Discover the History Behind Your Surname.
Offers step-by-step guidance and tools for family surname research.
Typing your last name into a search engine takes ten seconds. Knowing what to do with the results — and what they can’t tell you — takes a little longer. Most people arrive at surname research through a single question: What does my name mean? The satisfying answers, though, come from a second question: […]
A practical, evidence‑led guide that explains how to separate the general history of a surname from the specific ancestry of your own family. The article draws on the 2026 House of Names review and offers ten research methods for responsible genealogical work.
This article lists ten practical reasons why a surname might not appear in a genealogy database, based on the Larimer County Genealogical Society guide. It explains each cause and offers actionable search strategies.
A concise guide to the most frequent pitfalls in surname research, drawn from Family Tree Magazine and established genealogical practices. It explains why each mistake matters and offers practical ways to avoid them.
When a surname contains an apostrophe or hyphen, search systems may treat the punctuation differently. Use the full name with a comma, try both the exact form and a version without the punctuation, use wildcards if supported, and check the name pick list. These steps help you locate records, but they don’t automatically prove family connections.
This article presents 15 evidence‑based questions that help you critically evaluate surname origin claims. Adapted from the Surname Evidence Checklist, the questions focus on language, geography, variants, evidence sources, and potential biases. Use them as a quick reference when reviewing statements about a surname’s history.
Sharing a surname is a useful clue, but it does not automatically mean you are related. A shared name can arise independently, through marriage, or from common occupations. To determine a true family link you must trace a documented chain of records that connects two lineages.
Two research projects that sound like one question — and a practical method for pursuing both, including the honest answer about where they meet Almost everyone arrives at surname research carrying a single question — “What does my surname mean?” — that is quietly waiting to split into two. Over five earlier guides, this series […]