What's in a surname?

What your surname says about you is in part a social history of surnames in general, in part a digressive meditation on their meanings (in local politics, in social hierarchy, in fiction), and in part a history of the people who have been interested in them - beginning with William Camden, the 16th-century researcher whose findings on surnames would not be greatly enhanced for centuries afterwards". 'What's in a Surname? A Journey from Abercrombie to Zwicker' is by David McKie.