There’s More Than Just a Number on a Jersey

Team colors. Team uniforms. Teamwork. This is what we witnessed during Wild Card Weekend. Thanks to all the players and coaches! Winning is a time for celebration; losing is never easy.

It’s the NFL Divisional Playoffs this weekend and I’m interested in names, particularly family names, also known as surnames, the ones the guys wear on the back of their jerseys. Surnames can provide additional facts and clues about your family and their story.

Ancestry.com has a great database available to search for information about a surname’s meaning and origin. The database information is from the Dictionary of American Family Names. Additional demographic information is provided for the United States, England and Wales, and Scotland. There are charts and links that provide information on immigration, average life expectancy, occupations, and civil war records.

The FamilySearch wiki has a list of surname database links that provide information from many countries. If you do not see the country related to your surname interest on the list, use your search engine of choice. If you find a helpful site, contribute that information to the FamilySearch wiki. Other genealogists and family historians will thank you!