Surname Maps

[ysabetwordsmith]

janetmiles and my partner Doug tipped me to this cool resource showing surname maps.  So, if you're a writer and you want to name an ordinary character from one of these places, you can pick a surname from the relevant place and it will fit.  This is a very discreet and effective trick with local color.

Comments

[msminlr.livejournal.com]

That World Names Project referenced on the surname map list is fascinating. I checked some of my family's surnames. On a few of them, they are more prevalent now in the USA than are left in the Old Country.