Ways to search for name variants

Question

How technically difficult would it be to add a field to the edit page for name variants that would not show up on the profile page but be accessible for the search engine? If technically feasible it would solve a few issues we are grappling with right now:

1. We could safely put the name found in a birth or baptismal document in the LNAB field without having to worry about spelling differences or language issues (I have one Southern Bohemian family whose name is given either as Wölfl or Vlček depending on whether the scribe was Czech or German).

2. We could improve our ability to catch duplicates.

3. Perhaps we could do away with the multiple ways profile managers have tried to get all the information in the name fields resulting in pretty awkward profiles.

4. It would put the onus on the profile managers to get their search variations in place instead of on WikiTree to come up with a way to search.

Answer 1

Great idea Helmut.

Answer 2

Hi Helmut

I just posted a long response to Fred's question at http://www.wikitree.com/g2g/45668/listed-field-other-names-show-searches-that-other-last-name?show=84141#a84141

I don't think a lot of WikiTree users realise how flexible the search function already is.

I've given lots of examples in my answer to Fred to show easily you can search for name variants.

Let me know what you think.

Comments

Hi Maryann,

My edit was to fix the url.  It wasn't pointing to the thread with your answer.

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Maryann:

First of all, your answer was very helpful in highlighting the capabilities of the system. My concern was with simplifying the search capabilities, though. If you look at the list of volunteers, every day large numbers are joining, and they don't know the intricacies of the program yet, but we can safely assume that they all create profiles to some extent. An American descendant of Czech immigrants may create a profile for a Novotny which will not be matched with the same Novotný already in the system. Women from cultures with distinct female forms of the name will not match, and in that case using the Other Name field for the male name form would be wrong since they were never also known as under that name.

I just felt having a field for searches that does not show up on the profile page would make those profiles much less cluttered. Ideally, it would allow to create a profile for Dvořak and give me the potential matches for all the Dworschaks, Dworzaks, Dvorzaks and their female forms without having all these spelling variations show up as aka names.

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thanks fred

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Hi Helmut

I was talking about your name issues with another WikiTreer,  and she suggested you start a project for Czech people.

Liz is the manager of New Netherland Settlers Project and they have very different name standards, this is the link to the project:  the http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Project:New_Netherland_Settlers.  The project has some search tips.

Liz is also working towards a project, which is a category at the moment but may expand (http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Category:The_Dutch_Cape_Colony_1652-1806 ).

Hope this may help you in some way.