I'm trying to figure out a name change for someone in Sweden who was known as Johannes ANDERSSON up until the time he left his parish to emigrate to the U.S. in 1880, but was then known as Johann LEVIN when he boarded the ship a week later. I have traced Johannes ANDERSSON and his family in clerical surveys for Tissleskogs parish up until April 24, 1880, when the surveys indicate that he left for the U.S. At that time, he is still listed as Johannes ANDERSSON in the surveys, as he was in all previous years and in church records. When he boards the ship a week later on May 1, 1880, however, he is known as Johann LEVIN, and in the U.S. he and his family were known by the surname LEVINE. (The family isn't Jewish.) I was hoping that the clerical surveys might indicate when and why he changed his name, but there is no indication of a name change in any of the Swedish sources I've checked. I did find that a significant number of Swedes immigrated to the U.S. under the name LEVIN (several hundred), so I'm assuming that it has some significance in Swedish. There doesn't seem to be any pattern to where these people came from, so I can't spot any obvious geographical origin. Does anyone have any idea of: 1) What significance the LEVIN name has in Swedish, if any? 2) Why and how a Swedish farmer would change his name suddenly from his patronymic name ANDERSSON to the surname LEVIN in the week between leaving his parish and arriving at the port of emigration? Any suggestions appreciated. Ted Gostin tedgostin@generationspress.com