The Guild of One-Name Studies is the worldwide centre of excellence in one-name studies and promotes the interests of both the individuals and groups who are engaged in them.  The Guild provides its members with the means to share, exchange and publish information about one-name studies as well as encouraging and assisting all those interested in one-name studies by means of conference, seminars, projects and other activities.

The Guild defines a one-name study as a project researching the genealogy and family history of all persons with a given surname and its variants  – as opposed to researching a particular pedigree (the ancestors of one person) or specific descendancy (the descendants of one person or couple).

The broad scope of a one-name study enables a Guild member to investigate wider aspects of their research than a single-pedigree genealogist would – for example, changes in the geographical distribution of the surname over the centuries, or reconstruction of the genealogy of as many lines as possible bearing the name.  A frequent aim is to identify the original location or locations of the name, especially if it appears to derive from a place name.

Visit us at the Sale Expo to see if anyone has registered your name, or to find out the meaning/origin of your surname, or to just have a chat about Family History.

The Guild of One-Name Studies (GoONS)

Website: www.one-name.org

Phone (a free service available 24/7): 1800 305 184

Email: akehurst@one-name.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/guildonename

Submitted by David Evans for The Guild of One-Name Studies (GoONS): exhibitor at the VAFHO Family History Expo, Sale, 21 April 2018.