Discussing the usage of certain words
On the same note as discussing Standards used in Genealogy, I ran across a list of words that really cause a lot of tumult and concern with trying to get the database to understand.
So it's not just the words in the test above that cause problems but all of these as well IF THEY ARE LISTED IN THE FIRST OR LAST NAME FIELDS.
Good to know!
If you find a file with this information,
Words to avoid. Keep in mind that the list below is not exhaustive, but it includes the terms that most commonly cause users problems. If one of the words in the list happens to be the first or last name of one of your ancestors, please contact FamilySearch Support. SUPPORT@FAMILYSEARCH.ORGPut each part of the name in the correct field
- Title. Use this for words like “Count” or “Mister.” If a person does not have a title, simply leave this field blank.
- First Names. Enter the person's first and middle names. Do not enter nicknames. They go in the “Other Information” section.
- Last Names. Enter the person’s family name or surname. If a woman changed her surname after marriage, enter her maiden name.
- Suffix. Enter words like “Jr.” or “Sr.,” or perhaps a Roman numeral, as in “John Smith III.” If a person does not have a suffix, simply leave this field blank.
Put nicknames and other variations in the Other Information section
Add other other names a person had in the “Other Information” section. These names include the following:
- Nicknames.
- Names used before or after moving to a new country.
- Names used to avoid identification, as in the case of an escaped slave or a person living in hiding.
- Name changes caused by adoption, divorce, or some other legal actions if they were not the last legal name used by the person.
- Name variants caused by naming customs, such as French "dit" names.
Avoid invalid words and characters
Avoid the following in name fields:
- Names with initials only.
- Special characters, extra spaces, and most punctuation marks. Hyphens and apostrophes are okay if they are a part of the actual name. Generation numbers, such as Steven Smith III, are acceptable in the suffix field.
- Avoid repeating a special characters, such as two apostrophes in a row.
- Words that are not really names, such as “not named,” “unnamed,” “Mister,” “Wife,” "twin," or "Son." SEE ALL WORDS BELOW THAT SHOULD NOT BE USED.
PUNCTUATION PLACE HOLDERS OR WORDS IN PARENTHESES SHOULD NOT BE USED
"" . .. ... / ( ) (baby) (boy) (child) (female) (infant) (male) (twin) (twins) (unknown) (unnamed) (wife)
ASIAN WORDS (KOREAN, JAPANESE, CHINESE) WHICH SHOULD NOT BE USED.
名 名前がない 子供がいない 未具名 死産 死胎 母親 沒有名字 無名 無子女 父親
ENGLISH, FRENCH AND GERMAN, ITALIAN AND SPANISH- BUT ALPHABETIZED
| ancestor, |
| her, |
| inconnu, |
| live, |
| mère, |
| muerto, |
| nom, i |
| sister, |
| anan, |
| ancestors |
| anon. |
| anónim |
| anônim. |
| anónimo |
| anonymous |
| baby |
| bastard, |
| bekannt |
| bennant, |
| body |
| born |
| brother |
| data |
| daughter |
| dead |
| deadborn |
| death |
| deceased |
| desc. Mort-né twin, |
| desconhecido, |
| desconocido |
| died, |
| dodfodt, |
| don't name |
| Duke |
| enfant, |
| entry |
| father |
| female |
| filhos, |
| flickebarn |
| geboren |
| girl |
| husband |
| infant |
| information not named |
| inft |
| inft, |
| kinderlos, |
| listed |
| live |
| living |
| ma |
| madre, |
| mãe |
| male |
| man |
| married |
| men |
| misc |
| miss |
| mort ne tot, |
| mother |
| mrs |
| muerto |
| mutter |
| nacido |
| natrimorto |
| nephew |
| never, |
| nichg |
| nicht |
| niece |
| no issue |
| no name |
| no woman |
| non anon |
| not known |
| other |
| padre |
| pai anónimo |
| père anonym, |
| record |
| records |
| sans |
| sem nome, |
| sem, |
| sin hijos |
| sin nomb |
| sin nombre |
| sister |
| son |
| still born |
| stillborn |
| twins |
| unbek |
| unbekannt, |
| unborn |
| unk, |
| unnamed |
| un-named |
| vater, |
| wife |
| women |
| yes |
What is the Correct way to enter Names into Family Tree?
Related Articles Entering names in Family Tree (80359)
Ever gotten the error - Needs more information?
https://www.familysearch.org/ask/salesforce/viewArticle?urlname=Needs-more-information&lang=en_US
Want the info on an unusual situation?
Sealing a child to parents when the name of the father or mother is unknown (52743)
If you have a file with these word (s) listed above and it has become a dead end, or just needs someone at FS to review it, please contact : support@familysearch.org through email with the PID number of the file and your email address listed with Family Search.
