Name variations are a familiar problem to all genealogists. We search for a surname in the records and do not find it because it is not spelled consistently or in the way that we expect. Sure, we could browse through all of the indexes or images in a particular parish and grab every one that has a surname which is similar to ours. But is there a systematic way of searching for surname variations? Yes, there is.
Carol Baxter wrote a very useful book called Help! Why Can’t I Find My Ancestor’s Surname? The tips in this post are based on that book. Using Carol’s tips will help you search more systematically for name variations.
Carol suggests that you should think about the sounds and letters, and how they get distorted. In my most recent search, for the surname Nekerwis, I found that her tips explained every variation that I found. If I had used her tips before searching, my searching would have been a lot easier.
Tip 1
Name variations can occur when vowels are exchanged. This commonly occurs when a name is pronounced incorrectly, misheard, or transcribed incorrectly. Carol says that ‘Vowel sounds are more likely to experience sound changes than consonants because sound is carried by the vowel and is impacted by slight movements of the speaker’s tongue and jaw.’ (p37)
My grandmother’s surname Rusten, for example, is often spelled Rustin or Ruston. The final syllable of the surname Nekerwis could be spelled ‘wes’ ‘was’ ‘wos’ ‘wus’. I have found examples of the first two variations.
When searching for a surname, try variations on the vowels in the name. There are only five, so it is probably worth trying all of them.
Tip 2
Name variations resulting from changes to the beginning of a surname are a particular problem for genealogists, as lists are usually sorted alphabetically. However, Carol demonstrates that these changes are not usually random. They follow recognisable patterns.
The first letter of a name may be changed, added or omitted, or the entire first syllable might change. In my search for Nekerwis I found that Nekerwis was a variation on the earlier form of Nankerwis. It sometimes lost its first letter and became Ankerwis.
Other common changes described in chapter 14 of Carol’s book that I have observed while researching are:
- Prefix exchanges or omissions, e.g. Macdonald, McDonald and Donald.
- An added or omitted second letter in a consonant cluster, e.g. Dwyer is often transcribed or indexed as Dyer, and in one case it then became Ayer!
- Mis-transcription of similar looking letters are very common, probably the most common is confusing the letter ‘s’ and ‘l’, e.g. Sawyer and Lawyer.
Make a list of possible variations to the first letter or syllable to guide your searching. Use Carol’s book and examples that you have previously found. Using wildcards in your searching may help, but make sure you allow for potential changes to the entire first syllable, not just the first letter. Don’t forget that it is about changes to the sounds, not necessarily just about changes to the letters.
Wildcards are special characters that can stand in for unknown characters. They may vary depending on where you are searching, so make sure you are familiar with the wildcards that are in use.
Tip 3
Name variations involving changes to the end of surnames are often minor, but be aware that they can sometimes be significant.
For the surname Nekerwis, I again get ‘wes’ ‘was’ ‘wos’ and ‘wus’, until I combine it with Tip 4, see below.
Other common types of changes described in chapter 16 of Carol’s book are:
- An added or omitted letter, the most common being the letter ‘s’. An example in my family was the addition of the letter ‘d’ to Hen to create Hend at the time when having Chinese ancestry was a sensitive topic.
- Addition or omission of ‘son’, e.g. Donald and Donaldson.
- Tapering of the sound at the end of a surname explains common variations such as Edmonds, Edmunds and Edwards, but Carol also identifies three other common exchanges that are explained by tapering – wood and ward, e.g. Haywood and Hayward; field and ford, e.g. Ashfield and Ashford; and borough and bory, e.g. Thornborough and Thornbory.
Use wild cards in your searching to replace the last letter or the last syllable.
Tip 4
Name variations involving changes to in the middle of surnames are common, but it takes practice to understand some of them. It’s a good idea to read Carol’s book to study the patterns.
Some consonant sounds are similar and are often exchanged. Exchanging ‘v’ and ‘w’ produces Nekerwis and Nekervis, and exchanging ‘k’ and ‘c’ produces Ankervis and Ancervis, or Ankerves and Ancerves.
Consonants or syllables in the middle of a surname may be omitted. The loss of the middle ‘n’ in Nankervis is an example of this, and on a branch of the Nekerwis line I found that Ellis was often spelled as Elis. I have not found any examples of omitted syllables for the surname Nekerwis, but I suppose Nekwis/Nekvis or Nankwis/Nankvis are possible.
The index to Carol’s book provides a list of common exchanges that you can use in your searching.
Tip 5
Don’t forget that surnames are groups of sounds translated into a written form. Say the name out loud and think about how it might be spelled, or, if you find a surname and are not sure if it might be a variation on the one that you are looking for, read it out loud.
When researching my Nekerwis line, I found a person who seemed like they might be in the family but the surname was spelled Encarveys. I initially thought that just could not be right because the spelling was so different, but after I re-read Carol’s book I tried saying it out loud. Yes, if you put the emphasis on the first syllable, instead of the second which was my inclination, Nekerwis or Nankervis could easily be written down as Encarveys!
Understanding how surnames can vary will help you with searching, but it can also help you decide whether people with slightly different surnames could be related. The fact that there are patterns to the changes can help you provide a reasoned argument for your conclusions about relationships and name changes.
More information
For more articles on improving your search techniques, go to the Research page.
For more of my articles about analysing sources, go to the Analyse page.
To read about my research into the Nekerwis line and her descendant, Lydia Matthews, go to my family history website, Rustenivy.
Extremely helpful, thank you!