How to handle multiple spelling of surnames....

[mrstucci]

Hi all-I am wondering what is the best way to handle multiple spellings of a surname. I have the surname Best which is also spelled Bess or Bosch. I have other surnames that have 2 spellings but this one has 3.

I would like to be able to be consistent. I am not sure what is the best way to handle this.

I am thinking of future generations that will look at what I have and search Best and not know to put in the name Bess and find the right person. Also, it has to be handled properly for a gedcom.

Thank you for any tips and have a Merry Christmas! Judy

[theKiwi]

Re: How to handle multiple spelling of surnames....

I use a form like

Moffat or Moffet or Moffatt

as the surname. This allows you, or someone else if it's published online, to easily find a person no matter how you might search for them if different spellings were used at different times in a person's records.

Roger

[alan]

Re: How to handle multiple spelling of surnames....

Hi Judy,

I don't think you will ever find a suitable answer. My own surname has about 24 various spellings which have evolved over the years.

In the early days the parish clerk, vicar or churchwarden or whoever could write, would record a name the way it was heard and the way they thought it was spelt - hence the many variations.

For my part, when entering info into Reunion I use the spelling that is in the register (if it can be deciphered) and there have been many variations.

Alan

[bonniegaia]

Re: How to handle multiple spelling of surnames....

Busby - Busbee - Buzby
One family can use different spellings, but I want them to show up in the Index together.

This works: choose most common name as "surname" and list other spellings after given name

BUSBY, Benjamin (Buzbee)
BUSBY, Isaac
BUSBY, Isaac (Busbee)
BUSBY, Jacob (Busbee,Buzbee) etc

[mrstucci]

Re: How to handle multiple spelling of surnames....

I use a form like

Moffat or Moffet or Moffatt

as the surname. This allows you, or someone else if it's published online, to easily find a person no matter how you might search for them if different spellings were used at different times in a person's records.

Roger

Ok. Thank you. And the gedcom can handle the multiple spellings like that and not get all wonky? Merry Christmas! Judy
PS-I have a few DNA matches that come up that match you. Small ones.

[mrstucci]

Re: How to handle multiple spelling of surnames....

Hi Judy,

I don't think you will ever find a suitable answer. My own surname has about 24 various spellings which have evolved over the years.

In the early days the parish clerk, vicar or churchwarden or whoever could write, would record a name the way it was heard and the way they thought it was spelt - hence the many variations.

For my part, when entering info into Reunion I use the spelling that is in the register (if it can be deciphered) and there have been many variations.

Alan

Thank you, Alan! I figured there were multiple answers to multiple surnames... Something to ponder.

[mrstucci]

Re: How to handle multiple spelling of surnames....

Busby - Busbee - Buzby
One family can use different spellings, but I want them to show up in the Index together.

This works: choose most common name as "surname" and list other spellings after given name

BUSBY, Benjamin (Buzbee)
BUSBY, Isaac
BUSBY, Isaac (Busbee)
BUSBY, Jacob (Busbee,Buzbee) etc

Thank you! Another possibility.

[jokeefe]

Re: How to handle multiple spelling of surnames....

Hi Judy,

For alternate spellings, I prefer to use the recommendation from the help file:
Put both surnames in the surname field and enclose one in brackets.

In your case, be consistent with the "Best" surname but when you find an alternate spelling, continue to use the common spelling and put the alternate spelling in brackets. Such as:
Best [Bess].

Kindest Regards,
Joseph

[Teresa C]

Re: How to handle multiple spelling of surnames....

Hi Judy,

Where the spelling of the name permanently changes from one generation to the next - so when Connors became O'Connor - I use the "current" version of the name.
Where the spelling is different in different sources, whether it's an error or not (and hey, how would you know?) I leave the surname as it is, and make a note in the citation detail field that the spelling is different.

Cheers,
Teresa

[mrstucci]

Re: How to handle multiple spelling of surnames....

Hi Judy,

For alternate spellings, I prefer to use the recommendation from the help file:
Put both surnames in the surname field and enclose one in brackets.

In your case, be consistent with the "Best" surname but when you find an alternate spelling, continue to use the common spelling and put the alternate spelling in brackets. Such as:
Best [Bess].

Kindest Regards,
Joseph

I like that! But do you know how a gedcom handles that? I upload a new tree to Ancestry every once in awhile and I am not sure how it would look once it was posted on the Ancestry site. I guess I will have to do a test run!

[macRBC]

Re: How to handle multiple spelling of surnames....

Reunion handles names differently than GEDCOM.
GEDCOM CODE:
1 NAME Joe /BROWN/
2 TYPE aka (or could be change of name or adoption or several other possibilities)
2 GIVN Joe
2 SURN BROWN
1 NAME Joe /BROWNE/
2 TYPE birth name
2 GIVN Joe
2 SURN BROWNE
repeat as many times as necessary

Reunion doesn't have method of entering multiple names nor giving type. So, the workarounds given in other replies is the best you'll get. I don't use Ancestry but it'll not be correct import.

[theKiwi]

Re: How to handle multiple spelling of surnames....

Busby - Busbee - Buzby
One family can use different spellings, but I want them to show up in the Index together.

This works: choose most common name as "surname" and list other spellings after given name

BUSBY, Benjamin (Buzbee)
BUSBY, Isaac
BUSBY, Isaac (Busbee)
BUSBY, Jacob (Busbee,Buzbee) etc

But this won't help at all for people looking for the word Buzbee as a surname since you've got it in the First and Middle Names field?!

Roger

[theKiwi]

Re: How to handle multiple spelling of surnames....

I like that! But do you know how a gedcom handles that? I upload a new tree to Ancestry every once in awhile and I am not sure how it would look once it was posted on the Ancestry site. I guess I will have to do a test run!

GEDCOM has no problem as long as the field length isn't exceeded, and in an ideal world there would be no limit on field length.

Roger

[AE Palmer]

Re: How to handle multiple spelling of surnames....

Hi all-I am wondering what is the best way to handle multiple spellings of a surname. I have the surname Best which is also spelled Bess or Bosch. I have other surnames that have 2 spellings but this one has 3.

I would like to be able to be consistent. I am not sure what is the best way to handle this.

I am thinking of future generations that will look at what I have and search Best and not know to put in the name Bess and find the right person. Also, it has to be handled properly for a gedcom.

Thank you for any tips and have a Merry Christmas! Judy

Since variant spellings of surnames is a common problem for many genealogical researchers, this dilemma pops up frequently.

In my case, I have several surnames with multiple variants. In one instance, there are at least eight different spellings. For that matter I have one document (a will from the late 1600s) with three different spellings of my ancestor’s last name! He signed it with an X. How does one resolve that predicament? I chose to use the most common variant.

The idea of putting multiple variant spellings in the surname field is a great idea, but very problematic when the number of variants grows beyond two or three versions. Therefore, I have taken a different approach. First off, I have made a separate table of Surname Spelling Variants where it is easy to keep track of these problematic names. Secondly, I have taken to restricting the number of active variants to a maximum of two. Why? Because this approach helps Reunion’s already powerful search engine to be even better at finding those obscure connections. In database development circles, this process is called “data normalization.”

Just my two cents. As always, YMMV!