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Soundex was used by the National Archives to index the U.S. censuses.
It codes together surnames that sound similar but have different spellings,
i.e. Lorren and Lauren. Lorren Soudex is Lorren
= L650; other surnames
sharing this Soundex Code: LARN | LAUHARN | LAWHORN
| LEARN |
The Soundex Algorithm
Soundex codes begin with the first letter of the
surname followed by a
three-digit code that represents the first three remaining consonants.
Zeros are added to names that do not have enough letters to be coded.
Soundex Coding Guide
Consonants that sound alike have the same code
1 - B,P,F,V
2 - C,S,G,J,K,Q,X,Z
3 - D,T
4 - L
5 - M,N
6 - R
The letters A,E,I,O,U,Y,H, and W are not coded.
Names with adjacent letters having the same equivalent
number are
coded as one letter with a single number.
Surname prefixes such as La, De and Van are generally
not used in the
soundex. However, Mc, Mac and O generally are not considered prefixes
and are coded for soundex.
To Calculate a Soundex Code by Hand:
1. Print name on a piece of paper: Lorren
2.
Cross out spaces, punctuation, accents and other marks: Lorren
3.
Cross out any of the following characters A, E, I, O, U, H, W, Y
Unless they are the first letter of the surname: Lorren
= Lrrn
4. Cross out the second letter of duplicate
characters: Lrrn
= Lrn
5. Cross out the second letter of adjacent
characters with the
same soundex number:
None for Lorren
6. Convert characters in positions 2 to 4
to a number:
L =
L, r = 6, n = 5 =L65
B,
P, F, V = 1
C, S, K, G, J, Q, X, Z = 2
D, T = 3
L = 4
M, N = 5
R = 6
7. Fill any unused positions with zeros
(remember the codes have to
have one letter
followed by at least three numbers): L650
Soundex Limitations:
Names that sound alike do not always have the same
soundex code. For example, Lee (L000) and Leigh (L200) are pronounced
identically, but have different soundex codes because the silent g in Leigh
is given a code.
Names that sound alike but start with a different
first letter will always have a different soundex code. For example,
names such as Carr (C600)
and Karr (K600) should be calculated separately.
The Soundex system is based on English pronunciation
so European names may not soundex correctly. For example, some French
surnames with silent last letters will not code according to pronunciation.
This is true with the French name Beaux - where the x is silent.
Sometimes this surname is also spelled Beau (B000) and pronounced identically
to Beaux (B200), yet they will have different soundex codes.
Sometimes names that don't sound alike have the
same soundex code. If you are looking for Powers (P620), you will also
have to look through
Pierce, Price, Perez and Park because they all have the same soundex
code.
Surnames with prefixes were usually coded without
the prefix, but not always. If you are searching for a surname such
as DiCaprio or LaBianca,
you should try the soundex for both with and without the prefix.
US Census soundex confusion arises with names such
as Ashcraft.
When the original soundex coder didn't code the H and didn't consider
the
H as a separator between the adjacent letters with the same code S
and
C, then the S and C would be considered adjacent letters to be coded
only
once and the soundex will be A261. In the 1920 NY Census, Ashcraft
is
found under A261.
Those who coded the soundex for the 1880*, 1900
and 1910** census
may or may not have used this rule. They sometimes considered the H
as a separator, and did not code the S and C as adjacent letters that
would only be assigned one letter, but rather gave a number code to
each letter. In this case Ashcraft would be A226.
The important thing to know is that the US Census
was not consistent
with using the letter H and W as separators between adjacent letters.
If you
are trying to calculate the soundex for a name with the letters W or
H that
separate two adjacent letters, it is best to calculate the soundex
using the
two different methods to locate the name in the US census. This would
be
true of any name that has any of the letters C,S,G,J,K,Q,X,Z on both
sides
of the letter H or W such as SHC, SHS, CHS, KHZ, SWS, KWS, CWK.
A surname of more than one word, or a surname that
commonly comes
before a given name, such as Native Americans and Chinese surnames,
may have been coded under the name which appears last, even though
it
might not be the actual surname. In the case of multi-word surnames,
only
the last word may have been coded.
Uses for the Soundex Code
Once you have a soundex code for a surname, you can
order the
soundex microfilm for the 1880*,
1900, 1910** and 1920 US census. This
census soundex microfilm is an index to the actual census where you
will
receive a lot more information than is on the census soundex. If you
cannot
find your ancestor with the soundex code you calculated for his surname,
try a soundex variation keeping the soundex limitations (see above)
in mind. The purpose of the soundex indexing system is to keep all
spelling
and pronunciations of a given name together, but because of the limitations
of the soundex, you may have to try different spellings of a name that
may
give you a different soundex code.
