The anglicisation of personal names is the change of non-English-language personal names to spellings nearer English sounds, or substitution of equivalent or similar English personal names in the place of non-English personal names.

Anglicisation of personal names

Classical, Medieval and Renaissance figures

A small number of figures, mainly very well-known classical and religious writers, appear under English names—or more typically under Latin names, in English texts. This practice became prevalent as early as in English-language translations of the New Testament, where translators typically renamed figures such as Yeshu and Simon bar-Jonah as Jesus and Peter, and treated most of the other figures in the New Testament similarly. In contrast, translations of the

Old Testament The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...

traditionally use the original names, more or less faithfully transliterated from the original Hebrew. Transatlantic explorers such as

Zuan Chabotto John Cabot ( it, Giovanni Caboto ; 1450 – 1500) was an Italian navigator and explorer. His 1497 voyage to the coast of North America under the commission of Henry VII of England is the earliest-known European exploration of coastal Nor ...

and

Cristoforo Colombo Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...

became popularly known as John Cabot and Christopher Columbus; English-speakers anglicized and Latinized the name of the Polish astronomer

Mikołaj Kopernik Nicolaus Copernicus (; pl, Mikołaj Kopernik; gml, Niklas Koppernigk, german: Nikolaus Kopernikus; 19 February 1473 – 24 May 1543) was a Renaissance polymath, active as a mathematician, astronomer, and Catholic canon, who formulated ...

to (Nicholas) Copernicus, and the English-speaking world typically knows the French-born theologian Jean Calvin as John Calvin. Such anglicisations became less usual after the sixteenth century.

Non-English-language areas of Great Britain and Ireland

Most Gaelic language surnames of Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man have been anglicized at some time. The Gaels were among the first Europeans to adopt surnames during the Dark Ages. Originally, most Gaelic surnames were composed of the given name of a child's father, preceded by Mac (''son'') or Nic (or ''Ní'', both being variants of ''nighean'', meaning '' daughter'') depending on the gender. These

surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

s would not be passed down another generation, and a woman would keep her birth surname after marriage. The same was originally true of Germanic surnames which followed the pattern ather's given nameson/daughter (this is still the case in Iceland, as exemplified by the singer

Björk Guðmundsdóttir Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct three-octave vocal range and eccentric persona, she has de ...

and former Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson). When referring to siblings collectively (or to members of a family or clan that share a "Mac-" surname), the prefix for son or daughter was pluralised. By example, ''MacAoidh'' (son of Hugh'') ''becomes ''MicAoidh (''sons of Hugh'') ''and ''Clann MhicAoidh (''literally children/descendants of Hugh''). '' The Jacksons in English (with Jack being derived from John) would in Gaelic be rendered ''a' MhicSheain (''the sons of John''). Over the centuries, under the influence of post- Medieval English practice, this type of surname has become static over generations, handed down the male lineage to all successive generations so that it no longer indicates the given name of a holder's father any more than the suffix -son on a Germanic language surname does today. Among English-speaking peoples of Gaelic heritage, the use of ''Nic'' as a prefix for daughters has been replaced by ''Mac'', regardless of sex (as per Geraldine McGowan,

Alyth McCormack Alyth Catriona McCormack, better known mononymously as Alyth (born 1970) is a Scottish singer, songwriter and actress. She was brought up on the Isle of Lewis in the Scottish Outer Hebrides. In 2020 she has collaborated with the Art of Peace glo ...

, and Sarah McLachlan). Wives also began to take on the surnames of their husbands. Another common pattern of surname was similar to that preceded by Mac/Nic, but instead was preceded by Ó or Ui, signifying a grandchild or descendant. Not all Gaelic surnames signified relationship to a forebear, however. Some signified an ancestral people or homeland, such as ''MacDhubhghaill'' (son of a dark-haired foreigner; referring to one type of Scandinavian), ''MacFhionnghaill'' (son of a fair-haired foreigner; also referring to a Scandinavian people), MacLachlainn or MacLachlainneach (son of a Scandinavian). Others indicated the town or village of a family's origin, sometimes disguised as an ancestor's name as in Ó Creachmhaoil, which prefixes a toponym as though it was the name of a person. As with other culturo-linguistic groups, other types of surnames were often used as well, including trade-names such as ''MacGhobhainn'', ''Mac a'Ghobhainn'' or ''Mac Gabhainn'' (''son of the smith''), and physical characteristics such as hair colour. In anglicizing Gaelic names, the prefixes ''Mac'', ''Nic'', and ''Ó'' were frequently removed (the name ''Ó Fathaigh'', by example, was sometimes anglicized as ''Fahey'' or ''Fay'', identically to the given name; ''Ó Leannáin'' and ''Ó Lionáin'' have both been anglicized as ''Lennon''; ''Ó Ceallaigh'' and ''Ó Cadhla'' have been anglicized as ''Kelly''). Where they were retained, ''Mac'' was often rendered ''Mc'', ''M', ''or ''Mag-'' (the last is seen in renderings such as ''Maguire'' for ''Mac Uidhir'') and ''Ó/Ui'' became ''O. ''MacGhobhainn'', ''Mac a'Ghobhainn'' and ''Mac Gabhainn'' (''son of the smith'') were anglicized as ''McGowan'', ''Gowan'', ''McGavin'', and ''Gavin''. In surnames which had been prefixed ''Mac'' (which includes most Manx surnames), the final hard ''c'' sound remained when the ''Mac'' was removed. As Gaelic spelling rules required the first letter of a name preceded by Mac or Nic to be lenited (providing it was a consonant other than l, n, or r, which are not generally lenited in Gaelic, or c or g; although in the case of the last two, they ''are'' lenited when the intended connotation is ''"son/daughter of"'' rather than a surname. By example, if stating that ''James (Scott) is the son of Calum (Stuart)'' in Gaelic, it would be phrased ''Seumas mac Chaluim'', as distinct from ''Seumas MacCaluim'' for a James with the surname ''MacCaluim'') with the addition of an h after it (originally, this had been indicated in handscript by a dot above the letter, but with the introduction of printing with movable type the ''h'' was substituted) after a consonant (silencing it, or changing its sound), and for the last vowel to be slender (i or e) if male, the anglicized form of a Gaelic name could look quite different. By example, ''MacPhearais'' (''Mac+Pearas''=''son of Pierce'') has been anglicized as ''Corish'', and ''MacAonghais'' has been anglicized as ''MacAngus'', ''MacInnis'', ''MacInnes'', ''Innis'', ''Innes'', and ''Guinness''. Gaelic names were also sometimes anglicized by translating the prefix ''Mac'' into the suffix ''son'', as per the Germanic practice. ''MacPhearais'', consequently, has been anglicized as ''Pearson'', ''MacDomhnaill'' has not only been anglicized as ''MacDonald'' and ''MacDonnell'', but also as ''Donaldson'', and ''MacAoidh'' (Mac+Aodh) has been anglicized as ''Hewson'' (it is also anglicized as ''McHugh'' and ''Hughes''). The Gaelic ''MacSheain'' or ''MacSheathain'' (son of Seán) has similarly been anglicized ''Johnson'' or ''Jackson'' (it has also been less thoroughly anglicized as ''MacIain'' and ''MacIan''). The other main changes made in anglicisation from Gaelic names of Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man are the removal of silent letters, and respelling according to English phonetics (as ''Ó Creachmhaoil'' or ''Creachmhaoil'' became ''Craughwell'' or ''Crockwell'', and ''MacDhubhghaill'' became ''Dougal''). Ó Briain has often become O'Brien,

