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Sep 4, 2018 · 1. Your Surname Might Not Hold As Much Meaning As You Thought. By that, I mean it has no inherent meaning. If perchance it means something in Greek, Latin or Sanskrit, no one will know...
Tracing the origin of your last name, or surname, is a basic investigation that many people want to undertake. There’s good reason for this. Surnames are woven into the fabric of human history. They reflect societal evolution and are an important way to preserve cultural heritage.
- Understand Surname Origins and Naming Conventions and Traditions
- Ask relatives
- Study Family Trees and Profiles with The Same Name
- List Surname Variations and Misspellings
- Look Into DNA Surname Studies
- Join A Society Or One-Name Study
- Visit Specific Surname Websites
- Network on Forums and Lists
Learning your surname’s meaning is fascinating and might even point you to an ancestral homeland. Last names came about gradually as populations grew to the point a single name was no longer a sufficient identifier. Some commons origins of surnames include: 1. occupations (such as “Smith,” for a blacksmith) 2. physical characteristics (such as “Sho...
Another resource for family name history information is to ask any and all relatives who might know. I was told that a family with the name of Kean was related to me. It struck me as a strange Jewish surname. My father’s cousin told me the original name was Kanovsky. I had Max Kean’s naturalization papers with the ship’s name and arrival date in Ne...
Of course, you’re not related to everyone who has your surname. But Ancestry.com’s Last Name Meaning tool also can give you information on profiles in its tree with your name, which may be starting places for your research. Again, use this data as clues, not absolute answers. Return to top
Our ancestors weren’t as persnickety as we modern folks when it comes to spelling. My own family indiscriminately used Hendricks, Hendrixson and Hendrickson. Likewise, your relative may have spelled his own name various ways in records, and branches of the family may have used different versions of a name. In addition, in the 1800s and earlier, man...
The link between the Y-chromosome and surnames—barring “nonpaternity events,” our male ancestors passed both their Y-DNA and their surnames to their sons—makes genetic genealogy helpful for determining whether two men share a common male-line ancestor within recent history. Family Tree DNA offers both Y-DNA tests and a database of DNA surname proje...
Both surname societies and one-name studies collect biographical data and vital records about everyone who shares a surname, often posting findings online. Surname societies give members access to research, host get-togethers and coordinate DNA surname studies. Some society websites even contain password-protected areas where members can post photo...
Surname websites provide another source of information and a way to network with other people researching the name. These personal surname pages might focus on a single name or on a surname plus affiliated families. Available information varies and can include old photos, family legends, GEDCOMs, maps and pedigree charts—or nothing. Some sites may ...
Some of my best online surname finds have come via these tools that have been around as long as I can remember: 1. RootsWeb mailing lists: If you sign up for a surname mailing list, you’ll receive e-mails from everyone on the list. A typical message would read: “Looking for anyone connected to Joseph and Mary (nee McFarland) Calhoun, who were in Ph...
Starting your genealogy search with questions like, “What’s my last name’s origin?” and “What does my last name mean?” can be a great first step in uncovering the full rich history of your family.
Explore 31 million surname origins, meanings, distribution maps and demographics @ Forebears, the largest database of last names.
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Where does your last name come from? Surname origins tend to fall into one of four categories: patronymic (named from the father), occupational, nickname or place name.
