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July 27 2005
Creativity Required: Surname Spellings & Variations
When we think of tracing our family tree, we often envision following
our surname back thousands of years to the first bearer of the name.
In our neat and tidy dream, each successive generation bears the same
surname - spelled exactly the same way in each and every record -
until we reach the dawn of man.
The dream comes to an end, however, when confronted with the cold
hard facts of genealogy research. For the majority of human existence
surnames were not even used. According to legends, China first
initiated the custom of using surnames during the reign of Emperor Fu
Xi (2852BC), but their use didn't begin in the European world until
about the eleventh century, with some patronymic surnames in
Scandinavia bestowed as late as the nineteenth century. Surnames, for
the most part, evolved during the past eight hundred years to help
distinguish one person from another as the world's population grew.
The acquisition of surnames has been influenced by many factors,
including social class, naming practices and patterns, and even
unusual events.
Even tracing your ancestors back to the point where they first
acquired surnames can be a challenge as surname spelling and
pronunciation has evolved over centuries, making it unlikely that
your present surname is the same as the original surname bestowed on
your distant ancestor. You may have a slight spelling variation of
the original name, an anglicized version, or even a completely
different surname. This may have occurred for such reasons as:
Illiteracy - the further back you go in your research, the more you
will find cases of ancestors who couldn't read and write. Many didn't
even know how their own names were spelled, only how to pronounce
them. Therefore, when they gave their names to clerks, census
enumerators, clergymen, or other officials, that person wrote the
name the way that it sounded to him. Even if they did have the
spelling memorized, the person recording the information may not have
asked. Example: the German HEYER has become HYER, HIER, HIRE, HIRES,
HIERS, etc.
Simplification - Immigrants, upon arrival in a new country, often
found that their name was difficult for others to spell or pronounce.
Therefore, they often simplified the spelling or altered their names
to relate them more closely to the language and pronunciations of
their new country. Example: the German ALBRECHT becomes ALBRIGHT, or
the Swedish JONSSON becomes JOHNSON
Necessity - Those from countries with alphabets other than Latin had
to transliterate them, producing many variations on the same name.
Example: the Ukranian surname ZHADKOWSKYI became ZADKOWSKI
Mispronunciation - Letters within a surname were often confused due
to verbal miscommunication or heavy accents. Example: depending upon
the accents of both the person speaking the name and the person
writing it down, KROEBER could become GROVER or CROWER
Desire to Fit In - Many foreigners changed their names in some way to
assimilate into their new country and culture. The most usual change
of surname was to translate the meaning of their surname into the new
language. Example: the Irish BREHONY became JUDGE
Desire to Break with the Past - Immigration was sometimes prompted in
one way or another by a desire to break with or escape the past. For
some immigrants this included ridding themselves of anything,
including their name, which reminded them of an unhappy life in the
old country. Example: Mexicans fleeing to America to escape the
revolution
Dislike of Surname - People forced by governments to adopt surnames
which were not a part of their culture or were not of their choosing
would often shed themselves of such names at the first opportunity.
Example: Armenians forced by the Turkish government to give up their
traditional surnames and adopt new "Turkish" surnames would revert
back to their original surnames, or some variation, upon
emigration/escape from Turkey
Fear of Discrimination - Surname changes and modifications can
sometimes be attributed to a desire to conceal nationality or
religious orientation in fear of reprisal or discrimination. This
motive constantly appears among the Jews, who often faced
anti-Semitism. Example: the Jewish surname COHEN changed to COHN/KAHN
or WOLFSHEIMER shortened to WOLF
July 27 2005
Creativity Required: Surname Spellings & Variations
When we think of tracing our family tree, we often envision following
our surname back thousands of years to the first bearer of the name.
In our neat and tidy dream, each successive generation bears the same
surname - spelled exactly the same way in each and every record -
until we reach the dawn of man.
The dream comes to an end, however, when confronted with the cold
hard facts of genealogy research. For the majority of human existence
surnames were not even used. According to legends, China first
initiated the custom of using surnames during the reign of Emperor Fu
Xi (2852BC), but their use didn't begin in the European world until
about the eleventh century, with some patronymic surnames in
Scandinavia bestowed as late as the nineteenth century. Surnames, for
the most part, evolved during the past eight hundred years to help
distinguish one person from another as the world's population grew.
The acquisition of surnames has been influenced by many factors,
including social class, naming practices and patterns, and even
unusual events.
Even tracing your ancestors back to the point where they first
acquired surnames can be a challenge as surname spelling and
pronunciation has evolved over centuries, making it unlikely that
your present surname is the same as the original surname bestowed on
your distant ancestor. You may have a slight spelling variation of
the original name, an anglicized version, or even a completely
different surname. This may have occurred for such reasons as:
Illiteracy - the further back you go in your research, the more you
will find cases of ancestors who couldn't read and write. Many didn't
even know how their own names were spelled, only how to pronounce
them. Therefore, when they gave their names to clerks, census
enumerators, clergymen, or other officials, that person wrote the
name the way that it sounded to him. Even if they did have the
spelling memorized, the person recording the information may not have
asked. Example: the German HEYER has become HYER, HIER, HIRE, HIRES,
HIERS, etc.
Simplification - Immigrants, upon arrival in a new country, often
found that their name was difficult for others to spell or pronounce.
Therefore, they often simplified the spelling or altered their names
to relate them more closely to the language and pronunciations of
their new country. Example: the German ALBRECHT becomes ALBRIGHT, or
the Swedish JONSSON becomes JOHNSON
Necessity - Those from countries with alphabets other than Latin had
to transliterate them, producing many variations on the same name.
Example: the Ukranian surname ZHADKOWSKYI became ZADKOWSKI
Mispronunciation - Letters within a surname were often confused due
to verbal miscommunication or heavy accents. Example: depending upon
the accents of both the person speaking the name and the person
writing it down, KROEBER could become GROVER or CROWER
Desire to Fit In - Many foreigners changed their names in some way to
assimilate into their new country and culture. The most usual change
of surname was to translate the meaning of their surname into the new
language. Example: the Irish BREHONY became JUDGE
Desire to Break with the Past - Immigration was sometimes prompted in
one way or another by a desire to break with or escape the past. For
some immigrants this included ridding themselves of anything,
including their name, which reminded them of an unhappy life in the
old country. Example: Mexicans fleeing to America to escape the
revolution
Dislike of Surname - People forced by governments to adopt surnames
which were not a part of their culture or were not of their choosing
would often shed themselves of such names at the first opportunity.
Example: Armenians forced by the Turkish government to give up their
traditional surnames and adopt new "Turkish" surnames would revert
back to their original surnames, or some variation, upon
emigration/escape from Turkey
Fear of Discrimination - Surname changes and modifications can
sometimes be attributed to a desire to conceal nationality or
religious orientation in fear of reprisal or discrimination. This
motive constantly appears among the Jews, who often faced
anti-Semitism. Example: the Jewish surname COHEN changed to COHN/KAHN
or WOLFSHEIMER shortened to WOLF
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