Surnames

Where did our surnames come from?
In the Bible they had first names,
And people knew who they were
By word of mouth, not claim to fame.

Maybe it was the region they came from,
Like Joseph of Arimathea,
Or Saul of Tarsus, no glamor or stage names--
Just their home area.

When studying genealogy,
We can research the family name
Back several generations--
But not how it became.

It is said that after the Civil War,
Some freed slaves took the plantation
Owners' last name--they didn't know
Their own--but what was ITS' origin?

As far as I know,
No one has an answer.
I'd have better luck
Asking the origins of cancer.

I've wondered this since
I was a child and my parents couldn't say.
It's genuine curiosity on my part,
The Lord will tell us one day.