Note: Spelling

Editor's Note: This notice is posted when the spelling of a particular name has been especially difficult to accurately determine.

Great effort has been expended trying to ascertain the proper spelling of names and commonly used shortened names, which often vary throughout one's life.

The surnames, Yunkers and Yunker, seems to have started in the United States as Yunkers. and then, often to have evolved to Yunker.

Such is also the situation with Fitzgibbons and Fitzgibbon.

First names and familiar names such as: Fanny vs. Fannie, Lizzy vs. Lizzie, etc., often have no preferred, accepted spelling; and, often, are also given names that are spelled differently in usage than on a birth certificate.

Absolute accuracy is probably impossible as many persons spell their names differently than their accepted records . . . and, from time-to-time. When possible, the spelling that a person uses in their "own hand," or from their "own lips," is the preferred selection . . . though, often, this, also, varies with time.

Occasionally, official records vary or are in error; occasionally persons change the spelling of their names; either officially or unofficially. Quite often, public records conflict as do the memories of close relatives and friends.

In the past, when records weren't as common, there were many accepted spellings for the same name; especially, from country to country where letters had different pronunciation. Often spelling was subject only to the speller.

Please advise:
Webmaster@RFamilyData.info
if any spelling is particularly egregious.

In many cases, as only a few examples demonstrate, the following given names, or some of the following, are interchangeably used by the same person; or, interchangeably used in public print and records: i.e. Ekaterina, Katherine, Kathryn, Katharina, Kathrina, Katrina, and, of course, Kay, Kathy, and Katie; etc.; John and Johan; Mary, Maria, Marie; Rosa, Rose, Rosina, Rosy, Rosie; many variations of Elizabeth, some of which are: Bess, Eliza, Elsie, Liz; Chris, Christ, and Christian; Maggie, Margaret, and Magdalena; Hannah. Anna. Ann, and Annie; and so on, as with most other names.

Many surnames go through subtle, and not so subtle, transformations from: one country to another; one generation to another; and, between siblings.