It was how people knew you. What the person's father's name was If your father was William, and you were John, you might be known in town as John, William's son, or John Williamson, or even John Wilson, which is a shortened version of Williamson. If your last name was Short, or Little, Long or Pretty, then your last name was descriptive of how you looked, or perhaps a characteristic of yours. Make a list, and then see below if you are correct. All rights reserved.
All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.