History Main / RidiculouslyLongLivedFamilyName

* ''Manga/CaptainHarlock'': In both Arcadia of My Youth and Dimensional Voyage continuity, the Harlock family has stated to be existence since the medieval period, with members depicted in the 19th century and both world wars bearing the same surname, meaning the family name has largely been unchanged since for almost 2,000 years by the time it got to the Pirate Captain that we know. Tochiro's family the Oyamas dates back at least to the 19th century, and implied to be much older than that.

* ''Manga/CaptainHarlock'': In both Arcadia of My Youth and Dimensional Voyage continuity, the Harlock family has stated to be existence since the middle ages, with members depicted in the 19th century and both world wars bearing the same surname, meaning the family name has largely been unchanged since for almost 2,000 years by the time it got to the Pirate Captain that we know. Tochiro's family the Oyamas at least dates back to the 19th century, and implied to be much older than that.

* The Belmont clan of ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' have fought Dracula throughout his various revivals. One of the few exceptions is Reinhardt Schneider, from ''VideoGame/{{Castlevania 64}}'', and the Morris Family (Quincey of ''Literature/{{Dracula}}'' fame, John in Bloodlines, and Jonathan in Portrait of Ruin). They don't bear the name but are still a close enough relation to wield the Vampire Killer whip.

* The [[Film/Underworld2003 Underworld series]] has a fairly absurd version of this. Michael Corvin, the LivingMacguffin of the first film and secondary character in the others, can trace his family name back millennia to ''the very first Vampire''. The whole reason he's targetted as a potential candidate in the first place is ''because'' [[SameSurnameMeansRelated his last name is similar to that of the first Vampire]]

* In ''Literature/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'', a throwaway gag reveals that there was "an accident with a contraceptive and a time machine" which means that Zaphod Beeblebrox's father was Zaphod Beeblebrox II, his grandfather was Zaphod Beeblebrox III and so on. In ''Literature/LifeTheUniverseAndEverything'', in a historical flashback scene set billions of years ago, we meet a Zaphod-like character called Zipo Bibrok 5 x 10^8.* The surname Kinnison, in the ''Literature/{{Lensman}}'' series goes back to ancient {{Atlantis}} (in the form "Kinnexa") and from there forward to 20th-century Earth and then to the undated far future of Kimball Kinnison's time. In the ''[[TabletopGame/GURPSSettings GURPS Lensman]]'' setting book it's implied that the name goes all the way to a pre-human plains ape named Kinah.

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': In the episode "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS7E19JourneysEnd Journey's End]]", Captain Picard learns of one of his ancestors from the 17th century, which is about 700 years past.

* In ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', the episode "Bar Association" reveals that O'Brien (a man in the 24th century) has an ancestor from the 19th century named Sean O'Brien.

* In ‘’literature/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'', a throwaway gag reveals that there was "an accident with a contraceptive and a time machine" which means that Zaphod Beeblebrox's father was Zaphod Beeblebrox II, his grandfather was Zaphod Beeblebrox III and so on. In ''Literature/LifeTheUniverseAndEverything'', in a historical flashback scene set billions of years ago, we meet a Zaphod-like character called Zipo Bibrok 5 x 10^8.* The surname Kinnison, in the ''Literature/{{Lensman}}'' series goes back to ancient {{Atlantis}} (in the form "Kinnexa") and from there forward to 20th-century Earth and then to the undated far future of Kimball Kinnison's time. In the ''[[TabletopGame/GURPSSettings GURPS Lensman]]'' setting book it's implied that the name goes all the way to a pre-human plains ape named Kinah.

* In ''Film/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'', a throwaway gag reveals that there was "an accident with a contraceptive and a time machine" which means that Zaphod Beeblebrox's father was Zaphod Beeblebrox II, his grandfather was Zaphod Beeblebrox III and so on. In ''Literature/LifeTheUniverseAndEverything'', in a historical flashback scene set billions of years ago, we meet a Zaphod-like character called Zipo Bibrok 5 x 10^8.

* The surname Kinnison, in the ''Literature/{{Lensman}}'' series goes back to ancient {{Atlantis}} (in the form "Kinnexa") and from there forward to 20th-century Earth and then to the undated far future of Kimball Kinnison's time. In the ''[[TabletopGame/GURPSSettings GURPS Lensman]]'' setting book it's implied that the name goes all the way to a pre-human plains ape named Kinah.

