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From: Elizabeth Whitaker <>
Subject: [APG] [Fwd: Re: NYTimes.com: In U.S. Name Count,Garcias Are Catching Up With Joneses]
Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2008 12:36:50 -0400


Accidentally sent privately. Joan very kindly
let me know what had happened.

Elizabeth Whitaker

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [APG] NYTimes.com: In U.S.
Name Count,Garcias Are Catching Up With Joneses
Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2008 11:37:22 -0400
From: Elizabeth Whitaker <>
Reply-To:
To:
References: <>

When I was researching my thesis about the
emigrants from Ottoman Syria/Syria/Lebanon
who settled in South Carolina before 1950,
either I asked about name changes or one of
my informants in the community brought up the
subject. Most of these immigrants dropped the
patronymic prefix ("ibn" in Arabic for "son
of") and took an ancestor's first name as
their last name. Many later Anglicized this
name. (For example, "Tanous" became
"Thomas.") Others adopted an English last
name that bears no obvious relationship to a
patronymic: I have found Syrian-born
immigrants in late 19th century South
Carolina with the last names of "Green" and
"White." (I haven't yet been able to locate
descendants who can tell me how or why
decisions like this were made.)

Elizabeth Whitaker

wrote:
> Richard-
>
> Even as recently as the final season of The Sopranos on HBO the Ellis Island
> myth was perpetuated on TV when mob boss Phil Leotardo lamented that his
> ancestor's name was changed by the officials at Ellis Island from Leonardo to
> Leotardo. Phil further claimed that the family was related to Leonardo D'Vinci
> and their illustrious family connection was lost because of the action of the
> officials at Ellis Island.
>
> Joan
> --------------------------------
>
> It looks like the reporter was simply repeating the myth about name changes
> at immigration ports. I found it interested that in the next paragraph it
> talks about Hollywood insisting on WASP names. It was Hollywood that either
> created or perpetuated the "name got change" myth. I had the old movie
> channel on one day and was startled to hear Humphrey Bogart tell one of his
> buddies that "the name got changed at Ellis Island."
>

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