Ó Rothláin Ó Rothláin ( ) is an Irish surname. The name is a Patronym meaning "descendant of Rothlán." It is suggested that it is a possible variant of Ó Raghalláin, or Ó Roghallaigh. It is the pre- anglicised, Irish form of the names Rowlan, Rowl ...

became Rowland,

Ó Néill The O'Neill dynasty (Irish: ''Ó Néill'') are a lineage of Irish Gaelic origin, that held prominent positions and titles in Ireland and elsewhere. As kings of Cenél nEógain, they were historically the most prominent family of the Northern ...

became O'Neill and some surnames like Ó Súilleabháin may be shortened to just O'Sullivan or Sullivan. Similarly, the forename ''Somhairle'' has been altered to ''Sorley'', the surname ''MacGill'Leathain'' or ''MacGill'Eathain'' to ''MacLean'', and ''MacAoidh'' to ''Mackay''. As with Gaelic and Germanic surnames, Welsh surnames and Cornish surnames had originally been mostly patronymic, though others contained toponymic elements, or were derived from trades, or personal characteristics. Surnames which remained fixed across generations, passed down along the male line of descent (provided parents were married) were adopted under the dictate of the English Government from the

sixteenth century The 16th century begins with the Julian year 1501 ( MDI) and ends with either the Julian or the Gregorian year 1600 ( MDC) (depending on the reckoning used; the Gregorian calendar introduced a lapse of 10 days in October 1582). The 16th centur ...

. As in the Gaelic-speaking areas, many

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

(''Cymric'') patronyms were anglicised by omitting the prefix indicating ''son of'' and either exchanging the father's Welsh forename for its English equivalent, or re-spelling it according to English spelling rules, and, either way, most commonly adding ''-s'' to the end, so that the such as 'ap Hywell' became

Powell Powell may refer to: People * Powell (surname) * Powell (given name) * Powell baronets, several baronetcies *Colonel Powell (disambiguation), several military officers *General Powell (disambiguation), several military leaders *Governor Powell (di ...

, and 'ap Siôn' to

Jones Jones may refer to: People *Jones (surname), a common Welsh and English surname *List of people with surname Jones * Jones (singer), a British singer-songwriter Arts and entertainment * Jones (''Animal Farm''), a human character in George Orwell ...

or Upjohn. The first generation to adopt this Agmicisation hereafter handed it down unchanged to children. Many Cornish (''Kernewek'') names have been anglicised in similar ways.

Immigration to English-speaking countries

Anglicisation of non-English-language names was common for immigrants, or even visitors, to English-speaking countries. An example is the German composer

Johann Christian Bach Johann Christian Bach (September 5, 1735 – January 1, 1782) was a German composer of the Classical period (music), Classical era, the eighteenth child of Johann Sebastian Bach, and the youngest of his eleven sons. After living in Italy for ...

, the "London Bach," who was known as "John Bach" after emigrating to England. During the time in which there were large influxes of immigrants from Europe to the United States and United Kingdom during the 19th and 20th centuries, the given names and surnames of many immigrants were changed. This became known colloquially as the "

Ellis Island Special An Ellis Island Special is a family name that is perceived or labeled, incorrectly, as having been altered or anglicized by immigration officials at the Ellis Island immigration station when a family reached the United States, typically from Europ ...

," after the U.S. immigrant processing center on Ellis Island; contrary to popular myth, no names were ever legally changed at Ellis Island, and immigrants almost always changed them at their own discretion. Traditionally common Christian given names could be substituted: such as James for the etymologically connected Jacques. Alternatively phonetical similarities, such as Joe for Giò (Giovanni or Giorgio); or abbreviation, Harry for Harilaos, or Ricky for Enrique (Henry), as common in Spanish, instead of for (Ricardo) Richard as in English. The anglicisation of a personal name now usually depends on the preferences of the bearer. Name changes are less common today for Europeans emigrating to the United States than they are for people originating in, or descending from those who emigrated from,

East Asian East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea a ...

countries. Requests that the bearer anglicize their personal name against their wishes are viewed as a form of racism or xenophobia.

