"SO, YOUR FAMILY NAME IS SMITH?”

March 31, 2009 by davidf25

From a family history perspective, family names are everything. It is the vehicle in which we use to trace our family heritage through the ages. For some, names invoke a sense of pride, heritage, accomplishments, and legacy. For others, names signify images of fear, shame, and histories we wish to forget. If you examine the history of mankind, you will see that our names have come to symbolize qualities, such as power, strength, courage, innovation, exploration, and wealth. Through it, kingdoms have risen, civilizations established, wars fought, medicine advanced, science & technology flourished, and family lineages created. Even in our spiritual beliefs, names have an affect, and without them genealogy is not possible.

Having said this, it is an important concept to understand especially in the context of searching immigration records and family histories. Family names allow us to pin-point a specific region of the country or world where our ancestors derived, settled and lived. Also, it instills in us an understanding and sense of history on how cities and counties were formed. In addition, our “given” or “first” names may tell us something about our ancestors or the individuals who influenced them. In lineage societies, family names are paramount in establishing family pedigree.

The following are a few of the resources held by the Jacksonville Public Library’s Genealogy Collection regarding family names:

The “Dictionary of American Family Names” This 3 volume set strives to provide information on the origin and history of the most used family names in the U.S. At the time of publication, it referenced 70,000 names. For example, the name FULLER is English in origin. It is the occupational name for a dresser of cloth. “The work of the fuller was to scour and thicken the raw cloth by beating and trampling it in water.” (so much for glamour!) This name is found mainly in the southeastern part of England. The source also notes that in some instances the name could be German in origin with the same description.

“History Through Surnames” This resource gives an introduction to what is a surname. It deals with personal names, occupational surnames, nicknames, and surnames based upon location. It contains an alphabetical index by name at the end of the source along with corresponding section numbers.

“What’s In a Name? Everything You Wanted to Know” This monograph addresses many aspects of a name, such as origin, positive, and negative aspects of names. It also addresses which names have been most popular between generations, and how various cultures used names to show ownership. In addition, it probes how names are used in regards to streets and towns, as well as their various forms and variations.

Other Sources:
• English Surnames: Their Sources and Signification by Charles W. Bardsley
Call Number: GEN 929.4 B247e 1889
• Book of Irish Names: First, Family & Place Names by Ronan Coghlan
Call Number: GEN 929.94 C676b
• The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning, and History by George F. Black
Call Number: GEN 929.409411 B627s 1946a
• Jewish Family Names & Their Origins: An Etymological Dictionary by Heinrich W. Guggenheimer
Call Number: 929.42 G942j



Posted by the Genealogy Department