Hi I take your point about the evolution of surnames. However, there are also numerous cases of families which were very small to begin with and in which the surname disappeared from its point of origin due to a number of factors, including natural disasters, the propensity towards producing female offspring, and, in our case, emigration en masse for religious reasons. I believe there is even a French historical work on the surnames which have disappeared, but I imagine it is far from comprehensive. _______________________________________________ No banners. No pop-ups. No kidding. Make My Way your home on the Web - http://www.myway.com