Hispanic Surnames and Family History [Paperback]

Lyman D. Platt (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 080631480X | ISBN-13: 978-0806314808 | Publication Date: December 8, 2009

This is an exhaustive review of the development of Spanish surnames in Latin America and the Hispanic United States where there are obvious links between Latin American and Spanish families. (The word Hispanic refers to persons born in Latin America or the U.S. whose parents spoke Spanish and whose principal cultural background was Spanish; Latin America refers to those countries south of the U.S. border, including Puerto Rico and Cuba; and the phrase Hispanic United States refers historically to California, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida.) One of the principal aims of the book is to show the dispersion and commonality of Hispanic surnames throughout the Americas, with studies showing: (1) the top 1,000 Hispanic surnames in the U.S. and Latin America; (2) l,500 surnames studied by the Institute of Genealogy and History for Latin America (sponsors of this work); (3) the 12,567 Hispanic surnames in the 1980 U.S. census; and (4) surnames unique to particular Latin American countries. At the very heart of the book is a bibliography of Hispanic family histories in the U.S. and Latin America, certainly the most extensive list of its kind ever compiled.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Platt (Hispanic American Genealogical Sourcebook, Gale, 1994) examines the development of Spanish surnames in Latin America and the Hispanic United States and shows their dispersion and commonality throughout the Americas. The bibliography of Hispanic family histories includes information from newspapers, magazines, historical compilations, and monographs listed by main entry and with a subject index. Useful appendixes include a surname index to Arturo Garcia Carraff's Enciclopedia Heraldica y Genealogica, an important work on Spanish surnames in Spain that includes some information on Latin American families. Platt's book is the first comprehensive work on Hispanic surnames and the most extensive bibliography of family histories to date. Her pathbreaking work is essential purchase for homes and libraries with an interest in Hispanic biography, culture, genealogy, and history.?Judith P. Reid, Library of Congress
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 350 pages
• Publisher: Genealogical Publishing Company (December 8, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080631480X
• ISBN-13: 978-0806314808
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #890,044 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good bibliography, January 31, 2007

By 

L. Ballard "captainlarab" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hispanic Surnames and Family History (Paperback)

This book is an excellent reference, obviously the result of an almost superhuman amount of research, and should be consulted by anyone who is embarking upon Hispanic genealogical research. That said, you should obtain this book with the understanding that it is primarily a bibliography of other sources on Hispanic surnames, most of which are going to be very hard to find outside the Library of Congress. There is nothing written in this book about particular surnames, and no tips for conducting genealogical research--instead, it lists articles that have been written about the surnames. Not all surnames have been written about. The book says that the author has conducted and/or will conduct additional research on surnames not previously researched, but when I contacted the author, he said he no longer does this work.

If you are new to genealogy or Hispanic genealogy, this is not a how-to guide. If you can find this book at a library or otherwise avoid buying it, you should do so. It will take you 15 minutes max to look up what you need and then you'll be done with this book.