French surnames

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

immigrants to the United States (both those of Huguenot and

French-Canadian French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fr ...

background) often accommodated those unfamiliar with

pronunciations and spellings by altering their surnames in either of two ways: spellings were changed to fit the traditional pronunciation (Pariseau became Parizo, Boucher became Bushey, Mailloux became Mayhew, Cartier became Carter, Carpentier became Carpenter), or pronunciations were changed to fit the spelling (Benoît, pronounced , became ). In some cases, it could go either way (Gagné, pronounced , become or Gonyea), or something only slightly similar (Bourassa became Bersaw). Some anglicized French-Canadian surnames: *Arpin – Harper *Baudin – Borden- Boardway *Beauparlant – Wellspeak *Berthiaume – Barcomb *Camaraire – Cameron *Choiniere – Sweeney *Charbonneau – Sherbonneau – Cole *Chenard – Snow *Cloutier – Clutchey – Clukey – Nailor *Demers – DeMarce *Deslauriers – Delorey *Desrosiers – DeRosia *Forget – Forgette – Forgitt *Fournier – Furnia – Fuller *Fugère – Fisher *Gadoury – Gadrow *Lacaillade – Lackyard *Lavallée – LaValley-LaVallie- Lovely *Leduc – LeDuc – LaDuke *Lépicier – LePicier – Lepscier – Lipsiea *Létourneau – Le Tourneau – Blackbird *Lévesque – LeVesque – Bishop *Limoges – LaMorge *Maillet – Myers *Meunier – Miller *Morillo – Morill *Peltier – Pelkie – Pelkey *Pontbrillant – Pombrio – Pomroy *Robidoux – Rabideau *Rondeau – Rondo *Séguin – Saya *Ste-Marie – St. Mary *Therrien – Landers *Trottier – Trokey *Vézina – Viznor

Scandinavian surnames

Scandinavian surnames Heritable family names were generally adopted rather late within Scandinavia. Nobility were the first to take names that would be passed on from one generation to the next. Later, clergy, artisans and merchants in cities took heritable names. Fam ...

were often anglicized upon the immigrant's arrival into the United States. * Sjöberg: Seaborg * Johansen, Johnsen, Johansson: Johanson or Johnson * Carlsson, Karlsson: Carlson * Kjellberg: Chellberg * Hansen, Hansson: Hanson or Henson * Blomkvist, Blomqvist, Blomquist: Bloomquist * Pedersen, Petersen, Petersson, Pettersson: Peterson * Møller: Moller, Moeller or Miller * Jacobsen, Jakobsen, Jacobsson, Jakobsson: Jacobson or Jackson * Nørgård, Nørgaard, Nørregaard: Norgard * Andersen, Andersson: Anderson *Åsum, Aasum, Aasumb:

Awsumb Awsumb is a Norwegian toponymic surname. It is derived from an ancient farm in Vinger, Norway. The spelling ''Awsumb'' is an anglicization of ''Aasumb'' used by some Norwegian emigrants to the United States. The Old Norse farm name ''Aasumb'' co ...

* Daugaard: Daugard * Nielsen, Nilsen, Nilsson: Nelson * Östergård, Østergaard: Ostergard * Eriksen, Ericsson, Eriksson: Ericson or Erickson * Hervik: Harwick * Olsen, Olesen, Olsson, Olesson: Olson * Skjeldrud: Sheldrew * Larsen, Larsson: Larson * Sørkjil: Surchel * Rikard: Rickard * Guðmundsson, Gudmundsen: Gudmundson *Sten: Stone

Greek given names

Some Greek names are anglicized using the etymologically related name: Agni: Agnes; Alexandros/Alexis: Alexander/Alex; Alexandra: Alexandra/Alex; Andreas: Andrew; Christophoros: Christopher; Evgenios/Evgenis: Eugene/Gene; Eleni: Helen; Georgios/Yorgos: George; Ioannis/Yannis: John; Irini: Irene; Katharini: Catherine/Kate; Markos: Mark; Michail/Michalis: Michael; Nikolaos: Nicholas; Pavlos: Paul; Petros: Peter; Stephanos: Stephen; Theodoros: Theodore/Ted; and so on. Besides simple abbreviation or anglicisation of spelling, there are some conventional English versions of or nicknames for Greek names which were formerly widely used and are still encountered: * Anestis: Ernest * Aristotelis: Telly * Athanasios: Thomas, Tom, Athan, Nathan * Christos: Chris * Demosthenes: Dick * Dimitrios/Dimi: James, Jim, Jimmy, Demi * Dionysios: Dennis, Dean * Haralambos: Harry, Bob * Harilaos: Charles, Harry * Eleftherios/Lefteris: Terence, Terry * Ilias: Louie, Elias * Konstantinos/Kostas: Gus, Charles, Frank, Constantine * Leonidas: Leo * Panayiotis: Peter, Pete (cf. Petros) * Stavros: Steve, Sam (cf. Stephanos) * Vasilios: William, Bill; (''etymologically correct but not preferred'': Basil)

Slavic names

Having immigrated to Canada and United States in the late 19th – early 20th centuries many Ukrainians looked for English equivalents to their given names. In some cases, Canadian or American-born children received two names: the English one (for official purposes) and a Ukrainian one (for family or ethnic community use only). * Orysya: Erna * Yaroslav (Jaroslaw): Gerald Hundreds of Spiritual Christian Doukhobors who migrated from Russia to Canada from 1899 to 1930, changed their surnames. Genealogist Jonathan Kalmakoff posted comprehensive lists for
Alberta (1935–1975)

British Columbia
(1936–1975)
Saskatchewan (1917–1975)
Many descendants of Spiritual Christians from Russia in California, whose parents immigrated to Los Angeles (1904–1912), hid their family surnames due to real and perceived ethnic discrimination during the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

