Dear Friends and Cousins, The Eastman Online Genealogical Newsletter for this week (available at <http://blog.eogn.com/>) has a very interesting news item. Even before I read it, I knew about it. My son Andy told me last Friday that he had seen news of the site. Quoting from the Eastman site: New Web Site Maps Surnames Worldwide <http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2008/09/new-web-site-ma.html> We all want to know where our ancestors came from but many of us are also curious as to where our distant relatives now live. A new web site can provide many such clues, if not definitive answers. The Public Profiler site plots eight million last names using data from electoral rolls and phone directories. The site covers 300 million people in 26 countries, showing the origins of names and where families have moved to. The site also reveals which of the five million first names (forenames) are most closely associated with different surnames and lists the top regions and cities for each surname. Continue reading "New Web Site Maps Surnames Worldwide" » <http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2008/09/new-web-site-ma.html#more> End quote. To go directly to the site, click on <http://www.publicprofiler.org/worldnames/>. The frequency of a name is reported as the "fpm" number which I think means "frequency per million." Yesterday, neither Andy nor I found the site in operation, but I tried it a few minutes ago and found that the highest fpm number for the surname Sisson occurs in New Zealand, the second highest in the USA, followed by several other countries with lower but significant frequencies, including of course the UK and Canada. The site lists not only nations, but frequency in the top regions and the top cities. One of the top Sisson cities is Springfield, Illinois, where this year's Sisson Gathering was held. Do we know how to pick 'em, or what?! Of course the site also reports similar findings for other surnames - and for other first names. I tried the site again just now, and found it not operating - Too busy. I suspect it will take a few days for the traffic to subside enough that you can use it whenever you like. Patience pays! David Arne Sisson