Thanks to all of you that answered my question. I got some great answers. I think the consensus was that it if you go by the sound of the letters in the word you would get "rudy" which is a dim. for Rudolph. While I have your attention let me ask another question. I found what I hope is my immigrant ancestor in a database at Ancestry.com based on this work, "Strassburger, Ralph Beaver, Pennsylvania German Pioneers, - Vol. I-II (2). Norristown, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania German Society, 1934." All I got back from the search engine was the name, "Henry (X) Shaffner". Is anyone familiar with this book and could tell me if there is anymore information to be gotten from the book on this name other than just the name? I was excited to find this as it is my first solid clue that I have found from my own research efforts. I'm lucky that there have been some wonderful people involved in researching this line, Shoffner/Shofner/Schoffner/ Shafner/Shaffner/Schaffner, etc. I have benefited from all their work and I hope, here and there, that I have added something of worth, myself. Thanks in advance for your help, Jean Mahaffey. mhael@bellsouth.net