Lineage Research
Surnames Vary by Region — A Beginner’s Guide to Given Family Names
I was born in the U.S., the Midwest to be exact, so I’m biased to expecting surnames to pass from the father to the child. There are exceptions to this, of course, but even unmarried couples tended to give the child the father’s name when I was growing up. As we hit the 21st century, hyphenated and “mashed up” family names gained popularity in English-speaking countries, though I couldn’t tell you whether it’s “paternal-maternal” or vice versa. When I became involved in genealogy, I realized my knowledge of how family names are given was woefully lacking (and truthfully, still is).
There are many factors to consider when attempting to follow a lineage via surname. There are also many types of surnames depending on which region you’re working in.
The Factors to Consider
First of all, how you’re named varies by where you’re born. In Mexico, it’s the mother’s surname with the father’s surname that’s given to the child (though the reverse of this has recently been allowed). In Iceland, you’re generally named for your father and your gender at birth (patronym with -sson or -dottir).
Secondly, how you’re named varies by time. When doing lineage research, it’s important to understand the…
