How Can I Find Out Where My Last Name Comes From?
- 1). Go to Houseofnames.com, and look for the search bar at the top of the left sidebar. Type in your last name, and click "Go."
- 2). Scroll down to read about the origins and early history of your last name and settlers in North America that shared your last name. On the right column, you can find the the oldest known crest associated with your last name, which Houseofnames.com states, "...(are) drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons."
- 3). Follow up by going to Ancestry.com. Click on "Learning Center" in the top navigation bar. Scroll down and look for the content box titled "Facts About Your Surname", located on the right near the bottom of the page. In the search bar, type your last name, and click "Get Facts."
- 4). Read the information on the meaning and history of your last name at the top, and scroll down to discover "Family Facts". Click through the tabs on the left to learn about the distribution of your last name, places of origin, immigration year, ports of departure, life expectancy, occupation, and possible U.S. civil war service.
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