I can't find records of my last name ANYwhere. Help?

Question:

I can't find records of my last name ANYwhere. Help?

My last name is "Bulk" and on every genealogy website there seems to be no explanation for the meaning behind the surname, where it originated from, etc. I was able to track my ancestors back to Germany at the beginning of the 19th century, but for some reason it dropped off the face of the earth after that. I'm wondering if there was a variation or anything on it... Also, I'm having problems tacking "Cerecini" and "Merinchin"... any good sites to help me with this???

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Being what they are, computers are picky on exact spelling. Our English teachers would cringe at the statement that spelling is not critical in genealogy, since MANY names are not what they originally were. Google is nice... I have actually seen it pick up the original spelling sometimes saying "do you mean ....?" IF it has many hits on something that is very close. For the word Bulk, that won't happen, since it is not an obvious misspelling.
Just offhand... my guess is that it is probable from the sound, that there would be something else.
Interestingly... I ran a spot check in rootsweb, and they have some Bulks, but show them as from the Netherlands. Hmm, is it possible it came from the Netherlands to Germany then US? Or, most importantly, which is your source of records for their actual origins? Frequently, you will absolutely have to find the town or village, since German boundaries changed a lot.
http://feefhs.org/
You might try working some on this site. They have a lot of scholarly resources. Try the web site below , also have a look at the Oxford Book of Names, you should be able to get a copy in your library, It Surname Given name and Place, Have a look on the message boards at genweb and rootsweb.

Good luck and good hunting