Changes

While using naming designations of sorts to distinguish people through a second name has existed since early recorded history, systems were not generally fixed and surnames were often only relevant during a lifetime of an individual. Sometimes kinship-based surnames lasted for multiple generations, in cases where clan distinctions would be used. However, in many parts of the world surnames were either nonexistent or were not fixed. Distinguishing class became a primary motive for the development of surnames in the West, starting after the Norman conquest. Soon, this pattern was imitated by lower classes. It was only during the rapid expansion of European powers and influence from around 1600 did formal, fixed surnames become a global phenomenon. By that point, many regions either imitated or may have been even forced to adopt fixed surnames to keep track of individuals and facilitate record keeping.