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INTRODUCTION TO SURNAMES

© Christine Sievers

Somewhere in the past, our surnames had more magical meanings. They were words that described our ancestors. Shakespeare said "What is in a name?" But for a genealogist, a name can be a key to unlocking a stubborn door in the past.

When I started researching for this article, I didn't realize what a big task I took on. Surnames are the focus of genealogical research. Surname searches can bring up a multitude of confusing problems. In an effort to break down some of the brick walls you may have hit in your research, this will be a multiple part article.

The most common problem is that our ancestors often altered their names when they immigrated. I found two articles that are a good place to start untangling this problem. From the Family Tree Maker's classes on Tracing our Immigrant Ancestors, by Karen Clifford, the lesson on The problem with foreign surnames gives some good general tips. Another article, American Surnames, by Elsdon C. Smith, goes into more depth.

The more you know about your surnames, the more clues you can gather. The Surname Origins Index is a work in progress. There are a number of names defined, with variant spellings. You can also contribute to the genealogical community by adding the origins of a name you might have researched. Another surname study can be found at the Family Chronicle-Surname Origin List.

At the U.S. Surname Distribution, you can see how your surname is spread across the country. This site is not only fun, but helpful if you have an unusual surname.

I have found a few sites that give country-specific information on surname origins. As I find more, I will post them in my articles. Here are some I have found so far:

1.Iceland - Halfdan Helgason's site, The Emigration from Iceland to North America

2.African American - Cliff Murray's site Special Problems, from his African American Lifelines web pages, provides help in tracking down black surnames.

3.Phillipines - Catalog of Filipino Names, by Hector Santos

4.China - Chinese Surnames, by Ron Young

5.British Isles - Family Chronicle-British Surname Origins, by John Kennedy

Finally, never be too sure about a surname. More than one researcher ran into the surprising discovery that an ancestor's name was completely changed because of an adoption or a run-in with the law. That brings home the importance of starting with the present and slowly working backwards.

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