A running gag in my family is about our last name. My maiden name is Neighbors. We always joke that we were neighbors to the guy giving out last names lol.
Well, the eagle is one of the oldest heraldic animals, especially in Germany, so it's not uncommon to be named that way (Arnold, Arndt, Arendt...)
Funny enough, my families coat of arms doesn't have an eagle in it.
It’s isn’t so much that your last name is your families job. (I get the joke. It’s funny- this is just a “fun fact” topical to the joke.) Obviously makes and how they come about change through time and all over the world. That said- job is one. Another common one is lineage- “-son” names are often literally that- “Wilson” was the son of “Wil.” But often last names have to do with a place a person or family lived, a clan or politics, and so on.
They aren’t always obvious either- because of different languages and the transformation of language and slang over time- “Hill” has obvious meanings for a family from the hills to English speakers. “Hild” and names with it are Germanic and usually relating to battle, but from Gaelic to Scottish or Finnish and so on- there are many words for “Hill,” and often words sound or are literally spelled the same in different languages but have different meanings. Names can be quite interesting.
The final factor I’ll mention (I’m trying to keep this short) is that a last name can be inherited without direct meaning. Many groups of subjugated peoples in history were forced to adopt last names following a conquerors whims- sometimes specifically to identify members of the group by name- and sometimes to make their names more in line to the conquerors conventions- often at random. In these forced name changes- a bale may simply be a bastardization of the original name- as it sounds to the one doing the conversion of as sounds similar but more “conventional” to the converting power.
And of course- people would change their own last names. Many reasons. To hide from the law. To avoid persecution, to try and “assimilate” to a society. Many Irish and other immigrants changed their names even if they didn’t come to America through Ellis island or other immigration ports at the turn of last century- because of sentiments to these immigrants. In WW1 and 2, and periods after- many German Americans changed their names to sound “less German.” “Von Braun” would simply become “Brown” for example. Politics and war and history around the world through the ages has caused similar patterns and trends all over.
It’s also common for many people from foreignness countries to change their name simply because it’s hard to pronounce in their new county. This is very common with many Asian and middle eastern folks in the west today to do not (always) from some feeling of persecution necessarily- but because it is annoying or uncomfortable dealing with people butchering their names constantly. And there are things like royalty or power positions that require a name change- or of course celebrities. Charlie and Martin Sheen are relatives of Emilio Estevez- Estevez was the family name until Martin changed it- and a new family was born.
In that instance- Martin chose the name for aforementioned reasons- he was told his distinctly Latino name could cost him work as a leading actor. But it’s quite common for celebrities to change their names simply to “sound cooler” or be more “marketable” or to help protect their family/friends/ and that tied to their given name. But often these celebrities children and grandchildren will then have the newly chosen name- creating a new family with a last name who’s meaning isn’t directly traceable to a root ancestor by its content- but through understanding when that name became the family name and why. Interesting stuff.
Funny enough, my families coat of arms doesn't have an eagle in it.