Synopsis

A name carries considerable weight, particularly when tracing one’s lineage. For those who were once enslaved, selecting a surname represented a fundamental assertion of autonomy. Similarly, Jewish immigrants often adopted new names as a means of assimilation into their adopted homeland. Regardless of the motivation behind a name change, it can create formidable obstacles to uncovering ancestral truths, sometimes rendering the task insurmountable. In this exploration, we illuminate gaps in the f