Distribution Of Surnames Research Articles

The names of Spain: a study of the isonymy structure of Spain.

In order to estimate the isonymy structure of Spain, we studied surname distribution in 283 Spanish towns based on 3.625 million telephone users selected from 6.328 million users, downloaded from a commercial CD-ROM which contains all 13 million users in the country. Since in Spain the surname is made by the paternal and the maternal surname, it was possible to classify surnames according to parental origin. Two matrices of isonymy distances, one for paternal and one for maternal surnames, were constructed and tested for correlation with geographic distance. For the whole of Spain, Euclidean distance was significantly but weakly correlated with geographic distance both for paternal and maternal surnames, with r = 0.205 +/- 0.013 and r = 0.263 +/- 0.012, respectively. Two dendrograms of the 283 sampled towns were built from the two matrices of Euclidean distance. They are largely colinear. Four main clusters identified by the dendrograms are correlated with geography. Given the surname structure of Spain, we were able to calculate from isonymy and for each town 1). total or expressed inbreeding, 2). random or expected inbreeding, and 3). local inbreeding. Total inbreeding, F(IT), was highest in the North Atlantic regions and lowest along the Mediterranean Coast. The lowest levels were found in Andalusia, Catalunyia, Valencia, and Navarra. Random inbreeding, F(ST), had a similar geographical pattern. Local inbreeding, F(IS), was relatively uniform in the whole of Spain. In towns, random inbreeding dominates over local inbreeding. From the analysis, it emerges that the northwestern area of Spain is the most inbred.

Brief communication: coexistence of two distinct patterns in the surname structure of Sicily.

The extent of variation in the migratory movements that occurred in Sicily was evaluated using surname data taken from the telephone directories of the 390 communes of the island. The surname distribution of each commune was linearized by a log-log transformation, and a significant fit to a linear regression model was found in almost all cases. Interestingly, the slope of the regression line appeared to be a sensitive indicator of the different level of isolation associated with each Sicilian commune. By this approach, two distinct groups of communes, showing a higher or lower degree of isolation, were obtained, and two independent analyses of the surname structure of Sicily were carried out. A first multidimensional scaling analysis, based on the more isolated communes, yielded evidence for a more ancient pattern, characterized by a geographical gradient along the east-west axis. The same analysis, addressed to the less isolated communes, instead highlighted a wide network of interactions between geographically distant zones of the island. The fitting of the surname distribution to the log-log model allowed for the detection of a narrow subset of 35 Sicilian communes, whose significantly higher degree of isolation was statistically proved by the parallelism test. We believe that a genetic analysis focused on such specific zones of the island could reveal ancient patterns of differentiation, thus helping to answer the controversial question of the genetic history of Sicily.

Distribution of surnames and identities in the Cimbro­ Mòcheno communities of Italy

The surnames of populations of the municipalities with Cimbro and Mòcheno origins are compared with each other and with other municipalities of the neighbourhood. This study starts from the supposition that a community of surnames shares a common cultural origin, maintained by reciprocal mobility. The analysis has been carried out by using estimates of the similarities between populations, the topological representations obtained by them and the spatial autocorrelation. On the whole, this research shows no evidence of peculiar distinctions between the populations that share Cimbro and Mòcheno origins compared to the neighbouring ones. Moreover, there is not any evident process of undifferentiated diffusion along all the directions. On the contrary, it is emphasized that belonging to the same geographic region and to the same administrative subdivision mostly influences the similarity between populations. The exception is the Cimbro municipality of Luserna, which presents a peculiar structure of surnames different from other municipalities of the same territory.

Frequency distributions from birth, death, and creation processes

The time-dependent frequency distribution of groups of individuals versus group size was investigated within a continuum approximation, assuming a simplified individual growth, death and creation model. The analogy of the system to a physical fluid exhibiting both convection and diffusion was exploited in obtaining various solutions to the distribution equation. A general solution was approximated through the application of a Green's function. More specific exact solutions were also found to be useful. The solutions were continually checked against the continuum approximation through extensive simulation of the discrete system. Over limited ranges of group size, the frequency distributions were shown to closely exhibit a power-law dependence on group size, as found in many realizations of this type of system, ranging from colonies of mutated bacteria to the distribution of surnames in a given population. As an example, the modeled distributions were successfully fit to the distribution of surnames in several countries by adjusting the parameters specifying growth, death and creation rates.

Surname analysis of the Corsican population reveals an agreement with geographical and linguistic structure.

