Guild of One-Name Studies

The Guild of One-Name Studies is a charitable organisation dedicated to promoting the public understanding of one-name (surname) studies and the preservation and accessibility of the resultant information. Founded in 1979 in Britain, the Guild has members all over the world, and is widely recognised as a centre of excellence in one-name studies. A one-name study is a project researching facts about a surname and all the people who have held it, as opposed to a particular pedigree (the ancestors of one person) or descendancy (the descendants of one person or couple). The Guild brings together those with an interest in traditional documentary one-name studies and other forms of surname study such as DNA projects.

Be sure to take advantage of the free search available on the Guild's home page to see if the surnames you are searching are part of someone's one-name study.

The educational benefits of becoming a member of the Guild are exceptional even for those who do not start their own one-name study. Some of the benefits of joining the Guild of One-Name Studies include but are not limited to:


 * The Journal of One-Name Studies
 * Meetings
 * The Guild indexes
 * Discounted DNA kits
 * The Guild Forum

Members have the facility to create their own easy-to-use personal webpage, known as a profile page. Data can be stored in the Guild Archive. Members also benefit from a number of services provided by their fellow Guild members such as Marriage Challenges and Look-Ups. The Guild Wiki is a valuable source of information on genealogical research. Guild members also have exclusive access to the Guild Marriage Index which now has over half a million entries. A full description of all the member benefits can be found here

Contact information
For more specific information visit the Guild's Website.

The Guild's UK contact telephone number is 0800 011 2182. This is a freephone number, manned by the Guild’s Front Office Manager, and is available to all who wish to contact the Guild. Members of the Guild, especially those members who do not have online access to the Guild’s website, can also use it. Where the Front Office Manager is unable to answer a query, he or she will pass it on to the most appropriate Committee member or Guild postholder.

The Guild's North American telephone number (toll free) is 1-800-647 4100.

The Guild's freephone telephone number in Australia is 1-800-305-184.