* ''Literature/HarryPotter'': While many old wizarding families in Britain did experience name changes through the centuries [[spoiler:(i.e. the Gaunts were direct descendants of Salazar Slytherin but did not carry the Slytherin name)]], some can trace their surnames back over a thousand years. Justified, since wizards tend to live longer and thus are better able to pass on their family names, and certain wizarding families (usually those associated with Slytherin House) became obsessed with proving their blood purity, so kept strong records.

Often seen because having the SameSurnameMeansRelated. Compare LineageComesFromTheFather. See also AncestralName and KingBobTheNth.

* The Belmont clan of ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' have fought Dracula throughout his various revivals. One of the few exceptions is Reinhardt Schneider, from ''VideoGame/{{Castlevania 64}}'', and the Morris Family (Quincey of ''Literature/{{Dracula}}'' fame, John, and Jonathan).'' They don't bear the name but are still a close enough relation to wield the Vampire Killer whip.

* The Belmont clan of ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' have fought Dracula throughout his various revivals. One of the few exceptions is Reinhardt Schneider, from ''VideoGame/{{Castlevania 64}}'', and the Morris Family (Quincey of ''Literature/Dracula'' fame, John, and Jonathan).'' They don't bear the name but are still a close enough relation to wield the Vampire Killer whip.

* The Belmont clan of ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' have fought Dracula throughout his various revivals. One of the few exceptions is Reinhardt Schneider, from ''VideoGame/{{Castlevania 64}}, and the Morris Family (Quincey of ''Literature/Dracula'' fame, John, and Jonathan).'' They don't bear the name but are still a close enough relation to wield the Vampire Killer whip.

* The Belmont clan of ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' have fought Dracula throughout his various revivals. One of the few exceptions is Reinhardt Schneider, from ''VideoGame/{{Castlevania 64}}.'' He doesn't bear the name but is still a close enough relation to wield the Vampire Killer whip.

* In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', noble family names last a very long time. The Stark name lasts about 8,000 years as of the start of the series.

Sometimes in fiction, it appears as if family names are absurdly enduring. It might make sense for royal or noble families to have names go on for generations, but it doesn't make as much sense for others, especially because the way surnames are inherited varies by culture and time period. China has had family names since 2,000 BC., while in the West, surnames fell out of fashion after the collapse of the Roman Empire, if they didn't just use UsefulNotes/{{patronymic}}s to begin with, like many Germanic and Celtic tribes. In England, nobles didn't get surnames until the Norman Conquest in the 11th century and commoners did not get them until the 14th century.

** Sirius Black states that the House of Black could trace their name back to the Middle Ages, and many members intermarried to "keep the line pure", not something he was particularly proud of. [[spoiler: With his death, the Black family name died out, though their blood lives on in the Tonks and Malfoy families.]]

** The Potter name traces back to the 12th Century, when Linfred of Stinchcombe became known as "The Potterer", passing his name to his son, Hardwin Potter.
* The surname Kinnison, in the ''Literature/{{Lensman}}'' series goes back to ancient {{Atlantis}} (in the form "Kinnexa") and from there forward to twentieth-century Earth and then to the undated far future of Kimball Kinnison's time. In the ''[[TabletopGame/GURPSSettings GURPS Lensman]]'' setting book it's implied that the name goes all the way to a pre-human plains ape named Kinah.

* ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'': The names of each of the Great Houses that control the Successor States: Davion, Kurita, Steiner, Marik, and Liao, all go back centuries. House Kurita, the family that controls the Draconis Combine, traces its name all the way back to Terra in the 20th Century!

* The Roman [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_gens gens Julia]], best known for producing Gaius UsefulNotes/JuliusCaesar, lasted at least 1,200 years judging by the election of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaius_Julius_Iullus_(consul_489_BC) Gaius Julius Iullus]] in 489 BC, with the last notable member being Julius Celsus in the seventh century AD. And family legends claimed the clan was founded by Iulus, son of [[Literature/TheAeneid Aeneas]], a survivor of the Trojan War.

* In between ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' and ''VideoGame/TalesOfPhantasia'', the Fujibayashi name has remained unchanged for thousands of years - four thousand according to the most popular {{Fanon}} - between the two installments.

* ''Manga/FairyTail'': The name Heartfilia goes back at least four hundred years, as shown with Anna Heartfilia, and has continued on since into the present day of the series, as shown with Anna's present-day descedants, Layla and Lucy Heartfilia.

* ''Manga/FairyTail'': The name Heartfilia goes back at least four hundred years, as shown with Anna Heartfilia, and has continued on since into the present day of the series, as shown with Anna's present-day descedents, Layla and Lucy Heartfilia.

