On Geneanet, it’s possible to view the frequency and the geographic distribution of last names, and to easily search these names in the database. Here’s how to.
Click “Resources > Origin of Last Names” in the main menu bar.
Geneanet is the largest database with more than 150,000 indexed last names! All the results come from Geneanet and we can truly say that they are accurate at a 95% confidence level, with some exceptions for rare last names. Geneanet is the only website that can provide an accurate origin of a last name until the early 16th century.
The page contains:
- The meaning of the last name.
- A timeline cursor to see the evolution of the last name distribution over time.
- A map showing the geographic distribution of the last name. You can also zoom in and out.
- The list of places where the last name is most popular, based on the Geneanet family tree database.
- The list of Geneanet members’ family trees which contain the last name.
Click “All family trees” at the bottom of the page to view the full list of family trees which contain the last name, and to view the detailed list of individuals.
You can edit the search to add criteria such as a place name, a type of event or a date.
This feature is free for all Geneanet members.
Enjoy your genealogy research on Geneanet!
Please post your questions in our forum
7/19/22
You mentioned that you thought this service was 95% accurate “with some exceptions for rare names”. Searching my surname, the result stated there were no records with that name. A rare name indeed! Not too surprising: there are only around 500 Consterdines in the UK, and fewer in the rest of the world.
7/17/22
Ive used this before with my Cathro Surname
7/16/22
This article said that the frequency of last names could be searched. Instead it attempts to show the origin and meaning of the last name. This is not the same thing.
Answer from Geneanet: Although the results page is titled Origin, the heatmap does indeed show the frequency, taking into account the timeline setting, and lists the actual places found in Geneanet trees. It’s also possible to browse the list of members’ trees which have individuals of that name. Although the origin and meaning of names are not entered for some names, the heatmaps and place lists are generated for every name found among over a million family names.
7/16/22
This sound Awesome