* Last names emerged over a period of several centuries, starting around the 10th century AD in Europe. This was a time of significant population growth and urbanization, making it more difficult to distinguish people from each other.
* Early last names were often descriptive, based on a person's occupation (Smith, Miller), physical characteristics (Black, Long), or place of origin (London, Hill).
* Hereditary last names became more common in the 13th and 14th centuries, as societies started to use them for taxation, land ownership, and legal purposes.
It's important to note that:
* Different cultures developed last names at different times. For example, many Asian cultures have family names that are passed down through generations, but these often differ in origin and structure from European last names.
* The adoption of last names wasn't always a smooth process. In some areas, people resisted using last names, and some individuals even changed their last names multiple times throughout history.
So, while we can't give a precise date for the invention of last names, we can say that they evolved over a long period of time, driven by social and political factors.