Switzerland Naming Customs

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Switzerland

Personal Names

Register of Swiss Surnames

Swiss citizenship is kept on three levels: the nation, the canton, and the "Heimatort, or home community. For most people, citizenship was inherited, and residency was not a requirement. The home community was charged with keeping track of its citizens. Therefore, if a birth, marriage, or death of a citizen took place in another parish, notice of the event was often sent to the Heimatort. The information may have been entered in the regular parish register or a special section reserved for “auswärtige Bürger” [out-of-town citizens].

Because Swiss citizenship was time-consuming and costly to move, most kept their ancestral citizenship no matter where they moved.  The Register of Swiss Surnames is a list of all surnames in Switzerland as of 1962 and where they held citizenship. This registry is invaluable in locating towns of origin. 

To learn how to use the Register of Swiss Surnames, check out the "How to" Guide. First, read through the Instruction; Then test your knowledge with the short Assignment - the Answer Key is provided to check your answers.