# Share some surnames and let's see if we's kinfolk **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 20, 2005, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-some-surnames-and-lets-see-if-wes-kinfolk/309101 "2005-06-20T19:30:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2005, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-some-surnames-and-lets-see-if-wes-kinfolk/309101/1 "2005-06-20T19:30:57Z")
I’ve been surprised several times to learn that a longtime friend or acquaintance is also a cousin (usually fairly distant, but no moreso than FDR & Eleanor), due usually to some 19th century ancestors who produced a new baby every third Wednesday. (The record in my family for the same parents is 17 children, though one fertile old man [my g-g-grandfather] had 24 children with 4 consecutive wives, which peoples up a tri-state area with cousins fairly quickly.) Dopers who are so inclined- share some of your ancestral surnames. You don’t have to say how they’re connected and you can delete any you want to if you don’t want to reveal your identity. A few of my own (alphabetized) that I’m curious if anybody else is related to (most of my families came to America in the 18th century and settled on the southern Atlantic seaboard, though a few came from Ireland much later): Caton\*, Cotton, Darby, DeRamus, Golson, Milner, Rawlinson, Rumph, Trawick\*\* Does anybody have any of the same surnames among their direct ancestors? (If you don’t but would like to see if you have any shared surnames with other Dopers, feel free to post anyway) \*sometimes spelled Catton (even in the same family) \*\*sometimes spelled Traywick and Trawik; by some accounts the name was originally Trawisky and was a Polish Jewish family that emigrated to Ireland in the 18th century, though I don’t know the reliability of those claims ---
**Author:** ![Pixisis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@Pixisis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixisis)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2005, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-some-surnames-and-lets-see-if-wes-kinfolk/309101/2 "2005-06-20T19:34:53Z")
Allerton and Brewster, both signers of the Mayflower compact. we’ve met 8th and 12th cousins … ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2005, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-some-surnames-and-lets-see-if-wes-kinfolk/309101/3 "2005-06-20T19:38:51Z")
Saunders, Gray, Bradford, Brewster, Fanning, Colegrove (or Colgrove), Carner, Sarles (or Sarlls, Searles, etc.), Boardman (originally Boreman), Cooper, Millard, and many others that don’t come to mind without my database at hand. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2005, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-some-surnames-and-lets-see-if-wes-kinfolk/309101/4 "2005-06-20T19:40:03Z")
Johnson. Okay, that’s probably not so much with the helping… McHenry, Braucher, Beebe, Willden, and McKinney are the only others I remember off the top of my head. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2005, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-some-surnames-and-lets-see-if-wes-kinfolk/309101/5 "2005-06-20T19:40:13Z")
> [@Pixisis](#): > > Allerton and Brewster, both signers of the Mayflower compact. > > we’ve met 8th and 12th cousins … Hey, we’re cousins in the Brewster line! ---
**Author:** ![psycat90](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@psycat90](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psycat90)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2005, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-some-surnames-and-lets-see-if-wes-kinfolk/309101/6 "2005-06-20T19:53:14Z")
Reyes, Santiago, Rivera, De la O Millan, Cortes, Martinez, Rodriguez, Morales, Rosado, Hernandez. That’s mom’s side only, and I didn’t combine them, as most of them are (Morales-Rosado, Martinez-Cortes, etc., for example.) Spain/Puerto Rico/New York City ---
**Author:** ![Mississippienne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@Mississippienne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mississippienne)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2005, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-some-surnames-and-lets-see-if-wes-kinfolk/309101/7 "2005-06-20T19:53:19Z")
**Easterland** of NC and AL. **Keener** of NC **Stafford** of NC and AL **Talley** from TN **Henderson** of MS ---
**Author:** ![Pixisis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@Pixisis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixisis)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2005, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-some-surnames-and-lets-see-if-wes-kinfolk/309101/8 "2005-06-20T19:56:11Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Hey, we’re cousins in the Brewster line! William Brewster is my Great x12 Grandfather. What is your relation to him ? (then we can figure out just what kind of cousins we are) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2005, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-some-surnames-and-lets-see-if-wes-kinfolk/309101/9 "2005-06-20T20:00:45Z")
> [@Pixisis](#): > > William Brewster is my Great x12 Grandfather. What is your relation to him ? > (then we can figure out just what kind of cousins we are) > 😃 Doesn’t cousins sort of tail off after 3 or 4 generations? