ... just the way forums are.

Wow, who would have ever thought that a forum would be like the real world?

They aren't.