Surnames

In Search of Your Asian Roots: Genealogical Resources of Chinese Surnames by Sheau-Yue Chao (Clearfield Co.)

English and Welsh

Dictionary of English Surnames by R.M. Wilson and P.H. Reaney (Oxford University Press)

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames With Special American Instances by Charles Wareing Bardsley (Clearfield Co.)

The Surnames of Wales: For Family Historians and Others by John and Sheila Rowlands (Genealogical Publishing Co.)

German

A Dictionary of German-Jewish Surnames by Lars Menk (Avotaynu): This tome identifies more than 13,000 German Jewish surnames from pre-WWI Germany. You’ll find the etymology and variants of each name, plus the region, town and time period in which the name was used. Several tables list name suffixes, the distribution of common surnames, and names based on towns, geography, personal traits and occupations. These details can provide clues to how your ancestors got their names—and where your family might have come from.

Hispanic

Hispanic Surnames and Family History by Lyman D. Platt (Genealogical Publishing Co.): You’ll learn about the development of surnames in Spanish speaking America with this comprehensive work. The book covers the top 1,000 US and Latin American surnames, more than 12,500 Hispanic surnames from the 1980 US census, and surnames unique to Latin American countries, plus a bibliography of published family histories. It’s a good reference for people with Hispanic roots.

Irish

Clans and Families of Ireland: The Heritage and Heraldry of Irish Clans and Families by John Grenham (Book Sales)

The All New Surnames of Ireland by Edward Neafsey (Irish Genealogical Foundation): Discover some 200 family histories — each accompanied with a map of Ireland showing clusters of the surname — in this tome, which combines historical research with the locations of Irish families today. The introduction gives an overview of how Irish surnames are handed down; it also discusses prefixes such as Mac- or Mc- and O’-. This book is a great reference for families with surnames from Adamson to Yeates.

Special Report on Surnames in Ireland by Sir Robert E. Matheson (Genealogical Publishing Co.)

Genealogist’s Guide to the Various Spellings of Irish Names by Michael C. O’Laughlin (Irish Genealogical Foundation)

Families of County Cork, Ireland: From the Earliest Times to the 20th Century: Irish Family Surnames with Locations and Origins by Michael C. O’Laughlin (O’Laughlin Press)

Italian

Our Italian Surnames by Joseph G. Fucilla (Genealogical Publishing Co.): Originally published in 1949 and recently reprinted, this is still the most widely consulted book on Italian names. It discusses given names as well as the evolution of surnames, and explains how names were derived from places, kinship, animals, insects and occupations. Rather than a dictionary approach, this work covers names in a narrative form, so you’ll find the extensive index useful.

Jewish

A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from the Russian Empire by Alexander Beider (Avotaynu)

A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from the Kingdom of Poland by Alexander Beider (Avotaynu)

Jewish Surnames from Prague (15th-18th Centuries) by Alexander Beider (Avotaynu)

Polish

Polish Surnames: Origins and Meanings, 2nd edition, by William F. Hoffman (Polish Genealogical Society)

Scottish

Collins Guide to Scots Kith and Kin: A Guide to the Clans and Surnames of Scotland (HarperCollins)

The Scottish Macs: Family Names of Scotland and the Scots-Irish by James B. Johnston (Irish Genealogical Foundation)

Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning and History by George F. Black (Churchill & Dunn, Ltd)

The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames: With a Vocabulary of Christian Names by Clifford Stanley Sims (Palala Press)

FAMILY TREE PODCASTS