1.
shop name, trade name, house name
A traditional name used for a shop, business, or household. In rural Japan, households were often known by their yagou rather than the family surname.
In this area, people still have the custom of calling each other by house names.
2.
stage family name (kabuki)
The hereditary guild name of a kabuki actor's family, called out by the audience during performances as a form of encouragement.
Cultural note
In the kabuki world, well-known 屋号 include 成田屋 (Ichikawa family), 音羽屋 (Onoe family), and 中村屋 (Nakamura family). Audience members shout out the actor's 屋号 at dramatic moments as a form of praise, a practice called 大向こうをうならせる.
In rural communities, 屋号 served as informal house names that distinguished families more effectively than surnames, since many households in a village shared the same family name.