Family name tracing

Question

As usual, I come with an unusual question/statement - this time about the value of focusing on one family or surname line. I am confused by the notion of tracing a ʻlineʻ based on ones LNAB (or any other surname).  Hereʻs why:

1) only one half of my parents have THE name

2} only one quarter of my grandparents have THE name

3) only one eighth of my great grandparents have THE name

ETC The farther back I trace. the less THE name (and also the DNA that attaches to THE name) has to do with me. I am fortunate to be able to trace my LNAB progenitor back to arrival in America (and I know there is more available).  But that was almost 400 years ago, how many generations is that? So, as far as I am concerned that ancestor (whose name comes to me) is really no more important than the hundreds of others whose names unfortunately were not handed down to me.

There is really no point to this comment, but I just thought I would share.

Comments

But if you trace all the lines, everybody is descended from everybody and nobody everybody gets to be special.

 

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I agree with everyoneʻs comments.  I have used that surname branching to fill in gaps, too.  And the extra research on one line using a name search helped me connect 20 unconnected profiles recently. Once I used a ʻmiddle nameʻ that came down through generations to finally connect a family (fun because no one living had any idea why it kept coming down).

Answer 1

I can't disagree in general but I am very grateful to a few people that have pursued one name studies that have benefited me and provided masses of information about some of my family lines. None of them are the name passed down to me (which is a whole 'nother story, as they say lol).

Answer 2

I see it as just an extra strand of my research. It adds value, but is not the only thing I do. With the more unusual surnames it can also be useful for fleshing out the rest of the tree. However, if your origins are in a country which used patronymics until recently then it has no value at all.