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10 May 2012

Are the Names Backwards?

If you can't find a person in a census index, try reversing their first and last names. It is possible the census taker (or other record keeper) made a simple goof. Foreign language names can easily get recorded in this way.

This could easily explain why Panagiotis Verikios was enumerated in 1930 as Verikios Panagiotis.

Think about it--it's possible with English language as well.

1 comment:

  1. In some census years in the 1900's, the enumerators often wrote names in this order:
    Last / Middle name or initial / First

    When I see my relatives in someone's tree with names in this order, I know the tree compiler isn't much kin!

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