Category: Names

Surname Genealogy Strategies: My Favorite (and Least Favorite) Last Names to Research

What's the most annoying last name to research in your family tree? Not the ancestor or relative whose name it is, but the name itself. Mine are: Frost, because searching the web or old newspapers and books brings up weather reports. It's also among the more-common names in my...

How Odd Is Your Surname? Premium

Is your last name common, unusual, or somewhere in between? These online tools will tell you.

Researching Unusual Last Names for Genealogy

An unusual surname is a valuable tool for a genealogist. Discover six strategies to use oddball names in your tree to your greatest advantage.

My Ancestor Changed the Spelling of His Name. What Should I Do? Premium

Find tips to tracking down ancestors who may have legally changed their names.

Scandinavian Genealogy: Chart of Patronymic Surname Suffixes in Norway, Sweden and Denmark

Patronymic surnames (formed by adding a prefix or suffix to the first name of a child's father) exist in many countries, but the Scandinavian countries of Norway, Sweden and Denmark are perhaps best known for their patronymic naming systems. On the plus side, patronyms give you clues to a father's...

Working on My Last-Name Problem: When Genealogy Records Disagree

I was doing a casual online search in the Northern Kentucky Newspaper Index when the name "Kolbeck, Theresa Seeger" jumped out and smacked me in the face. It was among a list of deaths announced in the Feb. 23, 1937, Kentucky Post. The Theory Recently, I learned that a Teresa...

Free 10 Essential Genealogy Research Forms

Understanding German Language and Surnames Premium

Deutsch nicht sprechen? No problem! We reveal some common naming practices that can help in researching your German ancestors.

What Does Your Last Name Mean? How to Find Out

Our Unpuzzling Ancestral Names Value Pack made me curious about my family surnames and whether things I heard growing up about where a name is from or what it means are true. Here's how I checked out a few of the names I'm researching: Haddad: My maiden name, inherited...