What's in a (Sur)Name?
There's something about our surname that's special. And, although we may share it with millions of other people, it's ours—a part of our identity.
I think one of the things we like about genealogy is learning more about our name—its origin and meaning. For example, while surfing the Net the other day, I ran across a Web site for the surname Gause: "The Gause surname has had varied spellings over time, the most common variations being: Gauche, Gous, Gouws, Gaus, Gosse, Gose and Goss. The northern line of the Gause surname in America (Pennsylvania to Indiana, and beyond) are the descendants of G. Charles, who emigrated to the British Colonies between 1717-1720." I wish I knew even that much about my Hendricksons!
Surnames haven't been around that long—generally since the Middle Ages. They were derived from a person's occupation, nickname, where they lived, or the name of the person's father. For example, in Ireland, "Mac" as part of the name meant "son of." Surnames based on occupations include Miller, Carpenter and Baker.
Want to learn more about surnames? These are a few of my favorite sites:
• Relearning the Spelling of Your Surname http://www.ancestry.com/library/view/columns/george/1831.asp
• Surname Origins Mailing List http://members.tripod.com/%7EGenealogy_Infocenter/surname-origins.html
Find additional surname-related sites. For a more detailed discussion of surname origins, check out this article from the December 2000 issue of Family Tree Magazine. http://www.familytreemagazine.com
Family Chronicle Magazine has compiled a list of the more common surnames and
their original meanings. Try one of the links below to discover the origin of
your surname.
A-E Surnames
http://www.familychronicle.com/namesae.htm
F-L Surnames
http://www.familychronicle.com/namesfl.htm
M-R Surnames
http://www.familychronicle.com/namesmr.htm
S-Z Surnames
http://www.familychronicle.com/namessz.htm