Prior to that time, a person was known only by the single name which was given him at birth. In the beginning, the name Hall belonged only to the person it described. Generations later however, it became hereditary and was passed down from a father to his children to become their family name. Variants are names with the same meaning, but spelled differently. Like most names, Hall has undergone some change since it originated and has also been spelled Haller and Halle .
Names often have equivalents in the languages of other nations.