. * Androff, Veronin: Andrews * Butchinoff: Baker * Baklanov: Bakly * Bolderoff: Bolder * Pivovaroff: Brewer * Chernikoff: Cherney * Arinin, Orloff: Eagles * Carpoff: Karp * Chernabieff: Sharon * Chickenoff, Chickinoff: Chick * Corneyff: Corney * Domansky: Domane * Egnatoff: Egnatu * Elinov: Eleen * Fetesoff: Martin * Fettesoff, Fettisoff: Fettis * Galitzen: Riley * Goulokin: Golf * Gvozdiff: Niles * Hallivichoff, Golovachev: Hall * Kalpakoff: Kalp * Kashirsky: Kash * Kasimoff: Kazy * Kisseloff, Kesseloff: Kissell * Klubnikin: Klubnik * Konovaloff: Conway * Kotoff: Kott * Krasilnikoff: Krase * Kriakin: Emerald * Kuznetsoff: Cousins * Laschenco: Lashin * Ledieav: Liege * Mackshanoff: Maxwell * Melnikoff: Melnick * Moiseve: Mosser * Plujnkoff: Pluss * Popoff: Preston * Rudometkin: Remmy * Rudometkin: Ruddy * Semenisheff: Samoff * Slivkoff: Martin * Syapin: Seaking * Tikhunov: Saber * Tolmasoff: Thomas, Tolmas * Urane: Durain * Uren: Wren * Varonin: Johnson * Volkoff: Wolf

German surnames

German Americans are the largest ethnic group in the USA numbering at almost 50 million or roughly 1/6th of US population. Immigration from Germany can be traced back to 1608 (Jamestown, VA), but migration was highest between the mid 19th century and early 20th century. From 1876 to 1923, Germany was the largest source of US Immigrants. From 1923 to 1970, it was the 2nd largest source of US Immigrants after Italy. A formal immigration process channeling immigrants through Ellis Island only began in 1892. Immigrants arriving prior to this, did not receive official immigration papers documenting their names. This created a fluidity in how families chose to spell their names. Legal problems caused by spelling variations in Surnames were addressed by the Land Purchases Act. This Act established the principle of ''idem sonans,'' that is if differently spelled names "sounded the same," a claim of an unbroken line of ownership could be acknowledged. Since preserving the name's sound was legally important, common forms of Surname changes involved spelling adaptations that helped English readers replicate the original German pronunciation. As an example, the German surname Eisenhauer could be spelled either in its original form as Eisenhauer or adapted to Eisenhower, Isenhower or Izenhower. All adapted versions preserve the original's pronunciation, but have spelling structures that English readers are more familiar with. Such variations in spelling, is one reason why Germans surnames don't often appear on lists of popular US surnames. One hundred original Eisenhauers, instead get counted as 50 Eisenhauers, 30 Eisenhowers, 10 Isenhowers and 10 Izenhowers, splitting the numbers and making German surnames appear less popular than they really are. The First and Second World Wars created pockets of xenophobia against German Americans. During the same period, The Anti-Saloon league, successfully lobbied the Government to enact prohibition, using racist "us vs them" propaganda against German Americans, who owned a large percentage of American breweries. The Anti-German climate in the USA began to improve when Prohibition, which was later considered an economic failure, was revoked in 1933. It further improved when the Nazis were defeated in 1945 under the leadership of Supreme Allied Commander, General Dwight D Eisenhower, a German American. During the window of Anti-German hostilities in the US, some German Americans chose to blur their connections with their ancestral homeland, by translating part or whole of their surnames into English. Once again, translations that limited change in sound were preferred over those that sounded different. Relative to the sustained German mass immigration during the 19th and early 20th century, this practice of surname translation was unusual and not very widespread. In the 1940s, automobile registration documents, along with widespread implementation of social security, played an important role in stabilizing American surnames by legally documenting most of the US population's names. ''Surname adaptations preserving German pronunciation (most common)'' * Bauer: Bower * Bäumeler: Bimeler * Böing: Boeing * Bethke: Bethkey * Ebersohl: Ebersole * Euler: Youler * Eisenhauer: Eisenhower, Isenhour * Eichhoff: Eikoff * Fickel: Fickle * Fruehauf: Freehouf * Förster: Forster * Geißler: Geihsler, Geiszler, Geissler * Göbel: Goebel, Gable * Güngerich, Guengerich: Gingerich, Gingrich * Grueter: Gruter * Heß: Hess * Heide: Hidy * Hirschberger: Harshbarger * Jäger: Jaeger, Yeager * Jahraus: Yahrous * Jungfleisch: Yungfleisch * Jüngling: Yuengling * Kaiser: Kizer * Klein: Kline, Cline, Clyne * König: Koenig * Kühn: Kuehn * Krüger: Krueger, Kruger * Luckenbach: Lookenbaugh * Melhaus: Milhouse * Müller: Mueller * Nonnenmacher: Nunemaker * Pfersching: Fershing * Pfannebecker: Fannybacher * Pfister: Fister * Richenbacher: Rickenbacker * Schmidt: Shmit * Schoenhoff: Schonhoff, Shonhoff * Schreiber: Schriber, Shriber * Schröder: Schroeder, Shroeder, Shroder * Schultz: Shultz * Schwartz: Shwartz * Schuhmacher: Schumacher, Schumaker * Sedelmeier : Settlemire * Spengler: Spangler * Tillmann: Tillman * Willcke: Willkie * Zuericher: Zercher ''Translated surnames with slight pronunciation change (less common)'' * Apfelbaum: Applebaum * Braun: Brown * Busch: Bush * Fischer: Fisher * Gutweiler: Goodweiler * Gutmann: Goodman * Neumann: Newman * Neumeyer: Newmeyer * Baumgarten: Baumgarden * Steinweg: Steinway * Haudenschild: Haudenshield. ''Translated surnames with clearly noticeable pronunciation change (least common)'' * Albrecht: Albright * Becker: Baker * Fuchs: Fox * Goldwasser: Goldwater * Herzfeld: Heartfield * Langenstein: Longstone * Müller: Miller * Schmidt: Smith * Schneider: Taylor * Wagner: Waggoner * Wald: Wood * Weber: Weaver * Weiss: White * Zimmerman: Carpenter

