It is not known when a name was first used as a family name and passed from a parent to the children (often from father to son), but instances of the practice are found in Europe approximately 1000 A.D.
[1][2][3][4][5] The surname may have come from a place name or a geographical feature.
(Early Native Americans (indigenous peoples of America) did not use the naming convention of the Europeans, choosing instead to name their children after places, animals, events, religious symbols, etc.)
(References found indicate these names are related to or are the same family(s).)
(Errors in transcription or personal preference are some of the reasons surnames change over time.