A friend of mine passed on the following URL for a thread at RootsChat that is very amusing. If you have some ancestors who had unusual surnames, check this out. It's hilarious. There are at present 7 pages to read. I couldn't stop laughing at some of the names. I was under the belief that surnames originated as an indication of occupation or "son of". I think some of these might reflect a pastime rather than occupation....then again..... http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,88693.0.html Jackie Q