The Directory Of The Probable Geographical Location Of Kefalonian Surnames In The 18th, 19th And Early 20th Centuries

Introduction:

In reading this section, there are certain facts about surnames one must keep in mind. Many Kefalonian surnames changed to some degree when the immigrants entered their “new country”. Two of the most important reasons for these changes were  that the customs officers of the country to which they immigrated, did not know the Greek language and that the immigrants did not know how to speak or write the language of the country into which they were entering. For these reasons, the custom officials wrote the names as best as they could, thus bring about a great variation in the spelling of the original name.  Another  main reason for changes in the surname was that Greek names tended to be quite long, and for convenience sake, many immigrants shortened them.

Because of the variations, and the fact that the Archives Officials require that all foreign requests for a search have the requested names written in English letters, the surnames in this section are written in the “usual” English version. We appreciate your understanding that, due to space, all variations of each surname cannot be written.

To assist the family historian, Kefalonian Roots has prepared A Small Greek Grammar, which will be of great assistance in working with Greek genealogical information and the English spelling of the sounds in Greek surnames.

The following is a list of surnames with their probable geographical location by village and the name of the municipality in which the village is currently located. The word probable is used here due to the fact that the information is based on oral tradition, since no research  has been compiled on this topic.

Another list which is helpful in locating the probable village of origin of the surname is the Surnames of Kefalonian Seamen of the 18th, 19th and Early 20th Centuries; a compiled list of seamen and the village in which they were born. The * after a place of birth, indicates that the first village listed is the village from which the parents came, and the second town is the town in which that seaman was born. This catalogue is an official list of villages from which the surname came.

If you do not see your surname, and wish to add it and the village of origin to the list, please send your information to surnavil@keffyroots.com   On the Subject Line: state Surname / Village -Add; in the Message Area: the surname, and name of the village and municipality; and in the Signature: your name and e-mail address.

If you wish to state a correction of a village, please write on the Subject Line: Surname/Village - Correction of Village; in the Message Area: your information with documentation (birth certificate, immigration paper, etc.); and in the Signature: your name and e-mail address. Kefalonian Roots always welcomes corrections and suggestions.

The Directory Of The Probable Geographical Location Of Kefalonian Surnames In The 18th, 19th And Early 20th Centuries 

Below, the surnames are listed in alphabetical order. The municipalities are abbreviated to save space. The key to the abbreviations is:

Political Map