511 Unique names (spelling)

Question

While I am on this channel talking about Errors I have noticed a huge listing of error suggestions concerning unique names.  Might I suggest that the bot attempting to work the 511 Unique names (spelling) exceptions is attempting to do a more heuristic task that it is actually capable of doing.  It will generate many thousands of false negatives.  

The bad news for Mr. Bot working in Africa is we have many thousands of indigene languages and dialects, where the same name may have a number of different spellings.  If you want unique - come to Africa.

I suggest this is a futile error finding/suggestion initiative.

Comments

No need to go all the way to Africa - come to southwest England, where 'unique names' and even more 'unique spellings' are rife! :D

---

I would vote for this suggestion for to go away. For me personally, the nuisance aspect seeing it show up in feeds outweighs the value as it rarely, if ever has found a name  typo for me, which I assume is its intent.

---

I would also vote for this to be removed, I have had quite a few unique names or spellings for people and it is a pain, and of late many people choose unique or various spelling of names for their children so it is very redundant xxx

---

This is apparently a HUGE topic and I agree it should be removed.  Foreign languages aside (not that they are unimportant) the SOURCE of a name should always be used.  It can change over the years, also, in primary records.  One can find numerous spellings over decades in census.  Also in primary records depending on the image readability. Ancestry allows users to add alternate names that were mis-read by others. This happens all too frequently in the deep south where illiteracy after the WBTS ballooned as they could not educate young ones. You will see the names in my 511 list to be very strange, but they are documented that way.  I usually take the one used more times than the others . . not a great solution.

It doesn't seem there is a real answer to this problem, does it?  Thanks for listeneing!

---

Does anyone know why the same ones keep coming back every week? I have tried false error, the unique name is correct nothing works. Every week I get the same error reports on two of my profiles. The profiles are sourced and show the names are spelled correctly. I know this is an old post but, I have tried the things listed that I have read.

---

The only way to make a suggestion disappear totally is to remove the cause.

If you want to leave the profile alone, as we often do, then "False suggestion" will "hide" the suggestion, but it's still there if we look at the hidden suggestions.

---

Barbara 'other' spellings are to be put in other nicknames field in wikitree profiles for first names and in 'other last names' for last name.

---

Thanks, Linda, I needed that!

---

They will be used in searches.

---

Also good to know!  

Answer 1

I too wish for this error to go away. I mark them False Error and a few months later, here they are again, sometimes as many as 3 times! The early Acadians in Louisiana had all sorts of ways to spell their unique names.

Comments

Are you seeing the suggestion come back on the 'same profile' that you already put a False Suggestion on?  That should not happen.  Your previous False Suggestion comment would still be visible.  If another comment was added after your False Suggestion, it would negate the False Suggestion which should make it disappear from a profile.

---

Jacqueline, that can only happen in case you change the LNAB or merge a profile.

---

I see them on the same profile with the note: old false suggestion or something like that.

---

I agree this should go away.  I've also marked the names as being correctly spelled and every time I check my suggestions on errors these same names show up in the report.  I've never changed the names on the profile, and I've now changed the error report on some of these names for the 3rd and 4th time.  I'm also having the same error reports show up for dates of death that have not been changed on the profile, and I have marked the dates as being correct for the 4th time.

---

Carolyn, I checked your suggestion report and you are adding comment on the status page.

http://wikitree.sdms.si/function/WTWebUser/Suggestions.htm?UserID=9283560

You should select False suggestion (hide forever) and that will hide suggestion in the future.

Here is a list of suggestions, that you marked correctly.

http://wikitree.sdms.si/function/WTWebUser/Suggestions.htm?UserID=9283560&ShowHidden=1&HideActive=1

 Jacqueline, your list is mostly empty. just 6 suggestions.

http://wikitree.sdms.si/function/WTWebUser/Suggestions.htm?UserID=4438222

And here are all your hidden suggestions. http://wikitree.sdms.si/function/WTWebUser/Suggestions.htm?UserID=4438222&ShowHidden=1&HideActive=1

I think a few of them are not actually false error like https://wikitree.sdms.si/function/WTStatus/Status.htm?ErrID=585&UserID1=21857677&UserID2=21992528

or https://wikitree.sdms.si/function/WTStatus/Status.htm?ErrID=869&UserID1=10113588&UserID2=0

In case of multiple suggestions on the profile, don't always check all suggestions. Do it only if you corrected them at the same time.

Here https://wikitree.sdms.si/function/WTStatus/Status.htm?ErrID=723&UserID1=18671698&UserID2=0 you corrected another suggestion on the profile and checked the boxes of false suggestions and they became active again. The latest status defines the status of suggestion.

---

Thanks for the response and help with this.

---

Thank you for that explanation, Aleš.  I have also wondered why they come back and sometimes see several entries of False Suggestion, not realizing that a different entry could reactivate.

The most common outcome for me in investigating these is that I can't find that person at all, anywhere.  I spend a lot of time looking at 4-5 resources only to find . . .nothing!

