ONOMA

The register of rare surnames

Four markers that live in the surname itself. Each is computed: it is either there or it is not, and you can check.

29% of surnames carry at least one

Female trade The surname records a woman's work, not a man's 2% · 3 of 159 Misread The modern word means something the surname never did 6% · 10 of 159 Many tongues The same root exists in five or more languages 11% · 18 of 159 Extinct trade A profession that no longer exists 15% · 24 of 159

We never write "your name is rare" — that is empty and dishonest. We name the marker and give its real frequency. A female-trade surname appears in under two percent of names, and that is a checkable statement, not a compliment.

Is yours in the register?