Ellis Island » MYTH: Our Name Was Changed at Ellis Island

An Ellis Island name change myth bibliography New!

Compiled by Jennifer Mendelsohn

Did Ellis Island Officials Really Change the Names of Immigrants?

From Smithsonian Magazine

Genealogical Musings: The "Our Name Was Changed at Ellis Island" Myth

Genealogy.com - They Changed Our Name at Ellis Island

Article by Donna Przecha.

GovDocs to the Rescue! Debunking an Immigration Myth

ILW.com -American Names: Declaring Independence

Article by Marian L. Smith.

Immigration Daily - American Names: Declaring Independence

by Marian L. Smith

Legacy News - Was Great Grandpa's Name Changed at Ellis Island?

MyHeritage Blog - Ellis Island: Was your name changed?

No Names Were Changed at Ellis Island: Debunking a Persistent Myth (RootsTech)

by Jennifer Mendelsohn

No, Your Ancestors' Names Were Not Changed at Ellis Island, Part 1 - Hollander-Waas Jewish Heritage Services

No, Your Ancestors' Names Were Not Changed at Ellis Island, Part 2 - Hollander-Waas Jewish Heritage Services

Sassy Jane Genealogy - Inspectors Did Not Change Names at Ellis Island

The Ellis Island Myth - Genealogy and Family History - D. Joshua Taylor

A concise explanation of the "my name was changed at Ellis Island" myth.

The Myth of Ellis Island and Other Tales of Origin

By Dara Horn, on the Jewish tradition of changing names and inventing roots.

They Changed Our Name at Ellis Island

Why Your Family Name Was Not Changed at Ellis Island (and One That Was)

By Philip Sutton, Milstein Division of U.S. History, Local History & Genealogy, Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, New York Public Library.

Your family name did not come from a mistake at Ellis Island

Brief podcast explaining why names were not changed at Ellis Island despite the popular and enduring myth.