<!--EndFragment--><!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073732485 9 0 511 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} -->

Answer 2

Please don't eliminate this error.  I use it to find Spanish names that don't fit the naming style.  For example, Ma. DeLaLuz Romero should be María de la Luz Romero.  Another example is /Juan Antonio Duran y / Chavez should be /Juan Antonio / Durán y Chavez.  

Almost all the DB 511 errors I work on need fixing.  Maybe 10-15% are false errors.

Answer 3

For Pre-1700 profiles of aristocracy and the like, it is the best way to find duplicates.

Comments

https://wikitree.sdms.si/function/WTStatus/Status.htm?ErrID=931&UserID1=6188326&UserID2=0

Here is an example of 511 error showing up again as old false error.

Optionally, also update the status for related suggestions:

511 Unique names (spelling) (Knobloch-31,)

Update Status

Comment hints:   corrected      Fixed      project box was not added by me      referred to English Project management      Removed project box      requested project management take over profile   

Related Suggestions

Suggestion	Link	Info	Name	Rel.	Birth	Death	Gender		Manager	Marriage	Status
511 Unique names (spelling)	Knobloch-31  H		Justiine Emillie Heloise lKnobloch		1838-12-19 Lafourche, Louisiana	1864-05-23 Thibodaux, Lafourche, Louisiana	Female		Belden-322
WikiTree ID Date Status Comment ID1621896 09.06.2016 23:51:50 False suggestion Old False error

Answer 4

After changing status on profiles with unique names errors, they are all back again... annoying!  Propensity is to ignore suggestion altogether.

Answer 5

I deal with quite a few of these errors on Icelandic names. I usually check with the Icelandic naming committee list of approved names [https://www.island.is/en/icelandic-names/]. The name is most often spelled correctly. I also click on the "unique" name in the error message to see that there are at least 20 other names in the database with the identical "unique" spelling and check the "false suggestion" response and wonder just how many more of this same name I will have to go through before it will finally make it off the "unique" list.

Answer 6

They're called suggestions for a reason. The system is useful for finding typos and name fields that are filled in incorrectly. Just mark it as a 'false suggestion' and move on. No need to remove a good system just because it's annoying to have to justify what you've entered from time to time.

Comments

James... so that;s how granny sucks eggs...  The point is, I have marked them as 'false suggestions' and moved on, only to find, now three/four month later that are back again for me to marked them as 'false suggestions' and moved on, yet again.  Ergo, its not a good system because it consumes valuable time.  It needs fixing... once marked as 'false suggestions' they should stay so marked.

---

Can you tell on which profile it reappeared?

There are 2 reasons for False suggestion to reappear. 

• LNAB is changed or profile is merged to another one. 
• Someone changed the suggestion status after it was set as false suggestion. But that should be visible in statuses.

Answer 7

Perhaps the suggestion could be available for those who want it through WT+ but eliminated from the general list of suggestions so regions where it is more of an annoyance than a help would not find their profiles cluttered with it.

Each project could decide if they wanted it or not so Ales would have some guidance like do it for Spain but don't do it for Africa project.   

I think I have only found one spelling error and marked the vast majority of these as False errors because they match other sources correctly more often than not.  

Also pre-1500 spelling is all over the board so I am not sure we can ever have a correct spelling since from one document to another it often changed and I have even seen spelling change within the same document.  

Perhaps there is a better way to handle this?

Comments

I was thinking of discontinuing 511 suggestion a few times in the past. If you have a better way of doing this, let me know. I have no idea of replacement for it. Spelling variations like with locations are completely useless here. The only alternative would be a list of common misspellings for some names. But who would  maintain those lists?

I could add UniqueName magic keyword to WT+ search engine and anyone could query WT+ for their field of interest. Like I just added GedcomJunk the other day. 

---

Aleš, Thanks... I know how much work you do in the background with these things and I thank you for that...  it must be frustrating to read your work doesn’t please all.  The crunch here is that unique name errors in Africa, principally indigenes, could apply to every single profile... I have done a roll of honour of Rhodesian servicemen, and almost all of the indigenous person profiles have thrown out the error.  I spent a few hours updating the status of these as false suggestion, and yet today they popped back.   Did I do something wrong, click the wrong button or what?  They were gone and now they are back...

---

Give some examples, and I can look into it.

---

I agree Ales this one needs some direction from people who want it as to what they are looking for.  As it stands now we are mainly coding them as False errors and a lot of people seem to be bothered by them appearing on the list.  

We have so many dialects and time periods and versions of a name that it is really hard to say spelling Thomas as Tomas or Thommas is wrong.  If that is how someone spells their name then it is correct.  

My brother in law spells Larry  as Lary.  So his name would be marked with the suggestion and I would have to mark it as a false error.  But as he is living I have no entered him to WT.  

My name can be Laura, Lara, Laurie, Lora, Lorie, Lauren.  They are all versions of the same name.  And I am sure there are others....