Word 1 of 10: NAMESAKE
Use the arrow keys to move between letters. Press Enter or Space on the first letter of a word, then again on the last letter. Press Escape to cancel.
A few of the words
- SMITH
- It's the most common surname in the United States census, and it comes straight from the trade of working metal.Find this word in the grid to read its note.
- MAIDEN
- A maiden name is the surname a woman was born with, and it's often the quickest way into another branch of the family tree.Find this word in the grid to read its note.
- NAMESAKE
- A namesake is someone named after another person, which is how the same first name can run through five generations of one family.Find this word in the grid to read its note.
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surnames and family names word search
Surnames & Family Names: a free online word search
A free surnames and family names word search for anyone who's ever traced a family tree or wondered how the neighbors got their name.
About Surnames & Family Names
Most surnames started as a job, a place, a father's name or a nickname that stuck. Smith, Baker, Miller and Taylor are still everywhere because so many villages needed someone to shoe the horses, bake the bread, grind the grain and sew the coats. Then the names got handed down, passed through maiden lines and middle names, and sometimes respelled by the families themselves once they settled somewhere new.
How to play
- 1Find a word.Tap its first letter, then tap along to its last. The trail fills in and finishes itself when it spells a word. Or press the first letter and drag.
- 2Words run in straight lines.Across and down, and on the harder difficulties diagonally and backwards.
- 3It marks itself.Each word you find takes on its own soft color on the grid and is crossed off the list.
- 4Choose a difficulty.The level you pick sets those directions and how much the word list helps, never the grid size. Tap the A buttons at the top to enlarge the letters, or pinch the grid.
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