I'm not sure of the correct spelling of a name how do I find possible spellings?

Answer 1

Use your imagination, and say the name out loud. How would someone spell it, if they only had a 5th grade education?
If you know the right place to be looking, read the document if possible, instead of relying on search engines. The alternate spelling can be right in front of you, but the computer is geared to exact matches.
And... there is no correct/ incorrect spelling in genealogy. Your goal is to find the person and the relationship. What is "right" today is not always what was "right" 100 yrs ago, nor is it always the ancestor who created the record.

Answer 2

When looking at a surname, look at it in context. For example, a son's name is spelled differently from a father's name in a land grant, but it may have originally had the same spelling on a baptismal record or in the family Bible (if this primary evidence is still available). Over time, names change particularly when they are spelled phonetically. For example, a distant paternal ancestor, Jacque La Cage, came to Virginia from France around 1690. Within a generation, his descendants were spelling their name Keesee. How La Cage ended up as Keesee is anybody's guess.

Answer 3

In the past, I don't think exact spellings of names were important. That's why we have so many variations.

I have always taken the position that how a person spells or pronounced his name is how I should spell or pronounce. The name is sacred to that person.

Answer 4

I've seen the same person's surname spelled 4 and 5 different ways in the same document. Try george or whatever his first name was in the place you expect to find him, or if he's got a kid with a less common name like hiram or kidney, try that.

Answer 5

Use the "SOUNDEX" option, thats what its there for type in the name and it comes up with different variations for the spelling of it.

Answer 6

I use Dictionary.com because i stink at spelling give them a try.