Names
Updated July 28, 2007
Names are a funny thing in family history research because something so basic about a person's identity changes so much. Think about how many names you have. Perhaps your name is Michael, but you sign your checks as Mike, and your friends and family call you Mikey. Then you start writing articles and decide to go by your middle name, which is Jefferson (after Thomas Jefferson), because it seems that it would help your writing career, so now you have many documents about you, but they all use the name Jefferson instead of Michael or Mike or Mikey. Then you are looking at your phone bill and realize that your name is misspelled in their records. They have you as Mickey, and now that's exactly how your name is spelled in the phone book. It can get pretty confusing.
To make things a bit easier, I highly suggest purchasing some baby name books. This will help you learn about the variations in the spellings of a name, other versions of the name, the name translated into various languages, and so forth. Some books are quite general while others are specific to certain countries or ethnic groups. Purchase a couple of general ones first, then purchase the specific ones as you discover that you need them. There are also websites that offer information about names (http://behindthename.com/ and http://surnames.behindthename.com/ are my favorite).
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The Mother of All Baby Name Books : Over 94,000 Baby Names For somebody trying to pick out a name for his/her baby, this may not be the perfect book, but it's great for somebody who is doing research. The New American Dictionary of Baby Names Another excellent book with interesting background information for each name. |
The following are various points to keep in mind when looking through names or when searching for a specific name:
First Name? Middle Name? Last Name?
Some people use their middle name instead of their first name. Some people have multiple middle names. Some people use their first name only. Some people use their first and middle name (or even all of their middle names). Some cultures use the family name (the surname or last name) first, then the given (first) name, then the middle name. Some people go by their last name, not their first or middle.
Nicknames
Nicknames could be a shortened version of a full name (even initials are a nickname, such as J.D. instead of John Douglas), a description of the person's physical features, a description of a person's personality or skills, a word that describes an event that happened in the person's life, a babyish name that they were called by because a younger sibling couldn't pronounce his/her name (Abba instead of Abigail), a self-given name to uphold a specific reputation, pet names used by parents or other loved ones, a name used professionally or because of religious purposes, and so forth. There are even nicknames based on ancestral names, such as the girl who has always been called Marion even though her name is Elizabeth because her family began calling her that as a child to honor her grandmother who name was Marion.
Some people had a shortened name as their legally given name (such as Ken instead of Kenneth), so don't assume that a name that seems like a nickname is actually a nickname because it could be the actual name. Nevertheless, don't assume that a name isn't a nickname because even if it sounds very formal, it may not be the individual's legal name at all.
Some people strictly go by nicknames and that name could end up on all legal documents (everything except the birth certificate of course), while others change what name they use throughout their lives (Billy during childhood, Red during the teen years (because he had red hair), Bill during early adulthood, and William later in life).
Misspelled Names
When it comes to misspelled names, there could be a variety of reasons why a name is misspelled. Perhaps the name wasn't pronounced the way it was spelled (depending on your culture and language) or was said with an accent, so the person writing it down didn't write it correctly. Perhaps the name was written in handwriting that was misinterpreted. Perhaps somebody who typed in a name simply made a typographic error (and this is possible when writing by hand as well).
Changed Names
Sometimes people change their names because they want to fit in with a culture they are joining (such as individuals who changed their names when they came to America to sound more American). Sometimes people change their names because they dislike their family and don't want to have any connection with them. Sometimes people change their names to fit in with a new family, such as through marriage or adoption or even to combine blended families. Some people change their names because they want to hide from the past (or the police) or start a new chapter in their lives.
...by Feed