If you have never run into the website, MapYourName, that shows where your surname and surnames of your friends and relatives are most concentrated, not only in the U.S. but also in country of origin, you might find it to be quite interesting and educational. You might be in for a surprise, as I was. I thought that the name, Tew, was going to show up primarily in the Inter-mountain West, but it is as common in Alabama and North Carolina as it is in Utah. Of course, if you have a name as common as Smith or Jones, this website may not be very interesting or useful. On the other extreme, you may have one of those names that is so rare that it doesn't even register. However, most of us have names that fall in between these two extremes. Not surprisingly, Cajun names commonly heard around here, such as Arceneaux, Breaux, Boudreaux, Champagne, Leblanc, Robichaux, Savoie, Thibodaux, and Zeringue lit up Louisiana. I was intrigued that the names in my home town of Talmage, Utah, names like Allred, Burton, Christensen, Ericksen, Lindsay, Frandsen, Jensen, Sorensen, and Thacker were more Utah-specific than I would have imagined. Surnames are not as diffuse as I thought, even over many generations.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Finding out where your surname is most concentrated
If you have never run into the website, MapYourName, that shows where your surname and surnames of your friends and relatives are most concentrated, not only in the U.S. but also in country of origin, you might find it to be quite interesting and educational. You might be in for a surprise, as I was. I thought that the name, Tew, was going to show up primarily in the Inter-mountain West, but it is as common in Alabama and North Carolina as it is in Utah. Of course, if you have a name as common as Smith or Jones, this website may not be very interesting or useful. On the other extreme, you may have one of those names that is so rare that it doesn't even register. However, most of us have names that fall in between these two extremes. Not surprisingly, Cajun names commonly heard around here, such as Arceneaux, Breaux, Boudreaux, Champagne, Leblanc, Robichaux, Savoie, Thibodaux, and Zeringue lit up Louisiana. I was intrigued that the names in my home town of Talmage, Utah, names like Allred, Burton, Christensen, Ericksen, Lindsay, Frandsen, Jensen, Sorensen, and Thacker were more Utah-specific than I would have imagined. Surnames are not as diffuse as I thought, even over many generations.
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2 comments:
Hmmm...well I guess we qualify as one of those "rare" names...
This was great...we looked up my last name too and it confirmed something I've thought for some time. That the name "Ure" is not only Scottish as has been told through out the generations but originally the name goes back to NORWAY!!
It turned out that the second highest concentration of Ure's outside Scotland is in Norway.
There is a tiny fishing village on one of the far western islands of Norway called, the village of Ure.
If you look at the distance and direction between those far western islands and northern Scotland--it's a quick hop and a jump. And we know that vikings had reached and settled parts of Scotland.
Fascinating stuff. Thanks for the tip on the tool.
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