Researching with Common Surnames

 

 

The Most Common Surnames

 

The top seven most common surnames are Smith, Johnson, Williams, Jones, Brown, Davis, and Miller as of the 1990 US census (via http://genealogy.about.com/library/weekly/aa_common_surnames.htm).  An ancestor with one of these surnames coupled with a common given name (i.e. John Smith) makes searching very difficult.

 

Be Aware of Alternate Spellings

 

It’s possible that your ancestor used an alternate spelling for their surname, or it got indexed that way, or it was changed from an alternate spelling to the more common one.  For example, Smith has the following alternate spellings – Smyth, Smythe, and Schmidt; and Johnson has the following alternate spellings – Johnston, Johnstone, Johanson, MacShane, McShane, and others.

 

Utilize Less Common First Names

 

Look for situations where an ancestors spouse or sibling had a less common first name and search based on that name.  For example the wife of William Smith was Iona, so search for Iona Smith.

 

Use Middle Names

 

Middle names and/or middle initials can help to easily distinguish between a John A. Smith and a John W. Smith, though even here the combinations may also be somewhat common.  But combined with other information such as a birth year or location it can make the difference.

 

Use Locations and Time Periods

 

When searching use the fact that John A. Smith lived in Concord, MA to weed out the other John A. Smith’s that lived elsewhere.  Restrict searches to specific or more narrow time periods.

 

Track Associates

 

Keep track of neighbors or boarders that have less common names and try searching for them instead to see if your ancestor moved around with their associates.

 

Occupations

 

Differentiate between “John Davis the cooper” versus “John Davis the miller”.  This is particularly helpful in the census years that included occupations.

 

Sources:

Blankenau, Gail, “Keeping Up With the Smiths”, Family Chronicle, Sept/Oct 2009, pgs 42-43.

Powell, Kimberly, “Strategies for Locating Ancestors with Common Names”, (website) http://genealogy.about.com/od/surnames/a/common_names.htm