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What's in a Name? Part 2
- Surname Spelling Variations
by Joe Yakel
Why does everyone in your family spell its surname the same way? Just who
decided upon the spelling anyway? One of the challenges genealogists and
family historians face is getting to the root of the surname they are
researching. Simply put, the name you answer to, sign on checks, and pass
on to your own children may be considerably different than the spelling
your ancestors used centuries ago. So, what’s with all of the surname
changes?
Surname alterations occurred for many reasons. Perhaps there was a lack of
concern for accuracy by either the writer or subject person; grammatical
inability or name abbreviation by the writer (common during immigration
procedures); difficulty understanding the given name (perhaps the writer
was of a different nationality, and did not recognize the subject person's
spoken words - a common error with census enumerators); simple ‘copycat’
errors (the writer saw and repeated previously misspelled references). In
the oldest records, the most common reason for surname variability was
simply that it just wasn’t very important. That may be a bit more
difficult to understand in today’s society, but years ago, literacy and
grammar were not priorities – working, feeding the family, and just
staying alive comprised the important events of the time.
My YAKEL surname is actually an “Americanized” variant on the original
JÄCKEL and/or JECKEL spelling of my Germanic forefathers. Over the span of
350 years, the name has changed more than 50 times. While the number of
name changes over this period may be somewhat surprising, in actuality,
the pronunciation has changed very little. I have categorized these name
variations mainly into three distinct groups: The “I-Type”, “J-Type”, and
“Y-Type” names.
First, there are the “I-Type” names: ICKEL, IEKEL, IKEL. These surnames
were used by parts of my family after they had emigrated to New York, and
subsequently moved to Iowa in the 1860's. Later, when some of the
relatives came full circle and moved back to New York, they maintained the
IEKEL spelling. It continues to be spelled this way today.
Next, there are the “J-Type” names, which are closest to the Rheinish
German original: JACELIN, JACKAL, JACKALL, JACKEL, JACKELIN, JACKELL,
JACQUEL, JAECKEL, JAECHEL, JAECKLE, JAEGER, JAEGLE, JAEKEL, JAGEL, JAGER,
JAKAL, JAKEL, JAKELL, JAYKILL, JECHELL, JECKEL, JECKELIN, JECKELL, JEKEL,
JEKLE, JEYKILL, JOCKEL, JOECKEL, JOEKEL. When the family first came to
America, they used the JACKEL, JECKEL and JEKEL spellings. When parts of
the family moved west to Wisconsin in the 1860's, the spelling was
modified slightly, to JAEKEL and JAECKEL. It remained that way through the
1980’s, when the last parts of this family branch passed on.
Then, there are the “Y-Type” names: YACKEL, YACKLE, YAEGLE, YAEKEL, YAGAL,
YAGEL, YAGER, YAGET, YAGLE, YAGLES, YAKEL, YAKIL, YAKLE, YEAGEL, YEAGLE,
YEAKLE, YECKEL, YEKEL, YEOKLE, YICKEL, YICKLE, YOCKEL, YOGEL, YOGLE,
YOKEL, YORKEL, YORKELL, YORKLE. The Albany, NY families, of which I am a
part, used many of these surname variants. In the early 1870's, the YAKEL
spelling took prominence, and all other variants were discarded.
Presumably, it was at this time that our family decided that a consistent
surname was in its best interest. This spelling continues as the sole
surname for my family in the New York Capital region.
So, why all of the odd spellings in my family name? The similarities
between all three types of spellings are no coincidence. The German letter
“J” is pronounced like the English letter “Y”. Hence, a person asking one
of my ancestor’s what their name was, would hear the “J-type” name with a
“Y-type” sound. If the person hearing the name was not German, or had no
understanding of the German language, they would then interpret this "Y"
sound as a “Y-type” word, and write it down that way. This led to the
variety of "Y-Type" spellings over the years. On the other hand, someone
with knowledge of the German dialect would be more apt to write the name
down ‘more correctly’ with a “J-type” spelling, or perhaps an "I-Type"
spelling, since the letter "I" could also be used interchangeably with the
letter "J".
Census enumerators, priests, doctors, lawyers, schoolteachers, tax
collectors, and any other persons with need to write down your family name
probably had some input in how it was written, and ultimately, contributed
to the surname you now proudly advertise to the world. The name you use
now may only be a remnant of your forebears’. However, if you know
something about the ethnic background of your family, it may be possible
to determine the original surname spelling. Perhaps in another two hundred
years, your family name will have changed yet again, leaving your
descendants to wonder how their name came to be. Why not make it a little
easier, and leave them with some history of your surname. They’ll be happy
you did!
Best of luck as you trace your history!
This is the second article, "Surname Spelling Variations", in the 3-part
series, "What's in a Name?" by Joseph Yakel. Please look for the other
parts of the series: Part 1 – Surname Meanings", and Part 3 – "Surname
Landmarking".
These articles are intended to provide some general knowledge about
genealogy, tracing family history, and introduce the reader to issues
involving surname spelling variations and how they can be addressed
through the research process.
Joseph Yakel is a freelance writer and author of three books. His articles
have appeared in publications such as Communications Technology, The
Pipeline, and Army Reserve Magazine, and have been highlighted on USAWOA
Online, USAR Online, and other Internet websites. For great humor, or
genealogy and family history resources, visit his bookstore at
http://www.lulu.com/yakel
Joe offers free chapter previews of his books, and welcomes reviews and
comments. His books are available in paperback, or downloadable format.
For previews and purchasing information, visit Lulu Publishing at:
http://www.lulu.com/yakel
Joseph Yakel is available for interviews, and accepts e-mail
correspondence at armeuv1@yahoo.com
About the Author
Joe Yakel,
armeuv1@yahoo.com
http://www.lulu.com/yakel
Joseph Yakel is a freelance writer and author of three books. His articles
have appeared in publications such as Communications Technology, The
Pipeline, and Army Reserve Magazine. Joe's works have also been
highlighted on USAWOA Online, USAR Online, and other Internet websites.
Free chapter previews of Joe's books are available at:
http://www.lulu.com/yakel
Joe welcomes
visitors to leave comments and book reviews, and is available for author
interviews. Contact Joe at:
armeuv1@yahoo.com
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