Surnames and Genealogy

Explore your family history through surnames and genealogical research, uncovering ancestral records, naming patterns, and connections that bring your heritage to life.

How Surnames Change Over Time

Surnames can tell us a lot, although not as much as they once did. If you went back far enough you’d know exactly what someone called Brewer did, or that s...

Maiden Names in Genealogy

Most of us know our mother’s maiden name. It’s one of those little items that’s in our consciousness, and often used as a security question for passwor...

Scottish Surnames and Location

When you start looking at Scots surnames, it’s worth remembering that for centuries there was frequent migration between Scotland and Ireland, so it’s no...

Surnames And Places

Surnames come in many different ways. Some are from professions, others indicate relationships (Johnson, for instance would at some distant point have been t...

The Meaning of Irish Surnames

Ireland has been ahead of many countries in a number of things. Its ancient legal system gave women rights they wouldn’t enjoy in most other places for cen...

The Origins Of Surnames

We can all trace our surnames back for generations through the male side of our ancestors. It seems like a solid, continuous line, and for genealogy that can...

Tracing Your Ancestors By Name

The usual way of tracing a family tree is by relationships. We go back through the male side (even if you’re investigating your mother’s side of your fam...

What Welsh Surnames Can Tell Us

Welsh surnames can seem quite confusing. Relatively speaking there are few of them, far fewer than in England, for example. But there’s a meaning to the su...