Janet I concur If our ancestors were asked "how do you spell that" ?, the question would most likely have to be spoken in Gaelic, and the answer would have been another question mark ! (or Gaelic for "eh?"). Most people were illiterate, and even those who could speak a little English, didn't have our modern education So, back then there was no right or wrong : as you say just 'soundex' Many of those spellings are now their own standards e.g. Millar, Miller, McGilvray, McGillivray etc....... Michael www.mullfamilies.co.uk ----- Original Message ----- From: "Janet" <cilurnum@googlemail.com> To: <sct-isleofmull@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, September 01, 2013 4:18 PM Subject: [SCT-ISLEOFMULL] Name sounding...Re: Gillies I believe variations in names arose out of interpretation of how the name was said when it was needed to be recorded on paper; Soundex. Nowadays we say "how do you spell that" where there is a possibility of getting someone's name wrong, because we keep names on databases for many reasons. I also think it evolved from where people originated. Scotland's People advise http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/content/help/index.aspx?560 A name such as VIGROW will be found earlier in records as VIGROUX or VIGREOUX A name such as DUN in early records, becomes DUNN and DUNNE, another in my own records, SHERIT, SHERET, SHERRET, and when the people of that family migrated from Scotland to England to suggest it is in the accent, the name became SHERRAT and SHERRATT; it is a help in consideration of whether someone with a name sounding the same could be included in our records when we need to pay for a paper record to confirm a relationship. Janet