Ashkenazi surnames

* Aaron, A(a)ronovi(t)ch, Aronowicz, Aharonovich, etc.: Aronson, Arnold, Aarons, Arrent, Baron... * Abraham, Abramovitch, Abramowicz, etc.: Abrahams, Abrahamson, Abrams, Abers, Ames, Aberlin, Albert... * Abt: Abbott * Ackermann: Ackerman, Akers, Acre... * Adam, Adamowicz, Adamovitch: Adams, Adamson, Adcock, Atkins... * Adelstein, Adelmann: Adel, Adele, Nobel, Noble * Alexandrovich, Alexandrowicz: Alexander * Allemann, Adalmann: Allman, Almond * Allendorf, Allenstein: Allen * Alt, Alterman, Altmann: Oldman, Olman, Ulman... * Apfel, Apfelmann: Appel, Apple, Appleman... * Asher, Ascher: Archer, Ansell, Asherson, Ashley, Ashton, Astley... * Auerbach, Averbach: Avery, Avers * Baruch: Benedict, Bennett, Bentley, Bernal, Berthold, Bruck, Brooks, Barrow... * Baecker, Becker: Baker, Bakerman, Beck... * Bank, Bankmann: Banks, Bankman * Bas, Basser, Bassmann: Bass * Bauer: Bower, Boyer, Farmer * Beilin, Bella, Beilinsky: Bell, Bellman, Ball... * Behr, Behrman: Bear, Bearman, Barman, Berman, Byron... * Belmonte, Schönberg: Belmont * Berg, Berger, Bergman, Bergstein, etc.: Burke, Hill, Hiller, Hillman, Hillstone, Hilton... * Benjamin: Benson, Wolf, Woulff... * Berkowitz: Berkeley * Bernheim: Burnham * Bernstein: Burns, Burton * Biesel: Bickle, Bickel, Bissle, Bissell... * Binghenheimer: Bingham * Blau, Blaustein: Blue, Bluestone * Bloch: Blick, Block * Blonde, Blondeman: Blond, Blondman * Blumberg, Blüm, Blumenfeld, Blumenthal, etc.: Bloomberg, Bloom, Bloomfield, Bloomingdale... * Bolotin: Bolton * Brandt, Brandtweiner: Brand, Brandy * Brandeis: Brandis * Brody: Brady * Brenner: Brennan, Brenn... * Breuer, Brauer: Brewer, Brewston... * Braun, Braunfeld: Brown, Brownfield * Buch, Buchmann: Buck, Buckman * Busch: Bush * Butl, Butlmann: Butler, Buller * Burstein: Barstone, Barston * Carlebach, Karl: Carlton, Carlson * Chernik, Chernikoff: Cherney * Chesnick: Chester * Crössmann, Krosmann: Crossman, Cross * Cohen: Kohn, Kuhn, Kagan, Kogan, Koch, Cook, Cohane, Kane, Caine, Keane, Coe, Conn, Cowen, Cowan, Cowell, Gowan, Coven, Cove, Cullen, Cannon, Collins, Kegan, Kennedy... * Darmstadt, Darmstadter: Darm, Darmer, Darr, Dermer * Darlich, Derlich, Derlech: Darley, Derlick * David, Devid, Davidovich, Davidowitz: Davidson, Davids, Davis, Davies, Davison, Devine, Devlin, Tewel, Teweles... * Diamant: Diamond * Dickstein: Dickson * Durandus: Durant * Eisner, Eisen, Eisenstein: Iron, Ironstone, Isenhower, Isley... * Elchanan: Elkin, Atkin... * Elijah, Eliyahu: Elias, Elie, Ellis, Ellison, Elson, Elton... * Emanuel: Mendel, Menzel, Menlin, Menkin, Mink, Minkin... * Ephraim: Fishel, Fish, Fisher, Fishman, Fishlin... * Epstein: Easton * Evert, Ewart, Evard, etc.: Evers, Evans, Avert... * Ezekiel: Haskin, Haskell, Heskel, Caskell... * Falk, Falke: Falcon, Hawk, Hawke * Feld, Feldmann, Felder: Field, Fields, Fielder, Fieldman... * Fein, Feinmann: Fain, Faine, Fine, Fineman * Feinstein: Finston, Finniston * Feuermann: Fireman, Fairman * Feuerstein: Firestone * Fisch, Fischbein: Fish, Fishbine * Fink, Finkel, Finkelstein: Finkley, Finley, Fenton * Fleisch, Fleischer, Fleischmann, etc.: Boucher, Butcher, Butchman... * Frankel: Frank, Franks, Franklin... * Fried, Friedman, Freiman: Freed, Freedman, Fredman, Freeman * Freund, Freundlich, Freundman: Friend, Friendly, Friendman... * Fuchs: Foss, Fox * Fuhrmann: Forman, Furman, Carter... * Furst, Forst, Forster, etc.: First, Forrest, Ford, Foster... * Gärtner: Ghertner, Gertner, Gardner, Garner... * Garfinkle, Garfinckel, Gurfinkel, Garfunkel: Garfield, Garland * Gefen: Geffen, Geff, Goff... * Gershon, Gershowitz: Gershwin, Garson... * Glaser, Glazer, Glasman: Glass, Glassman * Gold, Goldstein, Goldmann, etc.: Gold, Golden, Golding, Goldstone, Goldman... * Goldschmidt: Goldsmith * Gottfried, Gottlieb: Godfrey, Goddard... * Grau, Graustein: Gray, Graystone, Kray, Graw, Craw, Crawford... * Grossman: Biggs, Gross * Grodno, Gorodin: Gordon * Grün, Grünstein, Grüngras, Grünwald, Grünberg, Grünblatt etc.: Green, Greenstone, Greengrass, Greenberg, Greenhill, Greenwood, Greenleaf... * Grünfeld: Greenfield * Grünspan, Grynszpan, Grinshpan:

Greenspan Greenspan is a typically Ashkenazi Jewish surname. It is the anglicized form of the German/Yiddish surname Grünspan ("green swarf", "green patina", "verdigris", " copper(II) acetate"). Cognate are the surnames Grynszpan, Grinszpan and Grinshpan (P ...

* Gutmann: Goodman, Goodwin * Chaim, Haim, Chaimovich, Chaimowitz etc.: Heim, Hyme, Hyman, Hyde, Hyams... * Chayyat, Hayat, Schneider, Portnoy, etc.: Taylor, Hyatt, Snyder... * Hacken, Heker: Hacker * Halle: Hale, Hall * Hendler: Handler * Hillel, Gillel, Gillerovitch: Hellman, Heller, Holman, Halman, Holmes, Hillman, Gillman, Gilles, Gilbert... * Hirschfeld, Hirsch, Herz, Naftali: Hirshfield, Heartfield, Hertz, Herschel, Hershey, Harris, Harrison, Hart, Hard, Harman, Harding, Harwood, Deer... * Heilbronn, Heilbronner: Halpern, Halperin, Halparn, Alpert... * Heinrich: Henri, Henriques, Henry, Hein, Hine, Hineman... * Helleman, Heller: Helman, Ellmann, Elman * Hermann: Harman, Herman * Herring: Harring, Hering, Harrington * Hoch, Hocher, Hochmann: Hook, Hooker, Hookman, Hodge, Hodges... * Hollander, Hollaenderski: Holland * Hollinger, Hollingen: Hollings, Hollingsworth, Hollis... * Holder: Holden * Holz, Holtz: Holt, Holton, Wood, Woods * Hornik, Hornreich, Hornstein, Hornthal: Horn, Horne, Horner, Hornstone, Horndale... * Horowitz, Horvitz, Horovitch: Horwich, Hurwich, Howard, Harris, Harold, Harvey, Horton... * Huber, Haber: Hooper, Hoover, Hever... * Isaac: Isaacs, Isaacson, Hickman, Hickson, Hitchcock, Sachs, Sacks, Saxon, Cox... * Israel: Isserlin * Issachar: Axel, Axelrod, Barr, Barton, Barry, Barrell, Barratt, Barnard, Barkin, Bernhardt, Bernard, Berman, Bear, Beer, Barnett... * Jacob: Jacobs, Jacobson, Jackson, Cobb... * Jaeger: Hunter, Hunt * Javitz: Jarvis * Joel: Joelson, Joelson, Julius... * Jonah: Jonas, Jones, Joneson * Joseph: Josephs, Josephson, Jessel, Jessop, Jocelyn, Joslin, Joskin... * Judah: Judith, Judson, Judd, Judas, Leo, Leon, Lion, Lyon, Lyons, Lionel... * Kaminski: Kay, Kaye, Kayson... * Karol, Karolinski, Karolin: Carroll, Karlin, Carlin... * Kaplan: Copeland, Capp, Cape, Chaplin... * Katz, Katznellenbogen: Katznelson, Nelson * Kauffmann: Cuffman, Marchand, Marchant, Merchant... * Kehr: Kerr, Carr * Klein: Cline, Kline, Little, Small, Smalls... * Koenig, Koenigsmann, Koenigsberg, Malach: King, Kingsman, Kingshill, Kingsley, Kingston... * Konrad, Kundrat, Kunert, Kunard: Conrad, Conrady, Connell, Connelly, Kenny, Kennard... * Korn, Kornfeld: Corn, Cornfield * Krahn, Krehn: Crane * Krauch: Crouch, Crouchman * Krebs, Kreps: Cripps, Cripp * Kreisler: Chrysler * Kristal, Kristallman: Crystal, Crystalman * Kühlmann, Kühl: Cole, Coleman, Colson, Colton... * Küpper, Kupfer: Coop, Cooper, Cooperman, Copperstone, Copperfield, Cooperstone... * Kutner, Kotler: Cutner, Cutter, Cotter, Cotler, Cutler... * Lambehrt, Lempert, Lemport, Lembert, Lamm: Lambert * Landau, Landauer, Landeck, Landecker: Land, Landes, Landis, Landon... * Lang, Langbein, Langenbach, Langendorf, Langenthal, Langer, Langermann: Lang, Langman, Langley, Leng, Long... * Lavent, Lawrent, Lawrentman, Laventhol: Law, Lauren, Lawton, Lawson, Lawrence... * Leschnik, Leschziner, Leschnitzer, Leschzinger: Leslie, Lesley, Lester... * Levi, Levy, Levite: Halevy, Haley, Lavey, Lavor, Lebel, Leblin, Levay, Leib, Lee, Leigh, Leopold, Levin, Levine, Levenson, Leviton, Levison, Levitt, Lewi, Louis, Lewin, Lewinson, Lewis, Lewison, Lowe, Loew, Low, Lowell... * Lichtzieher: Chandler, Candle * Licht, Lichtmann: Light, Lightman * Lieb, Lieberman, Leibovitz, etc.: Love, Loveman, Lee... * Lindau, Lindauer, Lindemann, Lindenberger: Lindon, Linden, Linton, Lynn... * Linker: Link, Links, Lincoln * Lipschitz, Lipschutz, Lipitz: Lipp, Lipkind, Lipson, Lipton... * Lotstein, Loetstein: Lott, Lottstone, Lytton * Londoner: London * Lowenstein: Livingston * Lukacz, Lukatz, Lukatzky: Lucas * Macken, Mackmann: Mack * Manasseh: Mannes, Mones, Money, Munson... * Mansfeld, Mansfelder: Mansfield * Margolis: Pearl, Pearlman, Pearlstone... * Marländer, Marlein: Marlow, Marley * Marschak, Marschall: Marshall * Mauer: Mason * Meier, Maier, Meir, Mair, etc.: Mayer, May, Meyer, Myerson, Myers... * Monteagudo, Montagna (Sephardic): Montague * Mordecai: Marcus, Marx, Marks, Markson, Max, Maxson, Maxwell, Martinez, Martins, Martin, Marty... * Morgenstern, Morgen: Morningstar, Morgan, Morgans, Starr... * Menahem: Man, Mann, Manson, Manning, Mandel, Mandelson, Mander, Manders, Manzel... * Milstein: Milstone, Milesstone, Merrill... * Misell: Mitchell * Moses, Mauss, Moshe, Moritz, etc.: Moss, Morris, Morrison, Morton, Moskin, Moslin, Mosesson, Mossel, Marshall... * Mattias, Matus, Matusoff, Matusowitz, etc.: Matthew, Matthews, Mathias, Mathis, Maddox... * Müller: Miller, Mills, Mill, Milner, Millman... * Nasch, Naschmann, Nascher: Nash, Nasher, Nashman * Nathan: Nathanson, Hanson, Hansen, Hancock * Neu, Neuhaus, Neumann, Neufeld etc.: New, Newhouse, Newman, Newfield... * Neumark: Newmark * Neustadt, Neustädter: Newstead, Newton * Nikolsburg, Nicholsberg, Nicolauer: Nichols * Nocham, Nochem: Knox, Nock * Nordmann: Norman * Oliviera (Sephardic): Oliver * Ost, Ostman, Ostmann: East, Eastman, Eastmond * Barkan, Parkan, Parken: Barker, Park, Parker, Perkin, Perkins... * Palit: Paley * Palmbaum, Palmberg, Palm: Palmer * Paltrowicz, Paltrowitch, Paltrowitz, Palterovich, etc.:

