# Website that gives info on last names in the US? (saw it here, can't find it again!)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/website-that-gives-info-on-last-names-in-the-us-saw-it-here-cant-find-it-again/297542>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 3, 2005, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/website-that-gives-info-on-last-names-in-the-us-saw-it-here-cant-find-it-again/297542 "2005-04-03T18:10:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\
**Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/website-that-gives-info-on-last-names-in-the-us-saw-it-here-cant-find-it-again/297542/1 "2005-04-03T18:10:07Z")

</div>

A little bit ago (maybe a month or so), there was a thread that had in it a link to a website. This website let you put in a last name and it would give information like:

- how many people with that name are in the US
- how many times the last name has been in newspapers
- the origin of the word

I mentioned it to my mom, and she’s eager to use it, since she’s doing geneology research on our family. Unfortunately, I can’t remember what it was or where to find it! :smack:

Does anyone know where this site is?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\
**Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/website-that-gives-info-on-last-names-in-the-us-saw-it-here-cant-find-it-again/297542/2 "2005-04-03T18:15:10Z")

</div>

[Google](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=us+surname+distribution&btnG=Search) ?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![LucyInDisguise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucyindisguise/32/18064_2.png) [@LucyInDisguise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LucyInDisguise)\
**Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/website-that-gives-info-on-last-names-in-the-us-saw-it-here-cant-find-it-again/297542/3 "2005-04-03T21:24:52Z")

</div>

This link should get you to the [U. S. Gov Genealogy site](http://www.census.gov/genealogy/names)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![aaelghat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c5a1d2/32.png) [@aaelghat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aaelghat)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/website-that-gives-info-on-last-names-in-the-us-saw-it-here-cant-find-it-again/297542/4 "2005-04-04T02:34:11Z")

</div>

[This](http://babynamewizard.com/namevoyager/lnv0105.html) answers only one of your three questions, but it scores points for interactivity!!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\
**Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/website-that-gives-info-on-last-names-in-the-us-saw-it-here-cant-find-it-again/297542/5 "2005-04-05T21:34:54Z")

</div>

Well, I couldn’t figure out the right phrases to use in google, **Duckster** (had a brain fart; usually I am quite skilled at google-fu), but I managed to find it on [Ancestry.com](http://Ancestry.com)

But forget that, lookit **aaelghat** ’s link! THAT IS SO BLEEPIN COOL!