Name Usage - Genealogy links

First names

UNT Libraries Digital Collections has some abbreviations for fore names mainly USA but interesting as John is J: and Mary M.. you might see in documents

Surnames

Surname Thesaurus - very good to work out variations for searching http://www.imagepartners.co.uk/

Interesting suggestions http://www.namesdir.com/

Yahoo! Arts Humanities History Genealogy Lineages and Surnames

http://surnamesite.com/

The Origins and Meaning of Names

http://www.mayrand.org/meaning-e.htm
http://www.sog.org.uk/leaflets/surnames.html
http://genealogy.about.com/od/surname_meaning/

Surname searches

Surname Navigator - http://www.surnamenavigator.org/ -
advertising is the purpose but enables search across a range of sites that you may want to know about

Free Databases http://www.freesurnamesearch.com/

The Guild of One-Name Studies http://www.one-name.org/

SURNAME directories - Enter your interests
http://www.list.jaunay.com/index.html
and the message boards at GENFORUM & ROOTSWEB

This one is interesting and may have some spellings you had not thought of http://www.namesdir.com/

Surname statistics

spread in England now http://www.taliesin-arlein.net/names/search.php
http://homepages.newnet.co.uk/dance/webpjd which amongst other things has the Guppy 1890 survey
in the form of a downloadable table which allocates surnames to their major counties of distribution.

http://www.spatial-literacy.org/ new in 2006 - compares surnames 1998 to 1881 via maps
2008 Site still there with new projects on the go.
The surname maps are at National Trust Names - http://www.nationaltrustnames.org.uk/

Modern British Surnames http://homepages.newnet.co.uk/dance/webpjd