Paltrow ), Palter, Pelter; Paltrowicz, Paltrowitch, Paltrowitz (e.g. Darren Paltrowitz), Palterovich, Polterowicz; Peltowicz, Peltynowicz, etc. , footnotes = See also Peter Taylor, Baron Taylor of Gosforth (about rabbinical Palterovich family) Paltrow is ...

* Parnas, Parnes: Barnes * Pariser, Parischer: Paris, Parrish * Pauer, Bauer: Power, Powers * Pecker: Peck * Pein, Peine, Peiner: Pine, Pinner * Peinert: Pinert, Pinter * Pemper: Pember * Peri, Pereira (Sephardic): Perry, Perri * Petz, Betz, Pitz, Pietz, Petzmann: Pitt, Pittman * Peterkowski, Petermann, Petersheim, Petersburg, Petersburger, Petsch: Peter, Peters, Peterson * Petschauer, Petschau: Petch, Pech * Piernik, Pieron: Pierce, Pearce, Pearson... * Pfeiffer: Pepper * Phillipsborn, Phillipsch, Phillipsruhe, Philipostein, Phillipsthal, Filipowicz...: Phillip, Phillips, Phillipson * Plattnauer, Plättner: Platt * Plotkin: Platton * Poertner, Portmann: Porter, Portman * Pohl, Pfohl: Pool, Poole * Polak: Polk, Pollack * Pötter, Petter: Potter * Preiss, Preisser: Price * Presser, Presner, Pressburger, Pretzfeld, Pretzfelder: Press, Preston, Pressfield * Priester: Priest * Prinz: Prince * Rapoport: Rappaport, Rapaport, Portman... * Reis: Rice * Reichard: Richard, Richards, Richardson... * Reinstein: Rhinestone * Reinhold: Reynold, Reynolds * Reuven, Rabinowitz: Ruben, Robin, Robbins, Robinson, Roberts... * Ritter, Ridder: Knight * Rosen, Rosenberg, Rosenthal, Rosenzweig, Rosenfeld, etc.: Rose, Ross, Rosman, Rosner, Rosefield, Rosehill, Rosedale... * Roth, Rothstein, Rothfeld: Redd, Redstone, Redfield... * Rothschild, Schwarzchild: Redshield, Blackshield, Shield, Shields... * Rudinsky: Rudd * Samson: Sampson, Simpson * Samuel: Samuels, Samuelson, Sanders, Sanville, Shinwell, Saville... * Schapiro, Shapiro: Sapir, Sharp, Spiro... * Schell, Scheller: Shell, Sheller, Shelley, Shelby... * Schurr, Schorr: Shore * Schmidt: Smith, Smitt * Schwarz, Schwarzstein: Black, Blackman, Blackstone... * Segel: Segal, Sagan, Sagen... * Simon: Simons, Simonson, Simmons... * Silber, Silberstein, Silberschmidt, Silbermann: Silver, Silverstone, Silversmith, Silverman... * Smolensky: Smollett * Solomon: Salmon, Salom, Salem, Slowman, Sloman, Slone, Sloan, Salton, Sanford... * Silberstein: Silverstone * Spivak: Cantor, Kantor, Canning... * Spectorski: Spector, Spectar * Sonnenstein: Sunstone * Stein, Steiner, Steinfeld, Steinberg, etc.: Stone, Stoner, Stonefield... * Sukenik, Sukielnik: Draper * Taube, Toybe, Taubmann: Taubman, Dove * Trumpeldor: Trump * Tokarz: Tucker, Tuckerman * Turnów: Turner * Vogel, Adler: Eagle, Bird, Burd... * Waldmann, Waldenberg, Wallenmeier, etc.: Walden, Wald, Walters, Wood, Woods... * Wallach: Wallace, Wall, Wells... * Walsch, Welsch: Walch, Walsh, Welsh... * Wasser, Wassermann, Wasserstein etc.: Waterman, Waters, Waterstone... * Wein, Weiner, Weinhaus, Weinman, Weingartner, Weinberg, etc.: Wine, Winer, Winehouse, Wineman, Winegarden, Wynn, Wayne... * Weinstein: Weinstone, Winston * Weil, Weilstein, Veil: Vail, Wail, Well, Wellstone... * Weiss, Weissman, Weisz, Weissberg, etc.: White, Whiteman, Whitman, Wise, Whiteman, Ivory... * Yaroshevitz: Yarrow * Yochanan: Johnathan, John, Johnson, Jansen, Jenkins... * Zimmermann: Carpenter * Zusskind, Zucker, Zuckerman, etc.: Zuckerberg, Sweet, Swett, Suskind, Sugar...

