GeneaNet (Genealogical Database Network)

[Ferran]

http://www.geneanet.org

A brief historical ...

GeneaNet began in 1996 when 2 engineers, whose passion was genealogy, realized what most valuable tool the internet was in the field of genealogical searches.

Their idea is to share, within a same database, not the whole of their respective family trees, but, what genealogists call in their jargon, « flash lists».
A flash list is a small computer file, in text format, containing the list of surnames we are studying in our genealogy, associated with locations where lived our ancestors. Often, this file shows beginning and ending years during which we have information on each surname.

Resulys of a search ...

When comparing two flash lists, it is very easy to determine if they have common surnames and, in this case, to verify if those surnames are in the same location.
If chances are rare to find common data in two files, those chances are multiplied when hundreds, thousands, hundreds of thousands files are compared!
GeneaNet was born on this basic idea since the internet was going to permit exchange and comparison of flash lists from all over the world !

Therefore, a mere search in this « index of indexes » lets you know if a given surname, in a given location, between given years, is being studied by some genealogist (most often an amateur).

When you make a simple search from the home page of GeneaNet, it is this information that you get in the form of a table of results.

In the first column, are displayed logins of people who have the surname you are looking for in their flash list.

A mere click on each login will lead you to their « Contact page ». In most cases, you can contact this person by e-mail or regular postal mail and start corresponding which will let you know more on this surname and, in this case, complete your own genealogy and discover new « cousins ».

You too, particpate in GeneaNet !

You too, can participate enriching the GeneaNet database: by indexing your genealogy, translating the website, making GeneaNet known to your genealogical club, etc.

GeneaNet Today

In 2000, GeneaNet became a limited company in order to have more financial and personnel means, develop the database and offer more and more services to the genealogists.

Hence, many complementary services to the database have been added such as lodging your family tree (with GeneWeb), forums to help you using GeneaNet, creation of an online webshop.

In order to provide a reliable financial source to the GeneaNet project, the "Privilege Club" was created in 2001. This Club lets you have services exclusively for its members and show your interest in GeneaNet.

[Carnyx]

Geneanet has certainly a huge database, unfortunately I didn't find any of my ancestors in it. Plus if you find one of your ancestors in some flash lists, sometimes guys of the flash lists want money to let you access to public data... Business.

Did Geneanet help someone here?

[Theobald]

Originally Posted by M.Duchemin

Did Geneanet help someone here?

I will tell you this in one month or so, I have 58,500 results to check, in Alsace, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, South Africa,... (and even America/Australia ) .

Edit : One in Poland as well

[Carnyx]

I will tell you this in one month or so, I have 58,500 results to check, in Alsace, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, South Africa,... (and even America/Australia ) .

Edit : One in Poland as well

Well you've a large family. But how do you check exactly? Just by sending an email to the guy of the list and ask him?
I've just went up to my great grand father, that's all...

[Menydh]

This is depressing. All my surnames are being held hostages by the French!!!

Of my first patrilineal surname, I've found the following matches:
9 Morbihan
1 Essone
1 Loire Atlantique
Then, some of undertermined region, but city/area:
2 Plumelec
1 Guehenno
1 Billio
One more of undetermined region and city/area, but still hostage in France.

(That was for the 1st page out of 6. For the rest of pages... all in France. Damn it!)

Of my second patrilineal surname, the following matches:
7 Languedoc roussillion
3 Provence Cote d'Azur
1 Bretagne
1 Ille de France
3 Bourgogne
One more undetermined city/region, in France too.

(only 1 page)

Of my first matrilineal surname, the following matches:
2 Aquitaine
9 Pays de Loire
5 Poitou Charentes
3 Centre
8 Rhône Alpes
2 Ille de France
1 Provence Cote d'Azur
2 Languedoc Roussillon
Three more undetermined city/region, in France too.

