Indygenat

Okay, so you know how we all have names, right? Like your name is Johnny or Sarah or whatever your name is. But did you know that a long time ago, some people didn't have last names? They were just called by their first name, like "John" or "Sarah".

But then, in some places, the governments or the churches or other important people started saying that everyone needed a last name too. This was called "indigenat". They would give people a last name based on their family, where they were from, their job, or other things like that.

So for example, if your family was from a place called Smithfield, your last name might become "Smith". Or if your family worked with wood, your last name might become "Wood".

Today, most people have last names, but some cultures still use just first names or have different naming traditions.