The surname is a cultural trait that is extremely useful for historical and linguistic studies and can effectively be used as a genetic marker. In many human populations the surname is inherited in the paternal lineage, and can therefore be considered a marker for the Y chromosome. In this study, surnames were recorded from the white pages of telephone directories in current use in Corsica in 1993. All surnames present in thirteen villages scattered over the whole island and covering the main historical regions were transcribed. Surname variability was found to be higher in coastal villages, and lower in more isolated communities. The isonymy detected among the thirteen villages allowed the calculation of kinship values, visualized in a tree showing two main clusters, one referring to the northern villages and one encompassing the villages of the south. The pattern reflects the administrative division of the island, with the exception of Vico, which belongs to the southern administrative region but is geographically close to the northern villages, and Ghisoni, which belongs to the northern district but is more similar to the village of Bastelica in the southern district. The data presented here show a structure in the surname distribution that is in substantial agreement with the geographical patterns. The kinship values are consistent with a moderated gene flow among villages producing a surname structure according to the geographic features of the territory.

At the Boundary between Biological and Cultural Evolution: The Origin of Surname Distributions

Surnames and non-recombining alleles are inherited from a single parent in a highly similar way. A simple birth–death model with mutations can accurately describe this process. Exponentially growing and constant populations are investigated, and we study how different compositions of the founder populations can be observed in present-day diversity distributions. We analyse different quantities in the statistically stationary state, both through analytic and numerical methods. Our results compare favourably to field data for family sizes in several countries. We discuss the relationship between the dis-tribution of surnames and the genetic diversity of a population.

Distribution of Forenames, Surnames, and Forename–Surname Pairs in Canada

AbstractUsing information from the 1996 INFO USA ProCD CanadaPhone, I present graphically frequency distributions of forenames, surnames, and forename-surname pairs in Canada and compare each distribution with the equivalents in the United States. Minor cultural differences between Canada and the U.S. in the use of forenames are noted. Lists of the most popular forenames, surnames, and forename-surname pairs in Canada are presented. Although the source provides more information than previously available, several deficiencies are noted, in particular the absence of diacritics does not allow all French names to be correctly rendered, and the method of listing results in a gross under-representation of female forenames.

Use of surnames for a demo-ecological analysis: a study in southwest Sardinia.

This study used surnames collected in 12 municipalities of Sulcis, a historic-geographical region located in southwest Sardinia (Italy). An ecological index of similarity was drawn as the main analysis. The distribution of surnames was also used to determine the diversity of municipality populations by using another ecological index. Two municipalities have a high percentage of Genoese surnames and this element reflects a specific history and culture, different from other Sardinian localities. These peculiarities are evident in the topological representation, which graphically emphasizes the links between the populations studied. Two other municipalities can be distinguished from the remaining eight. Above all, historical, socioeconomic, cultural, and geographic considerations are useful in the appropriate interpretation of the results.

Isonymy and isolation by distance in the Netherlands.

The isonymy structure of the Netherlands was studied using the surname distribution of 2.4 million private telephone users selected from a 1996 commercial CD-ROM containing the names of 6.3 million users in the country. The users were distributed in 226 towns selected on a geographic basis to form an approximately regular grid throughout the Netherlands. Names of telephone users in each town were downloaded from the CD-ROM, with private users being selected for inclusion in the analysis. The shortest linear distance between several nearest neighboring towns was less than 2 km (e.g., Kampen and Ijsselmuiden, Krommen and Zaandijk, Hendrikdo and Papendrecht) and the longest distance was 326 km (Delfzijl and Oostburg ZL). The number of different surnames revealed by the analysis was 126,485. Lasker's distance, the negative value of the logarithm of isonymy between localities, was found to be significantly correlated with linear geographic distance, with r = 0.47 +/- 0.006. A dendrogram built using the matrix of isonymy distances, using the nearest neighbor-joining method, separates the Dutch towns into several clusters, most of them correlated with traditional Dutch regions. Comparisons with the results of previous analyses of the structure of other European countries are given. From the present analysis, isolation by distance emerges clearly, and it is relevant, although much weaker than in Switzerland, Austria, Italy, and Germany. The random component of inbreeding estimated from isonymy indicates a considerable degree of homogeneity in the Netherlands.

