Where do they come from so many names as there are now?

Question

Where do they come from so many names as there are now?

Answer 1

Surnames come from occupations (Cook, Baker, Fletcher), father's names (Johnson, Simons, Rodriguez), physical characteristics (Little, Strong, Brown) and homes (Marsh, Rivers, York).

Answer 2

Some are the same name spelt differently such as O'Neill, O'Neal, Mullan, Mullen, Mullin, Mallon, Mellon, Brown, Braun, Goldsmith/Gelschmitt, Powell, Ferguson, Windsor, Winser, Kelly, O'Kelly, O'Doherty, Doherty, O'Donnell, McCrystal, McCrystall, McCristal, McCristall, McKane, O'Kane, McNamee, McNamara, Thomas, Thompson, Wallace, Welch, Breslin, Braisland, Boyle, O'Boyle and so on...

Even double-barrelled names add to the complexity of different names