It's not that silly. Your last name used to be your profession.
That's why Smith is one of the most common last names: blacksmith, silversmith, goldsmith, locksmith. I'm not kidding. The last names actually used to be Blacksmith and Goldsmith, but over time they split into Black, Gold, and Smith. Cooper is another example of this. A cooper was someone who made barrels. Also Miller, Baker, Carpenter, Taylor, and Cook.
Other last names evolved from location (Lake, Hill), heritage (Danson aka "Son of Dan) or physical traits (Noseworthy, Small).
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