Soundex codes are made up of a single letter followed by 3 numbers and are often used in genealogy and family tree software programs, as well as online databases. The codes basically group names together that sound the same. Searching for soundex codes instead of actual surnames, helps to reduce the number of missed names due to spelling differences.
The Soundex system was developed in the early 1900s and used in conjunction with the 1900, 1910, and 1920 US census taking. The formula eliminates the vowel sounds, and groups consonants that sound similar.
The coding is done like this:
- Start with the first letter of the surname
- Remove all vowels (including y), as well as h and w
- The remaining letters get the following numbers:
- B F P V = 1
- C G J K Q S X Z = 2
- D T = 3
- L = 4
- M N = 5
- R = 6
- Any pairs of numbers are reduced to a single number. For example, a ck would give 22, which is reduced to just one 2.
So, Jones becomes J520. The same code also represents names like James, Janes, Johns, Jonas and Junge. Besides recording errors during the early censuses, names sometimes change over generations due to mis-spellings. Spellings may change, but the sound of the name generally stays the same, hence the effectiveness of these codes.
It's not perfect though. My last name is Vaillancourt, which has a Soundex code of V452. The surname Valencia is also V452, and I don't really think they sound the same at all. Mainly because the L's are silent in my last name (pronounced Vayan-coor, more or less). Well, it is French and the Soundex system was designed for English names. You might want to keep that in mind when doing any non-English research.
So next time you reach a dead-end, use the Soundex code in your online searches and you might be surprised at what unknown relatives are out there. There is an online Soundex Converter that can give you the codes for any surname you have.
