Anglicisation of names
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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 The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chris ...
, where translators typically renamed figures such as Yeshu and Simon bar-Jonah as
Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and relig ...
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 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 formulat ...
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 The Goidelic or Gaelic languages ( ga, teangacha Gaelacha; gd, cànanan Goidhealach; gv, çhengaghyn Gaelgagh) form one of the two groups of Insular Celtic languages, the other being the Brittonic languages. Goidelic languages historicall ...
surnames of Ireland, Scotland, and the
Isle of Man ) , anthem = " O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europ ...
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 A daughter is a female offspring; a girl or a woman in relation to her parents. Daughterhood is the state of being someone's daughter. The male counterpart is a son. Analogously the name is used in several areas to show relations between groups ...
'') depending on the
gender Gender is the range of characteristics pertaining to femininity and masculinity and differentiating between them. Depending on the context, this may include sex-based social structures (i.e. gender roles) and gender identity. Most culture ...
. 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 A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardl ...
would keep her birth surname after
marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...
. The same was originally true of Germanic surnames which followed the pattern ather's given nameson/daughter (this is still the case in
Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its ...
, 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 d ...
and former
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...
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 The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most ...
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 Geraldine McGowan is a female singer from Dublin, Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channe ...
,
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 Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''toponyms'' ( proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...
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 Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...
,
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...
, and the
Isle of Man ) , anthem = " O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europ ...
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 became Rowland, Ó Néill 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 Fixed surnames were adopted in Wales from the 15th century onwards. Until then, the Welsh had a patronymic naming system. History In 1292, 48 per cent of Welsh names were patronymics and, in some parishes, over 70 per cent. Other names were de ...
and Cornish surnames had originally been mostly
patronymic A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor. Patronymics are still in use, including mandatory use, in many countries worldwide, alt ...
, though others contained
toponym Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''toponyms'' ( proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...
ic 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, and 'ap Siôn' to Jones or
Upjohn The Upjohn Company was a pharmaceutical manufacturing firm founded in 1886 in Hastings, Michigan, by Dr. William E. Upjohn who was an 1875 graduate of the University of Michigan medical school. The company was originally formed to make ''fria ...
. 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 era, the eighteenth child of Johann Sebastian Bach, and the youngest of his eleven sons. After living in Italy for several years, Bach move ...
, 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 Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
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," after the U.S. immigrant processing center on
Ellis Island Ellis Island is a federally owned island in New York Harbor, situated within the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, that was the busiest immigrant inspection and processing station in the United States. From 1892 to 1954, nearly 12 mil ...
; 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 ...
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 The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...
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 Fre ...
background) often accommodated those unfamiliar with
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 ...
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. Fami ...
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 * 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 Ukrainians ( uk, Українці, Ukraintsi, ) are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. They are the seventh-largest nation in Europe. The native language of the Ukrainians is Ukrainian. The majority of Ukrainians are Eastern Ort ...
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 t ...
. * 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 Davidson may refer to: * Davidson (name) * Clan Davidson, a Highland Scottish clan * Davidson Media Group * Davidson Seamount, undersea mountain southwest of Monterey, California, USA * Tyler Davidson Fountain, monument in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA * ...
, 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 * 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 * 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 A barber is a person whose occupation is mainly to cut, dress, groom, style and shave men's and boys' hair or beards. A barber's place of work is known as a "barbershop" or a "barber's". Barbershops are also places of social interaction and publi ...
* Bevilacqua: Drinkwater * Bianco: White * Bonfiglio: Bonfield * Borgnino: Borgnine * Brucceleri: Brooklier * Canadeo: Kennedy * Castiglia: Costello * Cestaro: Chester * Cilibrizzi: Celebrezze * Cipulli: Cipully * Cucco, Cuoco: Cook * DeCesare:
Chase Chase or CHASE may refer to: Businesses * Chase Bank, a national bank based in New York City, New York * Chase Aircraft (1943–1954), a defunct American aircraft manufacturing company * Chase Coaches, a defunct bus operator in England * Chase C ...
* 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 * 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 Cooper, Cooper's, Coopers and similar may refer to: * Cooper (profession), a maker of wooden casks and other staved vessels Arts and entertainment * Cooper (producers), alias of Dutch producers Klubbheads * Cooper (video game character), in ...
* 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


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


See also

*
Anglicisation Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influe ...


Notes


Bibliography

* H. L. Mencken, ''
The American Language ''The American Language; An Inquiry into the Development of English in the United States'', first published in 1919, is H. L. Mencken's book about the English language as spoken in the United States. Origins and concept Mencken was inspired by ...
'', 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