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 Chri ...

, 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 religiou ...

and

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

, and treated most of the other figures in the New Testament similarly. In contrast, translations of the Old Testament traditionally use the original names, more or less faithfully transliterated from the original Hebrew. Transatlantic explorers such as Zuan Chabotto and Cristoforo Colombo became popularly known as John Cabot and Christopher Columbus; English-speakers anglicized and Latinized the name of the Polish astronomer Mikołaj Kopernik to (Nicholas) Copernicus, and the English-speaking world typically knows the French-born theologian

Jean Calvin John Calvin (; frm, Jehan Cauvin; french: link=no, Jean Calvin ; 10 July 150927 May 1564) was a French theologian, pastor and reformer in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system ...

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 historically ...

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 Europe ...

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 group ...

'') 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 cultures ...

. These surnames 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 s ...

, as exemplified by the singer Björk Guðmundsdóttir 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 i ...

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, Alyth McCormack, and

Sarah McLachlan Sarah Ann McLachlan OC OBC (born January 28, 1968) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. As of 2015, she had sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is '' Surfacing'', for which she won two Grammy Awards (ou ...

). 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 dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

, and the

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 The O'Brien dynasty ( ga, label=Classical Irish, Ua Briain; ga, label=Modern Irish, Ó Briain ; genitive ''Uí Bhriain'' ) is a noble house of Munster, founded in the 10th century by Brian Boru of the Dál gCais (Dalcassians). After becoming ...

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 ...

and

Cornish surnames Cornish is the adjective and demonym associated with Cornwall, the most southwesterly part of the United Kingdom. It may refer to: * Cornish language, a Brittonic Southwestern Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Cornwa ...

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

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. As in the Gaelic-speaking areas, many Welsh (''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 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, 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 subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

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

French surnames

French 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 background) often accommodated those unfamiliar with French 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 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 Spiritual Christianity (russian: духовное христианство) is the group of belief systems held by so-called ''folk Protestants'' (), including non- Eastern Orthodox indigenous faith tribes and new religious movements that eme ...

Doukhobors The Doukhobours or Dukhobors (russian: духоборы / духоборцы, dukhobory / dukhobortsy; ) are a Spiritual Christian ethnoreligious group of Russian origin. They are one of many non-Orthodox ethno-confessional faiths in Russia a ...

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 Spiritual Christianity (russian: духовное христианство) is the group of belief systems held by so-called ''folk Protestants'' (), including non-Eastern Orthodox indigenous faith tribes and new religious movements that emerge ...

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. * 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 A goldsmith is a metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Nowadays they mainly specialize in jewelry-making but historically, goldsmiths have also made silverware, platters, goblets, decorative and servicea ...

* 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 Trump most commonly refers to: * Donald Trump (born 1946), 45th president of the United States (2017–2021) * Trump (card games), any playing card given an ad-hoc high rank Trump may also refer to: Businesses and organizations * Donald J. T ...

* 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 Co ...

* Mercante: Merchant * Morillo: Morill * Pace: Pace same spelling different pronunciation * Perri:

Perry Perry, also known as pear cider, is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally the perry pear. It has been common for centuries in England, particularly in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire. It is also mad ...

* Piccolo: Little * Rossellini: Russell * Rossi: Ross * Sangiovanni: St. John * Saraceni:

Sarazen Sarazen (1921–1940) was an American National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame Eclipse Award, Champion Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse. Owned by Phil T. Chinn, Colonel Phil T. Chinn's Himyar Stud, Sarazen won his first three ...

* Scalice, Scalise: Scalise, Scalish * Scornavacca, Scornavacco: Scarnavack * Ta(g)liaferro:

Tolliver Taliaferro ( ), also spelled Talliaferro, Tagliaferro, Talifero, or Taliferro and sometimes anglicised to Tellifero, Tolliver or Toliver, is a prominent family in eastern Virginia and Maryland. The Taliaferros (originally , which means "ironcutt ...

, Toliver * Trafficante: Traficant * Valentino: Valentine * Vinciguerra: Winwar

Dutch surnames

When

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

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 * Damkot: Damcott * de Jong: Dejong, DeYoung * Dijkstra: Dykstra * Filips: Philips * Gerritsen: Garrison * Glieuwen: Glewen * Goudswaard: Houseworth * Janszoon, Janssens: Johnson * Kempink: Camping * Konings: King *

Kuiper Kuiper is a Dutch occupational surname meaning cooper. Common spelling variants include Kuyper, Kuipers, Kuijper, Kuijpers, Kuypers, and De Kuyper. Notable people with the name include: Kuiper *Adrian Kuiper (born 1959), South African cricket ...

: 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

Colonization by English-speaking countries

North America

=Coastal Salish

= Coastal Salish people were often given "Boston names" by early European settlers. These English names often had similar sounds to original

Lushootseed Lushootseed (txʷəlšucid, dxʷləšúcid), also Puget Salish, Puget Sound Salish or Skagit-Nisqually, is a language made up of a dialect continuum of several Salish tribes of modern-day Washington state. Lushootseed is one of the Coast Salis ...

names. When

names were integrated into English, they were often recorded and pronounced very differently. An example of this is

Chief Seattle Chief Seattle ( – June 7, 1866) was a Suquamish and Duwamish chief. A leading figure among his people, he pursued a path of accommodation to white settlers, forming a personal relationship with "Doc" Maynard. The city of Seattle, in th ...

. The name Seattle is an anglicisation of the modern Duwamish conventional spelling Si'ahl, equivalent to the modern

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 Henry Louis Mencken (September 12, 1880 – January 29, 1956) was an American journalist, essayist, satirist, cultural critic, and scholar of American English. He commented widely on the social scene, literature, music, prominent politicians, ...

, ''

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