Akchewly the history of surnames in an interesting field of study.
Some are derived from an ancestor's profession or job and others come from places where their ancestors lived. My own is said to have been given, originally, to those born within a parish where the local church was dedicated to a Priest who was Barbecued by the Romans.
Legend has it that Saint Lawrence (or Lorens) was a very holy man who was ordered to bring out his parish treasures and hand them to the Romans. He called together the poor of his parish and told the Romans "These are the treasures of my church" and they put him on a gridiron to roast as punishment.
Variants on this tale can be found, if you care to look, all over the internet.
On the subject of one's name being p*ssed about with ... people often have trouble with spelling mine (you should see what the Welsh do with it!) and I have always, when asked, replied "As in Arabia".
One smart arse addressed me as Mr O'Toole for years.