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2005, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-some-surnames-and-lets-see-if-wes-kinfolk/309101/10 "2005-06-20T20:00:47Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Johnson. > > Okay, that’s probably not so much with the helping… > > McHenry, Braucher, Beebe, Willden, and McKinney are the only others I remember off the top of my head. Since we’re giving a little more detail: Braucher & McKinney were from Pennsylvania. McHenry was from Nova Scotia, Willden was from Sheffield, England; I’m not sure where Beebe was from. Johnson was from Denmark. Copenhagen, to be precise, then moved to Utah, then Chatsworth, California. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2005, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-some-surnames-and-lets-see-if-wes-kinfolk/309101/11 "2005-06-20T20:06:58Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > Doesn’t cousins sort of tail off after 3 or 4 generations? Some of my cousins reportedly still have their tails. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2005, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-some-surnames-and-lets-see-if-wes-kinfolk/309101/12 "2005-06-20T20:35:55Z")
It’ll be dang near useless, as my family names are pretty generic. The grandparents were Murphy & Murphy (not related prior to marriage), and McGrath & Oak. Lynn MA origins, though I understand both sides (except for Oak) came to the US via Portland ME, and moved down to MA. ---
**Author:** ![yBeayf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e274bd/32.png) [@yBeayf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yBeayf)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2005, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-some-surnames-and-lets-see-if-wes-kinfolk/309101/13 "2005-06-20T20:58:02Z")
Lessee here… (in alphabetical order) Italian side of the family (from Sicily and Calabria, having immigrated to SE Texas and Canada): Cuccia, Mann/Manno, Palazzola, Rizzotto, Trombatore Non-Italian side (from Oklahoma and Arkansas): Adams (as in John Quincy), Burton, Oberste ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2005, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-some-surnames-and-lets-see-if-wes-kinfolk/309101/14 "2005-06-20T21:13:53Z")
Griffith Hamilton Treadwell Brown Mullins McCoy Smiley Burch Ballard Via Hersent ---
**Author:** ![AllShookDown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d9b06d/32.png) [@AllShookDown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllShookDown)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2005, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-some-surnames-and-lets-see-if-wes-kinfolk/309101/15 "2005-06-20T22:39:32Z")
Kersey, Hiatt, Hunt, Carter, Woolman: PA \> NC \> IN \> KS George (probably Straughn, Poe and possibly Neal): NC Domeny, Stevens, Dixon, Cox, Hinshaw, Raines: PA/NC \> OH \> KS Cooper, King, Haywood : VA \> IN \> IL \> KS Dailey, Sellers, Ricker, Shute, Saxon: MA/NY/TN \> IL \> IN \> KS Fitch, Peabody, Dean, Teeter: RI/CT/NY \> IN \> KS Porter, Little, Reynolds: PA \> KS Weikum, Becker, Lahr, Petri: Germany \> IL \> KS ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2005, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-some-surnames-and-lets-see-if-wes-kinfolk/309101/16 "2005-06-21T00:00:17Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > Doesn’t cousins sort of tail off after 3 or 4 generations? You have to be a genealogist to understand. A bit of a geek, as well. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2005, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-some-surnames-and-lets-see-if-wes-kinfolk/309101/17 "2005-06-21T00:09:07Z")
I only know names back to my grandparents, so I’ve just got Hume, Cameron, Stormer, and Flynn. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2005, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-some-surnames-and-lets-see-if-wes-kinfolk/309101/18 "2005-06-21T00:14:54Z")
My grandparents are ‘smith’ the most common last name in britain. Good start there. But my last name is ‘Lobley’ which is on the rare side of ‘rare’. So I doubt there are any related dopers. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2005, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-some-surnames-and-lets-see-if-wes-kinfolk/309101/19 "2005-06-21T00:17:39Z")
> [@An Arky](#): > > Griffith Hamilton Treadwell Brown Mullins McCoy Smiley Burch Ballard Via Hersent > > My band is Yell County. And no, we ain’t country. Ahem. They is a whole passle -o- Pullins in Yell county (on my Mama’s side). Reckon the place is near full of 'em. Names you’d reckonize, I betcha… Just thought you’d wanna know… cuzzin 😛 ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2005, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-some-surnames-and-lets-see-if-wes-kinfolk/309101/20 "2005-06-21T00:30:33Z")
My paternal grandmother was McDonald and my maternal was MacDonald. My maternal grandfather was a Leslie, his mother was a Hood as in Hood Canal, part of Puget Sound. My grandfather’s grandfather was one of the early settlers of the west side of Puget Sound, including the name Bremer of which Bremerton got it’s name. My paternal grandfather came to the US from England as a young boy and his family settled in SE Pennsylvania. I learned recently I still have distant cousins in southern England with the names Hastings, Bonney, and Gordon. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-some-surnames-and-lets-see-if-wes-kinfolk/309101.md?page=2)