Italian surnames

Italian surnames were often anglicized in the United States: for example, the i-ending of a number of Italian names becomes ''y'', ''e'', or ''ie''. * Amici: Ameche * Barbieri: Barber * Bevilacqua:

Drinkwater Drinkwater is a surname of English medieval origin. The German equivalent is Trinkwasser, in Italian Bevilacqua and in French Boileau.Joseph G. Fucilla, ''Our Italian Surnames'', Genealogical Publishing Com, 1949p. 237 Notable people with the surna ...

* Bianco: White * Bonfiglio: Bonfield * Borgnino:

Borgnine Ernest Borgnine (; born Ermes Effron Borgnino; January 24, 1917 – July 8, 2012) was an American actor whose career spanned over six decades. He was noted for his gruff but relaxed voice and gap-toothed Cheshire Cat grin. A popular perfor ...

* Brucceleri: Brooklier * Canadeo: Kennedy * Castiglia: Costello * Cestaro: Chester * Cilibrizzi: Celebrezze * Cipulli: Cipully * Cucco, Cuoco: Cook * DeCesare: Chase * Mercante:

Merchant A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...

* Morillo: Morill * Pace:

Pace Pace or paces may refer to: Business *Pace (transit), a bus operator in the suburbs of Chicago, US * Pace Airlines, an American charter airline *Pace Foods, a maker of a popular brand of salsa sold in North America, owned by Campbell Soup Compan ...

same spelling different pronunciation * Perri: Perry * Piccolo: Little * Rossellini: Russell * Rossi: Ross * Sangiovanni: St. John * Saraceni: Sarazen * Scalice, Scalise: Scalise, Scalish * Scornavacca, Scornavacco: Scarnavack * Ta(g)liaferro: Tolliver, Toliver * Trafficante: Traficant * Valentino:

Valentine A valentine is a card or gift given on Valentine's Day, or one's sweetheart. Valentine or Valentines may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Valentine (name), a given name and a surname, including a list of people and fictional char ...

* Vinciguerra: Winwar

Dutch surnames

When Dutch immigrants arrived in the United States, often their names got changed. This was either done on purpose, to make the name easier to write and remember, or by accident because the clerk didn't know how to spell the name and wrote it down phonetically. * Aalderink: Aaldering, Aldering * Buiel:

Boyle Boyle is an English, Irish and Scottish surname of Gaelic, Anglo-Saxon or Norman origin. In the northwest of Ireland it is one of the most common family names. Notable people with the surname include: Disambiguation *Adam Boyle (disambiguation), ...

* Damkot: Damcott * de Jong: Dejong, DeYoung * Dijkstra: Dykstra * Filips: Philips * Gerritsen: Garrison * Glieuwen: Glewen * Goudswaard: Houseworth * Janszoon, Janssens: Johnson * Kempink: Camping * Konings: King * Kuiper: Cooper * Langstraat: Longstreet * Meester: Master * Nieuwenhuis, Nijenhuis: Newhouse * Piek: Pike * Pieterszoon, Pieters: Peterson, Peters * Smid: Smith * Spaak: Spock * Van Cruijningen: Cunningham * Veenhuis: Feenhouse * Welhuis, Welhuizen: Wellhouse, Willhouse * Zutphen:

Sutphin Sutphin is a surname almost exclusively found in the United States. It is an Americanized form of the Dutch surname Zutphen or van Zutphen, from the place-name Zutphen (used for residents), meaning "south fen". Notable persons with the name include ...

Colonization by English-speaking countries

North America

=Coastal Salish

Coastal Salish The Coast Salish is a group of ethnically and linguistically related Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, living in the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon. They speak one of the Coa ...

people were often given "Boston names" by early European settlers. These English names often had similar sounds to original Lushootseed names. When Lushootseed names were integrated into English, they were often recorded and pronounced very differently. An example of this is Chief Seattle. The name Seattle is an anglicisation of the modern Duwamish conventional spelling Si'ahl, equivalent to the modern Lushootseed spelling ''siʔaɫ'' . He is also known as Sealth, Seathle, Seathl, or See-ahth.{{Cite news, url=http://www.historylink.org/File/5071, title=Chief Seattle (Seattle, Chief Noah orn si?al, 178?-1866, access-date=2018-10-06

Notes

Bibliography

* H. L. Mencken, '' The American Language'', 2nd edition, 1921, Chapter X, part 2
full text
* H. L. Mencken, ''The American Language'', 4th edition, 1936, pp. 510–525. * H. L. Mencken, ''The American Language'', Supplement Two, 1948, pp. 516–525. English language Cultural assimilation Americanized surnames Names by culture