A family name, also known as a surname, is a part of a person's name that indicates their family lineage. It is typically passed down from one generation to the next and is used to identify individuals as members of a particular family. In many cultures, the family name appears after the given name, such as in the case of John Smith, where "Smith" is the family name. Family names can reveal information about a person's ancestry, heritage, and sometimes even their occupation or place of origin. For example, the surname Baker may indicate an ancestor who worked as a baker, while Johnson suggests descent from someone named John. Family names play a significant role in social identity and cultural traditions.