Répartition géographique des patronymes et structure génétique : le département de l’Ardèche au début du XX e siècle

The analysis of the geographical distribution of surnames (whose transmission in the European societies is similar to that of the Y chromosome) allows to study in an exhaustive way the spatial and temporal human population structure and the influence of environmental variations on this structure. The genetic structure of the Ardèche county was analysed through a study of the surname characteristics (diversity, frequency, geographical dispersion, etc.) of individuals born between 1891 and 1915. The estimation of the intra-community average consanguinity and the inter-district genetic relationships reveals a clear differentiation between populations of the mountainous part (geographically isolated, highly inbreeded) and those of the Rhône valley (less isolated, weakly inbreeded). As predicted by the isolation by distance model, inter-population coefficients of kinship decreases as distance increases, confirming the presence of a spatial structure, characterized by neighborhood exchange and resulting from former migratory flow.

Distribution of Forenames, Surnames, and Forename–Surname Pairs in the United States

AbstractUnavailability of data and computational resources has generally limited the study of personal names to that of individual forenames and surnames, small populations, and dictionaries of name types. Considerable attention has been paid to the comparative popularity of forenames but little to the frequency distribution of forenames, surnames, and forename-surname pairs. Frequency distributions for names in the United States are presented and are seen to approximate power law curves. The paradox of the commonality of the rare forename or surname is investigated and the puzzle of the plot of the occupied frequencies is presented.

Migration through surnames in Campobasso Province, Italy.

Data on grandparental surnames were obtained from school-children in 22 communes from Campobasso Province, Italy (Molise Region). The distribution of surnames was shown to be almost exactly linear by a log2-log2 transformation, which justified the fitting of the data to Fisher's logarithmic distribution. The values for v were higher among women. When v was standardized to minimize bias due to sample size, the value was one-third the estimate of migration from exogamy data. The higher values of v for females indicate that there is greater mobility of female marriage partners than males.

Ancestral kinship and cancer in Lastovo Island, Croatia.

The aim of this study was to compute the average kinship coefficient of cancer cases in an extreme isolate (Lastovo Island, Croatia) and to compare it to the corresponding value for the island's unaffected population. Kinship estimates were obtained by Wright's path method (phi) based on pedigree reconstruction and Lasker's coefficient of relationship by isonymy (Ri) based on surname distribution. A total of 76 cancer cases were recorded on the island between 1971 and 1995. The unaffected control population of 1144 persons was obtained from the population census in 1971. The data on five ancestral generations were collected from parish registries preserved in the local church, and included 5484 persons born on the island between 1750 and 1970. Both Wright's path method and Lasker's isonymy method indicated significantly greater kinship of female cancer cases than of the unaffected population. Cancer cases with increased values of Ri among them and Ri among their ancestors included cancers of the ovary, colon, brain, breast, and prostate and leukemias. This study confirms the role of heredity and common ancestry in the development of cancer, providing a rough insight into their relative importance for specific cancer sites.

Isonymy structure of USA population.

The isonymy structure of the 48 states of the continental United States of America was studied using the surname distributions of 18 million telephone users, distributed in 247 towns. The shortest linear distance between nearest neighbor towns included in the sample was 12.0 km. The largest distance was 4,577 km. The number of different surnames found in the whole analysis was 899,585. Lasker's distance was found to be significantly but weakly correlated with the geographic distance, with r = 0.21 +/- 0.01. A dendrogram of the 48 states was built from the matrix of isonymy distances: it divides the US into several clusters, in general correlated with geography. A notable exception is California and New Jersey, which cluster together. Wisconsin is separated from all other states. An important cluster is formed by Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Arizona, together with Illinois and Florida. It was observed that Hispanic surnames are among the most frequent in Illinois, as they are in New Jersey and California. No main distinction among the states clearly attributable to surnames of French origin was detected; however, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine which have a considerable number of these surnames belong to the same northeastern cluster. From the present analysis, the great mobility of the US population emerges clearly, and it seems relevant that the practical absence of isolation by distance is seen also considering only small towns. It appears that groups of different origin are well-mixed over the whole area of the United States. The values of isonymy indicate that the south-central area of the USA has the highest level of inbreeding. In fact, the heterogeneity in surname composition is greater in the coastal areas, particularly on the East Coast, than anywhere else in the USA.

A Diagnostic Database of American Personal Names

AbstractComputational analysis of pairings between surnames and forenames in “A Diagnostic Database of American Names” reveals a number of significant associations. These can be used as evidence to help pinpoint the most likely source language of an unfamiliar and unresearched surname, and to provide a framework for historical and genealogical research. The data can also be studied geographically since a number of surnames are associated with particular states or regions. A study of present-day distribution of surnames can be correlated’ with historical and other evidence regarding settlement patterns.

