While the oldest form of surname derives from a person's givenname (John's son became a Johnson; Robert's son became a Robertsonfor example), nickname-derived surnames comprise the largestcategory of surnames. The rise in populations required more ways toidentify a given person. However, various cultures developeddifferent methods. Some cultures don't even use surnames, and theVietnamese culture only has 3 surnames (so far). So, in theEuropean tradition, while many surnames were based upon a person'slocation (Hill, Rivers, Ford) or occupation (Smith, Carpenter,Shoemaker), nicknames based upon appearances or temperament arose(Short, Long, Slim, Brown, and White for example).