(2 pages)

Of my second matrilineal surname, the following matches:
2 Provence Cote d'Azur
1 Lorraine
3 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
3 Caracas (Venezuela)
1 Ile de France
1 Nord Pas de Calais
Undetermined: 1 U.S.; 2 Venezuela; 4 France; 1 Italy; 1 Chile

(1 page out of 19... I don't want to know more! )

Note: of this last surname, the matches for the U.S. and Venezuela are actually a composed surname which only matches mine in on part. The ones for Brazil, Chile, Italy and one for France are also composed (only with the "de" suffix).

Free Occitania!
Free Breizh!
Free My Family!!!

[Carnyx]

Mynydd are you "désenchanté" (disillusioned) to share a common (and old) history with us Gabachos?

Mine is rare but I found it in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands too. Glups my ancestors were Huguenots.

[Menydh]

I knew about my surname on my father's side being of Breton origin, and on my mother's side of Occitan origin. The story is clear on one and obvious on the other. But I'm surprised at the hight incidence in the others.

[Ferran]

Mon Dieu... when searching about some genuine Spanish surnames (such as López, Fernández, Jiménez, García, Hernández, etc) I can say I almost found more results in France than in Spain , some were more proportional than others but quite surprising anyways... since I consider Luís Fernández as an exotic French, is't he?

Well, I think there is some explanation to that:

A FEW FIGURES

As of early May 2003, GeneaNet represents:
· 80 millions studied patronymics
· 250 millions individuals indexed
· 300 000 members across the world of which 65% are francophone.
It is also, each month, over 500 000 different visitors consulting more than 12 million pages on our website making GeneaNet the 1st European Internet web-site exclusively dedicated to genealogy.

Or reading between lines: "We need an Iberian invasion urgently!"

But hey, it was curious to see some friend's surnames (which I considered "agonizing" in Catalonia) to be related to Languedoc-Roussillon or Midi-Pyrenées.

[Nerthus]

Damn froggies Stealing everyone's names

[Carnyx]

80 millions studied patronymics and can't even find on of myt relatives! Unfair.

I notice it by myself by traveling in Spain and in southern France; a lot of catalan names could pass as occitan names and lot are common both in France and in Spain : Pujol f.e. (a typical Southern name and a spanish-catalan name).
Concerning López(es), Fernández(es), Jiménez, García, Hernández, etc... I suppose these names are more of spanish origin than occitan names. Althought I was fooled once by a name (Castella), I thought it was of spanish origin, but in fact it exists too in Occitan.

Non très chère, we don't steal names to everyone. La France est tout simplement à la croisée des chemins. It is why we can find germanic names in the North-East, celtic names in the west and common spaniard/french names in the south.

[Theobald]

Originally Posted by Aeternitas

Wow. Interesting. I found my father's name in Germany and France
My mother's name had instead more results in Germany and Austria. But also a lot in Alsace and Lorraine - so many Tscherman surnames in these regions, I wonder why
Few were also in the USA, but most results point towards Germany and France.

LOL. Alsatian sister
I was also surprised to see so many times my name in South Africa (it must be due to my protestant heretic ancestrors ). Perhaps I will be allowed to post at tNP now.

Originally Posted by Mynydd

Free My Family!!!

Now even genealogy is going to become political for Mynydd.

[Menydh]

Originally Posted by M.Duchemin

Althought I was fooled once by a name (Castella), I thought it was of spanish origin, but in fact it exists too in Occitan.

Castella? Doesn't sound like Occitan to me. Not with a double 'l'. I might be wrong though.

Originally Posted by Der Elsasser

Now even genealogy is going to become political for Mynydd.

Sí, sí. I soon will start a campaign to have my family freed from the yoke of France.

[Carnyx]

Originally Posted by Mynydd

Castella? Doesn't sound like Occitan to me. Not with a double 'l'. I might be wrong though.

You are maybe right, it was castela not castella.

Sí, sí. I soon will start a campaign to have my family freed from the yoke of France.
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You should first free your family from sarracens and cie, not from us.

[Gil]

Ehehe, I actually found no records of my last name, which is strange since it's rather common. Interesting, though can be extremely fallible since it's content is provided by anyone and as such is prone to be easily "misused".

Castille in Occitan is "Castela"? Funny, so it is in Portuguese. What about Leon?