Elements of the surname structure of Austria

The isonymy structure of Austria was studied using the surname distributions in 1081002 private telephone users selected from about 4000000 registered in a 1996 commercial CD-ROM, which contains all Austrian users. The sample was distributed in 120 towns representing an approximately uniform distribution over the country. The number of different surnames found in the whole analysis was 140766. Lasker's distance, the negative value of the logarithm of isonymy between localities, was found to be linearly and significantly correlated with the log of geographic distance, with r = 0.565 +/- 0.011. A dendrogram was built with the matrix of isonymy distance, using the Unweighted Pair-Group Method using Arithmetic averages, UPGMA. It separates the Austrian towns in five main clusters, one along the central portion of the country, another one which occupies the northern region of central Austria; then comes a third cluster at the north-eastern part, a fourth cluster in the western region, and finally a small cluster towards the border with Slovenia. Within each, small subclusters with specific geographic distributions could be delimited. The main clusters correspond fairly well to the classic regions of Austria. The results were compared with those obtained in similar analyses of Switzerland, Germany, Italy and Venezuela. From the present analysis, isolation by distance emerges clearly, and it is stronger than in Germany but smaller than that observed in Italy, Switzerland and Venezuela. The random component of inbreeding estimated from isonymy, at the level of resolution used here, indicates that the inbreeding level in Austria is rather uniform.

The distribution and geographical origin of some French surnames

Summary. The geographical distribution of the principal form of a French surname and its close variants (in spelling or pronunciation) has been analysed based on the French births registers, respectively from 1891 to 1915 and from 1916 to 1940, and on telephone directories for 1975. The spatial analysis of the individuals with the principal form of the surname suggests the existence of a positive spatial autocorrelation and three major areas of concentration in central France, the Loire country and Northern France. Within these three main areas of concentration, in 1975 most of the telephone subscribers with the principal surname are listed in rural communes with fewer than 3000 inhabitants, suggesting that the geographical pattern is not recent. Moreover, between the end of the 19th century and 1975 this pattern remains fairly constant. The geographical distribution of the holders of a 'variant' form of the surname shows the existence of a positive correlation between the absolute frequency of the principal surname and that of the variants, but only one area of concentration appears in Loire country. By analogy with the theory of centres of origin in genetics and linguistics, it is suggested that this unique area of concentration could be the region in which the surname originated. If that hypothesis proves to be correct, two main consequences follow: large migration movements occurred before the general rural exodus of the last century, and there has been no major, recent admixture of populations.

Distribution of surnames and identities in the Ladin communities of the Dolomites

The structure of surnames of some communities of the Dolomitic area with a relevant component of the Ladin language is compared with each other and with other communities of the neighbourhood, in which no Ladin idiom is found. This investigation, which tries to evaluate the presence of a cultural and behavioural identity of the Ladin populations, starts from the assumption that a community of surnames is equivalent to a common cultural origin maintained by a reciprocal mobility. The analyses that have been carried out using estimates of the similarities between populations, the topological representations obtained by them and the spatial autocorrelation, show no evidence of the presence of a higher similarity between the populations that share Ladin traditions and idiom, nor the presence of preferential exchanges between them and not even the process of undifferentiated diffusion along all the directions. They show instead in the geographical collocation, in the belonging to the same province or to the same valley, the phenomenon that has more influence on the similarity between populations and the mobility of individuals, thus indicating that these are the factors which mostly cause the exchange between populations.

An analysis of the spatial distribution of surnames in the Lecco area (Lombardy, Italy)

The internal mobility of the population of the province of Lecco (Lombardy, Italy) was evaluated on the basis of the frequency of characteristic surnames in three territorial areas as a function of their geographical distance. Nearly three fourths of the patterns are statistically significant in one of the three areas, where the process of diffusion of surnames could be interpreted as due to socioeconomic factors. On the contrary, a similar distribution is less evident in the other two areas of the same territory. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 11:305–315, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

An analysis of the spatial distribution of surnames in the Lecco area (Lombardy, Italy).

The internal mobility of the population of the province of Lecco (Lombardy, Italy) was evaluated on the basis of the frequency of characteristic surnames in three territorial areas as a function of their geographical distance. Nearly three fourths of the patterns are statistically significant in one of the three areas, where the process of diffusion of surnames could be interpreted as due to socioeconomic factors. On the contrary, a similar distribution is less evident in the other two areas of the same territory. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 11:305-315, 1999. Copyright 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.