This surname is shared across cultures and can also be found in Japanese as Hayashi (林). Whennotused as a surname, 林 means “woods” or “forest,” represented by two tree (木; mù) radicals placed side by side, visually depicting a forest. ...
For many years of Japan's long history, Japanese surnames have been handed down patrilineally. This study investigated relations between major surnames and Y chromosomal polymorphism among the Japanese male population. To analyze genetic phylogeny in namesakes, the Y-single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP...
Surnames could also come from places — a hint that a name comes from a place might be the endings -field, -ford, -brook, or -wood, for example. The original locative name of “Henry of the Marsh” might be shortened over the years to Henry Marsh. ...