I see a lot of advertisements online and perhaps on television tantalizing folks into thinking they can figure out their heritage based on the meaning of their surname.
First question is: Which surname? Which spelling? Is your family name the real family name or has it been shortened, translated, or adjusted?
I learned 30-odd years ago that my grandfather’s birth father was surnamed Humphries. So, checking on the origins of the name Thomas would be pretty useless, wouldn’t it?
People in the public eye often change their surnames and two recent celebrity deaths brought this to everyone’s attention. Tony Bennett was Anthony Benedetto, showing his Italian heritage, and Paul Reubens (aka Pee-Wee Herman) was born Paul Rubenfeld. Their families would know that and which name to study for a look at their heritage. But do you?
A Y-DNA test by a male member of the family who bears the surname in question is one way to be sure you are on the right track. The results of such a test can confirm that your surname, or some variant spelling thereof, is the one you want to research. Sometimes such a test can bring up variant spellings — shorter or longer, leaving the family wondering which way to turn if they wanted to research.
That is why you need to be looking at the records that your family left and follow that path to understand your heritage if that is your goal. It is also important to not be lured into thinking your family has a Coat of Arms based on the surname as that is not how it works. A coat of arms in England was given to a certain person, not a family, and their direct descendants.
Ask the right question
I learned years ago that people don’t “hear” the same question you think you asked. I once asked for a certain picture, and while I meant any picture, the relative said she didn’t have it. Later she found a different one. I should have asked for “any photograph. "
Endogamy
Endogamy refers to intermarriage and having offspring within the same group of people over and over again. Jewish, Acadian and island populations (including Ireland) are all good examples. DNA results can be skewed due to this.
Contact Kenneth H. Thomas Jr., P. O. Box 901, Decatur, Ga. 30031 or kenthomasongenealogy.com.
