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Position:Home>Genealogy> Where can I find a list of ethnically-neutral last names?


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Where can I find a list of ethnically-neutral last names?


I'm looking for a list of last names, which don't revleal the origin/nationality, etc. Does anyone know where can I find something like this?


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Why are you looking for this? I mean you can't really change a last name unless you change it legally. I will look though. not sure I understand your purpose, but not that important. The fact is that many names are associated with certain backgrounds (ie Irish, Chinese) but no last name is guaranteed to show origin or nationality. Nationality is simply a political term for the country where someone is a citizen.
Another example is the names used by African/american families, who often assumed the surname of the former slave owner.
In doing solid research, we find that each of us have, for analogy purposes, 16 gr gr grandparents. We are techically an equal part of every ancestor. It is very possible (even likely?) that my gr gr grandfather has a surname which technically comes from Poland. The other 15 ancestors may well ALL be from England (or a mixture of other locations). Thus, my surname is ONLY 1/16th of my heritage. Or 1/32nd, if you take it to the next generation.
I am very skeptical that any list showing what you want, is out there. There are many places where you can find claims that such and such a name "comes" from a certain place, but again, in genealogical terms, those are not very useful.
Sorry that this isn't giving you want you hoped to find. I can only explain what I know from the genealogical perspective. Colors, like Green, White, Brown, or Black don't reveal anything about someone's ethnicity and can be translated from the original language in an attempt to fit into the adopted culture. names such as occupations (smith reeve shepherd) dont reveal too much about ethnic origin either - especially if its translated into the local language.