From the mid 10th century, the Normans ravaged all of Europe to the tip of Sicily, quickly, thoroughly and effectively, despite (or because of) their conversion to Christianity. Powerful and land hungry they spread themselves thinly but with great determination and ruthlessness and had begun seeding the British Isles about 1002, long before the Battle of Hastings.  
 As a feudal society, family possessions and land acquisitions, required an identity tag a little more sophisticated than “Tyson the Terrible” (an actual Norman name of great renown). Heritable family ownership and dynasty continuity were paramount, and became the prime motivation for the surname. This tag followed its own set of crude rules from its inception. Eventually protocols changed, became more refined and were adapted on the fly. These emerging social, quasi-legal rules were vital to domain ownership in this exploding feudal empire.  
 The post-Conquest period, left the Normans with almost as big an empire as the Romans 1000 years before. It was not controlled by insular, non fraternizing legions of well trained and disciplined warriors and walled cities, but by a system of 'hands on' feudal domain ownership. During this crucial period of surname development, the Normans influenced surnames, ownership and title in Britain and throughout Europe. The surname became an organizational necessity in an emerging world of domain possessions, posterities and their hard fought physical and legal entitlements.    
 

Where it  
all began 
 
  
 Background 
 
 
Norman 
History 
 

Saxon  
Bias 
 
 
 The   
Cartwright Example  
 

 
Surname Distribution 
 
 

Norman Surnaming 
 
 
 

Conclusion