* In ''FanFic/TheApprenticeTheStudentAndTheCharlatan'', while [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic ponies]] usually don't use last names, there are a few exceptions, such as Twilight Sparkle, whose distant ancestor Starlight Sparkle is the matriarch of the Sparkle family and was born close to 1000 years prior to when the fic takes place. In addition, slightly enforced by the various noble unicorn houses that have been around for 1,200+ years, such as the Novus family and the Lulamoon family. Sometimes members of the family do take on the family name as a surname, such as Comet Novus (Starlight Sparkle's father) or Ray Novus (protagonist Nova Shine's father) or most members of the Lulamoon including Trixie, her father Tantalus, and the clan matriarch Lucia.

* ''Literature/ArtemisFowl'': The Butlers have been, well, butlers to the Fowl family for centuries, the first known one (Virgil Butler) being [[BattleButler servant, bodyguard and cook]] to Lord Hugo de Foley sometime in the Middle Ages, leading to in-universe speculation that the job title comes from the family name.[[note]]In fact, it comes from the Old French ''boteiller'', the man in charge of the bottles of wine.[[/note]]

* The surname Kinnison, in the ''Literature/{{Lensman}}'' series goes back to ancient {{Atlantis}} (in the form "Kinnexa") and from there forward to twentieth century Earth and then to the undated far future of Kimball Kinnison's time. In the ''[[TabletopGame/GURPSSettings GURPS Lensman]]'' setting book it's implied that the name goes all the way to a pre-human plains ape named Kinah.

** The Harman family have kept their surname for thousands of years, dating back to the family's founder, Hellewise, in the Stone Age, though it should be noted that originally their surname was Hearth-Woman (which was originally treated more like an inherited title) and over the centuries it morphed into Harman. The family has been known as the Harmans since the 17th century at the very least. It helps that witches are matrineal, so surnames are passed from mother to daughter, and female witches are far more common than male witches. Some Harmans who became separated from witch society have different surnames due adopting patrilineal naming conventions of, though they're still considered Harmans.

* The Belmont clan of ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' have fought Dracula throughout his various revivals. One of the few exceptions is Reinhardt Schneider, from ''VideoGame/{{Castlevania 64}}.'' He doesn't bear the name, but is still a close enough relation to wield the Vampire Killer whip.

** The Septims were the ruling dynasty of the Third Tamriellic Empire, lasting for over 400 years. Every single recognized monarch in that span (not counting a select few [[RegentForLife regents-turned-monarchs]]) beared the Septim surname. Even real life dynasties that last half of that span rarely keep the same "surname" (or equivalent, like a house name) as they usually, eventually pass through a female line, causing it to change in most cases.

* In between ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' and ''VideoGame/TalesOfPhantasia'', the Fujibayashi name has remained unchanged for the thousands of years - four thousand according to the most popular {{Fanon}} - between the two installments.

* ''WesternAnimation/LoonaticsUnleashed'': Ace Bunny finds himself being targeted by one Electro J Fudd, a "sportsman" with cloaking technology. Lexi Bunny is able to trace the Fudd lineage all the way back to the Stone Age, when a Fudd died on a hunt after being stepped on by a dinosaur. The Fudd bloodline apparently considers hunting their ''raison d'etre'', they tend to perish on a hunt, but they're smart enough to breed before going out after their quarries.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS24E21TheSagaOfCarl The Saga Of Carl]]" reveals Carl's adopted Icelandic family, despite being regular folk and pariahs, have held the surname Carlson for over a thousand years to the point they still get the blame for their ancestors being perceived as cowards who abandoned the defences and allowed Viking Raiders to massacre their kinsfolk. [[CreatorsCultureCarryover This is made all the more absurd by the fact that Icelandic surnames don't work like other cultures family names]].

* UsefulNotes/OdaNobunaga's family still exists, with figure skater Oda Nobunari being his direct descendant. Likewise, UsefulNotes/TokugawaIeyasu's family is also still around and even maintains the Tokugawa Memorial Foundation to preserve and display the various artifacts and documents passed down the family over the centuries. In 2023, writer and critic Iehiro Tokugawa, 57, was named 19th head of the household. Meanwhile, no direct descendants of UsefulNotes/ToyotomiHideyoshi exist (partially because Hideyoshi himself didn't have that big a family to begin with), but there are some people believed to be descended from branches of the family (who no longer use the Toyotomi name, unlike the Oda and Tokugawa).

* ''Manga/FairyTail'': The name Heartfilia goes back at least four hundred years, as shown with Anna Heartfilia, and has continued on since into the present day of the series, as shown with Anna?s present day descedents, Layla and Lucy Heartfilia.