The Surnames Handbook: A Guide to Family Name Research in the 21st Century

by Debbie Kennett

Overview

Every surname has its own story to tell, and a surname study is a natural complement to family history research. The study of surnames has been revolutionised in the last decade with the increasing availability of online resources, and it is now easier than ever before to explore the history, evolution, distribution and meaning of your family name. The Surnames Handbook provides a comprehensive guide to researching your surname using genealogical methods in conjunction with the latest advances in DNA testing and surname mapping. The book explores the key resources that are used to study a surname and is packed with links to relevant websites giving you everything you need to research your surname in one compact volume.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780752468624
Publisher:	The History Press
Publication date:	10/01/2012
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

DEBBIE KENNETT, an editor and genealogist, has been researching her family tree for over a decade. She is the founder of the Cruse/Cruwys one-name study and runs three large international DNA projects. She writes for many family history magazines. Her first book DNA and Social Networking is also published by The History Press.

Table of Contents

Foreword 6

Acknowledgements 8

Definitions 10

Introduction 12

1 The History of Surnames 17

2 The Classification of Surnames 30

3 Variants and Deviants 49

4 Surname Mapping 68

5 Surname Frequency 89

6 Has it Been Done Before? 104

7 Laying the Foundations: the Key Datasets 114

8 Surname Origins: Pre-1600 Resources 131

9 DNA and Surnames 150

10 One-Name Studies 167

Appendices

A Genealogy Websites 176

B Surname Websites 181

C Lay Subsidy Rolls 183

D Organisations and Journals 190

E Linguistic Resources 192

F Place-Name Resources 195

G Population Statistics 199

Notes 201

Bibliography 210

Index 220