From Genealogy

Contents 1 Finding surnames 2 Surname categories 2.1 Models 2.1.1 Detailed format 2.1.2 Short format 2.1.3 Organized infobox format 3 See also 4 External links

A surname is the family name of a person, usually the last name in Western countries but the first name in Asian traditions.

See also:

• Genealogy:Surname in place

Where you are familiar with alternative spellings (e.g. White/Whyte), please note them on the category page and if possible link to those categories. Other readers may not have known of the alternatives or thought to look there.

[edit] Finding surnames

1. To find a surname, simply go to Category:Surnames, which is an index to all the surnames that have been categorised.
2. If you don't find the surname you are looking for, use the search function of the website. Simply type in the surname, and click on "Go." If there is a page with exactly that name, you will jump to it. If not, the search page will list articles that include the surname in their title and below will be a list of articles that mention the surname.
3. If you still do not find the surname category, read the instructions below to learn how to create one.

[edit] Surname categories

There is (or is intended to be) for each surname a separate category, which in turn is a subcategory of the category for surnames in general. It should include every individual who was given that surname at birth. It should also contain every relevant "Surname in place" category.

Edit or create the category link at the bottom of the individual's page so that it states that person's surname. For example Percy Stanley Marks (1911-1988) has a [[Category:Marks Surname]] at the bottom of the page. This leads to the Category:Marks Surname. We now have a simpler form that achieves the same result with less typing: see Template:Surname.

After saving the page, click on the category. If the category for that surname does not already exist, you will be invited to edit a new page. There is a model surname category page, which you may use to save yourself and others time. Copy the text from the box into your edit window. The text included at the end of the model should automatically link this category into Category:Surnames. You may then add a line or two specific to the category, such as "Very common surname in Shropshire."; but if you want to write several paragraphs about that surname, please create an article for it (also in the category) so that the lists of subcategories and articles don't get pushed too far down the category page.

[edit] Models

This page sets out three recommended "model" forms of the text to be shown in a "... Surname" category. Neither is compulsory; but contributors who copy and paste one of these models (and type or paste the surname in the places indicated) will ensure that their page is able to be found easily, more quickly than by typing things out.

The first model has our current thinking on the "ideal" set of details (which requires replacement of "XXX" with the actual surname in three places). Below it is an alternative much shorter starter-text (which someone will probably want to enlarge later); it's only very slightly quicker to insert because there are only two "XXX" to replace.

Each model includes a one-click search of Wikipedia for the name. Wikipedia has different ways of presenting surnames; a search should give either:

• a page with just the name (possibly a disambiguation page linking to places and/or people), such as Wikipedia:Special:Search/Milton; or
• a hit list starting with some of the most useful pages: such as a page of the form "XXX (surname)" or pages mentioning (in name or text) people with that surname. Try this: Wikipedia:Special:Search/Forlong.

[edit] Detailed format

Copy the text below and paste into the [[Category:... Surname]] page. Replace "XXX", in the three places where it appears, with the specified name. Then optionally replace "Alternative spelling 1", and so on.

<!-- Replace "XXX" below, once near the top and twice near the bottom, with the specified surname. -->

{{TOCright}}

This category collects pages and subcategories related to the [[XXX]] surname.

==Meaning and origin==
(''If this becomes lengthy, create a separate article with just the name as its title; example: [[Ferguson]]'')

==Alternative spellings and/or variants==
===Spellings===
* ''Alternative spelling 1 (Replace with actual name)''
* (''If more than one, give each a separate line starting with a star'')

===Variants===
<!--(''For cultural variants; for example, for names that have very different uses in different cultures.'')-->

==Cultural context==
<!--(''If this becomes lengthy, then - as above - create a separate article with just the name as its title'')-->

==List/s of individuals possibly not listed automatically below==
* [[:Category:XXX Unlinked Individuals|]]

== References ==
<references/>

==External links==
* [[Wikipedia:Special:Search/XXX|Search Wikipedia for the name]]

[edit] Short format

Copy the half-dozen lines of the next paragraph and paste into the [[Category:... Surname]] page. This will provide the essential structural links until you or someone else can add some of the above. As above, replace "XXX" with the specified name.

<!-- Replace "XXX", in both places below, with the specified surname. -->
This category collects pages and subcategories related to the XXX surname.

==External links==
*[[Wikipedia:Special:Search/XXX|Search Wikipedia for the name]]

{{surname-stub}}

[edit] Organized infobox format

See Template:Infobox Surname for more information.

{{Infobox Surname
| Surname = GueilinZheng
| Image = <!--Replace this with an Image, this will mostly be used for Coat of Arms-->
| Image2 = <!--A second image option-->
| Origin = <!--Country or Countries of Origin-->
| Variants = <!--Variants of the Surname-->
| Meaning = Mother
}}
This category collects pages and subcategories related to the SURNAME surname. 
<!--You can describe the surname in detail here.-->

[[Category:Surnames]]

[edit] See also

• List of most common surnames

[edit] External links

• About.com - Glossary of Last Name Meanings and Origins