Do not assume that your surname was always spelled
the way it is today, and that is the way it will appear on the census 100
years ago. The census
taker, in a lot of cases, wrote the surname how he heard it. Try listening
outloud to the surname and write down as many spelling variations as
you
can think of. One of these may be how your surname was spelled in the
census.
*There
is only an 1880 soundex census if there was a child under the age of 10
living at
that address.
**The
1910 U.S. Census was indexed for only a handful of states, and it was called
the
Miracode instead of Soundex. The states indexed in the
Miracode system for the 1910 U.S.
Census are: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia,
Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky,
Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina,
Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania,
South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West
Virginia.
Soundex Cards Abbreviations:
A = Aunt | FoSi = Foster sister | Nl = Nephew-in-law |
Ad = Adopted | GA = Great aunt | Nu = Nurse |
AdCl = Adopted Child | Gcl = Grandchild | O = Officer |
AdD = Adopted daughter | GD = Grand-daughter | P = Patient |
AdGcl = Adopted grandchild | GF = Grand-father | Pa = Partner |
AdM = Adopted mother | GGF = Great-grandfather | Ph = Physician |
AdS = Adopted son | GGGF = Great-great-grandfather | Por = Porter |
AiL/All = Aunt-in-law | GGGM = Great-great-grandmother | Pr = Prisoner |
Ap = Apprentice | GGM = Great grandmother | Prl = Principal |
Asst = Assistant | GM = Grand-mother | Prv = Private |
At = Attendant | Gml = Grandmother-in-law | Pu = Pupil |
B = Brother | GN = Grand or great nephew | R = Roomer |
Bar = Bartender | Gni = Grand or great niece | S = Son |
Bboy = Bound boy | Go = Governess | Sa = Sailor |
Bgirl = Bound girl | God Cl = God child | Sal = Saleslady |
BiL/Bll = Brother-in-Law | GS = Grandson | Sb = Stepbrother |
Bo = Boarder | Gsl = Grand-son-in-law | Sbil/Sbl = Stepbrother-in-law |
Boy = Boy | GU = Great uncle | Scl = Step child |
Bu = Butler | Gua = Guardian | Sd/SD = Stepdaughter |
C = Cousin | Guest = Guest | Sdil/Sdl = Step daughter-in-law |
Cap = Captain | Hb = Half brother | Se = Servant |
Cha = Chamber Maid | Hbl = Half brother-in-law | Se.Cl = Servant's child |
Cil = Counsin-in-law | He = Herder | Sf = Stepfather |
Cl - Child | Help = Help | Sfil/Sfl = Step father-in-law |
Coa = Coachman | H.Gi = Hired girl | Sgd = Step granddaughter |
Com = Companion | Hh = Hired hand | Sgs = Step grandson |
Cook = Cook | Hk = Housekeeper | Si = Sister |
D = Daughter | Hlg = Hireling | SiL/Sl = Son-in-law |
DiL/Dl = Daughter-in-law | Hm = Hired man | Sm = Stepmother |
Ddla = Day laborer | Hmaid = Housemaid | Smil/Sml = Step mother-in-law |
Dom = Domestic | Hls = Half sister | Ss = Stepson |
Dw = Dish washer | Hsil = Half sister-in-law | Ssi = Stepsister |
Emp = Employee | H = Husband | Ssil = Step sister-in-law |
En = Engineer | Hw = Houseworker | Ssl =Step son-in-law |
F = Father | I = Inmate | Su - Super-intendent |
FaH = Farm hand | L = Lodger | Ten = Tenant |
FaL = Farm laborer | La = Laborer | U = Uncle |
FaW = Farm worker | Lau = Launderer | Ul/Uil = Uncle-in-law |
FB = Foster brother | M = Mother | Vi = Visitor |
FF = Foster father | Maid = Maid | W - Wife |
Fi = Fireman | Man = Manager | Wa = Warden |
First C = First cousin | Mat = Matron | Wai - Waitress |
FiL/FL/Fl = Father-in-law | ML/MiL = Mother-in-law | Ward = Ward |
FM = Foster mother | N = Nephew | Wkm = Workman |
FoB = Foster brother | Ni = Niece | Wt = Waiter |
FoS = Foster son | Nil = Niece-in-law | -------------------------------- |
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