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Interview with a Slovak Genealogist

Posted by Margarete on Nov 08

For many of us, genealogy is fascinating. It allows us to get in touch with our own personal histories and to pass it along to others. For some, visiting the land where their ancestors lived becomes part of the genealogy experience. Walking the land where ancestors lived and visiting cemeteries may bring one closer to family than a piece of paper ever could. And if there is still living family to meet and visit, the experience can be extremely exciting and emotional.

Of course, when looking for information about family in a far-away country, it is often necessary to have professional help.

Researching a Slovak Surname

Posted by Margarete on Jan 30

Many people have read the post on Slovak Surnames and have left comments about their own Slovak surnames. Sometimes people leave questions asking for suggestions on how to find more information about their names. Because I’ve gotten so many comments and there seems to be an genuine interest by people who are interested in their Slovak roots, I’d like to demonstrate a few ways that I have done basic searches for Slovak surnames.

Note: Research I have done in the past has been for informational purposes only. I have no professional experience in doing genealogy research. I have never made contact with any people I have found through my results and I would not recommend doing so to anyone.

Slovak Surnames

Posted by Margarete on Nov 23

Surnames in any language can be interesting, particularly when their meaning is easily understood. When I began to learn Slovak and my vocabulary began to expand, I realized that I understood the meanings of many surnames. In English, for example, surnames that are derived from professions, such as Smith or Miller, are simple to comprehend. Descriptive names such as Black or Green are also easy to understand though a name like Jozef Slaný – Joseph Salty still sounds odd to me.

Over the years, I’ve come across some interesting names. Many of them I can simply describe as “cute” though I don’t know how I would feel if I had a surname like Malina – raspberry, for example.