Norse

Before surnames became commonplace, a method was needed to differentiate between two or more people with the same name. Many surnames in the English language today are a result of this - John Smith, John Taylor, or John Farrier would all have been answers given to the question, “Which John?!” The three Johns may also have been known as John Williamson, Johnson, and Anderson respectively, depending on what their fathers were called. Today nearly everyone knows someone whose surname is rooted in one of these two traditions. But whilst you probably know a Mr. or Mrs. Smith, you probably don’t know a Mr. Butter-Penis. Aside from patronymic indicators (-sons and -sens), the Vikings were fond of giving one another nicknames