The topics and methods covered by the papers in this Special Issue reflect the unique interdisciplinarity of the study of family names and names in general. It includes papers related to name origins, linguistic development, distribution, heredity, and sociocultural factors, showing how vibrant and varied the field has become. When considered together, and in the context of previous research on names, the papers in this Special Issue show that the study of family names continues to develop in new and interesting ways, and that they can be acknowledged as a significant site of research from a wide range of perspectives.