[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] A word of caution regarding name changes

[Jerry Frank]

It is my opinion that there is no such thing as an "official" surname or the "correct" spelling for a surname, etc.

Surnames evolve over time and will be spelled not only at the whim of the surname holder but at the whim of the scribe entering data on a record.

Having a Polish sounding surname does not make one Polish.  Ditto for a German sounding name.  Finding a Polish variation of a German surname does not make it an official variant.  It simply means that at least one branch of the family (or perhaps even and individual) used it as verified on some record or another.  

We need to be aware of these variations in our search but we do not have to be overly concerned about what may or may not be correct.  

In my maternal Hemminger line, the very earliest record I have found c.1531 uses the spelling, Haemminger (where ae = a with umlaut).  This is no more correct than Hemminger but it is a variant I have watched for ever since.  On one record (and only one in almost 500 years), the name changed to Miller, I assume because of an occupation.  That does not make Miller and official variant of Hemminger.  

My Girshewski line appears to have evolved (though I have not proven) from the Germanic "Gersch".  While Girshewski appears to be the most common variant in Europe and Canada, it has several other iterations in records and locality.  There is no officially correct spelling but, by researching the records and by doing some reading about others with that surname, I know what to watch for.


Jerry Frank