Family names are interesting. My parents are European and the history of our name is interesting. Currently, it is Grbin. Ninety years ago it was Garbin. At one stage it was Garbini under Italian influence and before that it was Garbin under Austrian rule. So you can see, names can be influenced by many factors.

Many names change as they migrant to other countries. I know of friends that originally had Russian surnames but their grandfather’s changed their name by dropping the last six or so letters to conform to English names.

Spellings can vary even in English countries. For example, Americans spell organize, but Australians spell organise!   The name Belle could lose an e to be spelt as Bell. In the past standardized names did not exist. It was more phonetic. The local church or priest would spell the name as he would hear it. So there were many variations in names. They also made mistakes. Furthermore, most people were illiterate or could not spell. So, no wonder there are variations such as smith, smithe, smyth or smythe. I’m sure you can think of many names with variations.

Many names were made after occupations such as Baker, Plumber and so on. Some names derived from places of residence such as Essex, or some distinguishing characteristic. Some names must be analyzed in parts, or syllables to identify its type. This can help pinpoint the probable origin of the name. However, sometimes ancient towns or villages disappear or their names are changed in time. This is where Heritage societies could come in handy.

So it’s important to understand that family names can change over time. If your stuck it could be worthwhile investigating the historical facts of your ancestor’s area. The slight changes in spelling could provide the vital break you needed to continue your research on a particular branch of your family tree.

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