Surnames are inherited in much the same way as are biological traits. Since surnames were generally adopted - in Europe during Medieval times - their distribution has become very uneven: analysis of the present geographic patterns provides an insight into the kind of redistribution of genes that has resulted from all the migrations of the intervening years. Using non-technical language and a minimum of mathematics, this book presents a lucid description and evaluation of these studies of the genetic structure of human populations. A special feature is the appendix which presents computer-generated maps and distribution diagrams of 100 common surnames in England and Wales.
Contents
Preface; 1. Introduction; 2. History of surname studies in human biology; 3. Sources of data; 4. Methods; 5. Isolates and inbreeding; 6. Island versus distance models: the Far East and Oceania; 7. The Americas and continental Europe; 8. Scotland and Ireland; 9. Regions of England; 10. English cities and the general population of England and Wales; 11. Specific surnames in Great Britain; 12. Human population structure; Appendix; Glossary; Index.
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