Category Archives: One-Name Studies

Introduction to One-Name Studies Course (901)

Posted on January 19, 2026 by Julie Goucher

Remarkably, researching surnames is seen as a very niche topic, despite the vast majority of people having one (FN1). Our individual family histories are littered with surnames. Hopefully all different ones, though if your ancestors like my maternal line, they … Continue reading →

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(Advent 22) – Variants

Posted on December 22, 2025 by Julie Goucher

The topic of variants and deviants is addressed in detail during the Introduction to One-Name Studies course. Essentially we have likely all come across variants and deviants to our surnames, even if we have not called them that. Variants For the purposes … Continue reading →

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(Advent 13) – Migration

Posted on December 13, 2025 by Julie Goucher

Migration is the reason that a true one-name study is global. There have been peaks of migration, from the United Kingdom and various countries in Europe over time. The reasons for that migration varies depending on the starting point for … Continue reading →

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(Advent 12) – Learning and Reading

Posted on December 12, 2025 by Julie Goucher

The way we each learn is different, I prefer to write notes, so for me I am likely to recall something if I wrote it down having read it or heard it. There is a plethora of genealogical and historical … Continue reading →

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(Advent 11) – Keeping Track

Posted on December 11, 2025 by Julie Goucher

Keeping track of our research, successes, next steps and research ideas is really important. Without it, and I speak for myself here, when I say, if it is not written down then all bets are off if I will remember … Continue reading →

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(Advent 9) – Individualistic

Posted on December 9, 2025 by Julie Goucher

I am always amazed at the number of genealogists who are surprised or curious about the concept of One-Name studies.  Broadly speaking, we all have a surname. It might be one we were given at birth, one that was “given” … Continue reading →

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(Advent 8) – Help at Hand

Posted on December 8, 2025 by Julie Goucher

The Genealogical community, both on and offline is in the main a friendly one, where sharing knowledge and ideas for research is given freely and frequently. The internet has shrunk the world to the size of a matchbox, with interactions … Continue reading →

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(Advent 7) – Gathering Data

Posted on December 7, 2025 by Julie Goucher

Any One-Name and surname research project will involve the collection of material, what I refer to as raw data. Regardless of where your surname originated from or where you reside, to undertake a One-Name Study and register this with the … Continue reading →

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(Advent 3) – Choosing a Surname

Posted on December 3, 2025 by Julie Goucher

There are always more questions than answers, and always a burning obsession to find out more, even if the odds are against a successful search. Therefore it is no surprise that researchers choose their surnames of interest for a variety … Continue reading →

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(Advent 1) – Aims of a One-Name Study

Posted on December 1, 2025 by Julie Goucher

One of the questions that is asked, of students on the Introduction to One-Name Studies course is about Organisation. The way we keep our study may differ from that of our own family history research. As I responded to a … Continue reading →

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