Soundex for Dummies

by Joseph P. Wolfe, February 1997

Every time I walk into my local computer software store, I am struck by the large number of books offering instruction/information on the various aspects of the computer (DOS, Windows, the Internet) “For Dummies.” The fact that so many of these titles are being marketed does not convince me that we “dummies” really want to learn more about computers. Their popularity, I think, is indicative of the fact that students of the computer find it very worthwhile to go back to the fundamentals. In reading over the basic information that we consider second nature, we are forced to re-examine our understanding and belief. Often we learn something new.

The purpose of this column is to reiterate the rules of Soundex, a very basic tool for all genealogical researchers, both beginning and advanced.

SOUNDEX DEFINED

Soundex is a phonetic code consisting of the initial letter of the surname followed by three numbers. The following are the official numbers used to represent the letters of a surname:

	NUMBER	         REPRESENTS THE LETTERS

	  1	               B P F V
	  2	               C S K G J Q X Z
	  3	               D T
	  4	               L
	  5	               M N
	  6	               R
(Vowels and the consonants W and H are not coded.)

That’s it! The above is all you need to get started on computing your surname’s code. Well, yes, there are exceptions and perhaps one messy situation, but we’ll get to that below. Now, let’s start with some names.

HOW TO DO IT

  1. Print, in large letters, the surnames you are investigating.

  2. Below the printed surname, write the numbers (from the above table) that are used to represent the other letters.

      JOHNSON	    RANDLE	PALMER
      J--52-5	    R-534-	P-45-6

      BATEMAN	    WINEDALE	HOLMES
      B-3-5-5	    W-5-3-4-	H-45-2

      WOLFE
      W-41-

Uh-oh! The surname WOLF looks like a problem. What happens if there are not enough letters to code? And while we’re thinking about it: What happens if more than three of the letters can be coded?

FORCE THE CODE TO THREE NUMBERS

If a surname does not have enough codable letters, just add zeros to make three digits. So...

      WOLFE = W410         LEE = L000
If a surname has over three codable letters, use only the first three and then STOP! So...

      SINGLETON	           FRIEDLANDER
      S-524-3-5	           F6--34-53-6
The soundex codes would then be S524 and F634, respectively.

The above is all incredibly easy and can be lots of fun. Right? So, I guess it is time to give you the one messy, tricky exception to our easy formula. My mother’s maiden name is Metsker. This name can illustrate our exception. As before, we write out the name and the appropriate codes from table:

      METSKER
      M-322-6

THE EXCEPTION

Names with letters side by side that have the same number on the coding chart are treated as one letter. So, the soundex code for METSKER is M326 rather than M322.

Keep in mind that this exception does not apply unless the two letters are side by side. Example:

      METSEKER
      M-32-2-6
The S and the K are separated by a vowel; therefore, both are coded, and the soundex is M322.

Note, however, what happens with a slight change in spelling:

      METSKER
      M-322-6
The S and K stand side by side, and only one is coded; therefore, the soundex is M326.

A corollary to this rule is that, in names with double letters such as MILLER or O’CONNELL, only one letter is coded.

      MILLER
      M-44-6  (Soundex: M460)
Now you are an expert. You are no longer a dummy and can figure the Soundex code for any surname. So how do you apply this at Clayton Library?

SOUNDEX APPLIED

The major function of our phonetic code “Soundex” is indexing the vast federal censuses. Only four of our available decennial censuses have been soundexed: 1880, 1900, 1910, and 1920. In 1880 only households having children 10 or younger are included in the Soundex film reels; in the latter three, all households are soundexed. The good news for us is that Clayton Library owns all available Soundex film for 1880, 1900, and 1910, and owns about 55% of 1920. The Soundex film rolls are found in the second-floor microfilm cabinets directly in front of the census that they index. Thus, 1880 Soundex immediately precedes 1880 census; 1900 Soundex precedes 1900 census, etc.

Soundex film is then arranged alphabetically by state from Alabama to Wyoming. Within each state, the film is arranged (again alphabetically) by the first letter of the surname and in increasing numeric order, e.g., A000-A325. Within each Soundex code, the film is arranged alphabetically by the first letter of the head of household’s given name. Remember that given names are not soundexed; only the surname is associated with this special phonetic code. So, for the soundex code J525 (Johnson), we would find the following listing on the film:

      Albert Johnson
      Cecil Johnson
      Clarence Johnson
      Cuthbert Johnson
      David Johnson
      David A. Johnson
      David I. Johnson
      Edmond Johnson

POINTS OF INTEREST

There are two kinds of Soundex census cards: the family card and the individual card. The family cards are arranged by the names of the head of household. The individual cards may also give names of people other than the immediate family; for example, you may find listed grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles, servants, or boarders—anyone who may have been in the household when the census was taken. The Soundex system has also been used for indexing immigration and passenger lists from the National Archives and for some state series such as the Mississippi marriages.

I hope this article has been informative and worthwhile for you. But before we conclude, I’d recommend you try coding some sample surnames. Try the ones listed below. Answers will be given in the next newsletter. Compare your answers with your friends and have fun with Soundex!

      Hohenzollern         Dorroh
      Nitschke             Alcorn
      Pfister              De Graffenreid
      Grigsby              Vigneaux
      Gutierrez            Pusch
      Lloyd                Ng
References:

McDowell, Vera. Genealogical How-To Letters. Augusta, Georgia: Augusta Genealogical Society, 1992. (CLA 929.1072 M138 USA)

The 1920 Federal Population Census Catalog of National Archives Microfilm. Washington, D.C.: National Archives Trust Fund Board, 1991.

END


Originally published as:

Joseph P. Wolfe, "Soundex for Dummies,"
The CLF Newsletter XI (February 1997): 7-8.

All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

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