The Guild of One-Name Studies was formed in 1979 and has grown and developed a great deal since that time. Predominately there is focus on surnames of British origin, but that is not and was not the aim of the Guild at any time in the past or now.
Before the internet age it was challenging and costly to join an organisation in another country, although a great many members did, many of whom were researching names whose origins were British. We now have around 3,000 members with around 1,000 members residing outside of the United Kingdom, researching surnames that have origins on a global scale.
Image by Julie Goucher showing the origins of surnames that began outside the UK