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With soundex, the "sound" of names -- the phonetic sound -- is coded. This is of great help to the researcher since it avoids most problems of misspellings or alternate spellings. For example: 'Scherman', 'Schurman', 'Sherman', 'Shireman', 'Shurman' and 'Szerman' are all indexed together as NARA Soundex code "S655". This page will explain how and why.

For additional information on Daitch-Mokotoff Soundex, see the article "Soundexing and Genealogy" by Gary Mokotoff.

1. Can I look up a Soundex Code easily?
2. What is the Russell (NARA) Soundex Coding?
   1. What are the rules by which a Russell Soundex Coding is done?
   2. Some examples of Russell Coding
3. What is the Daitch-Mokotoff (D-M) Soundex Coding?
   1. What are the rules by which a D-M coding is done?
   2. Chart for doing D-M Soundex Coding
   3. Some examples of D-M Soundex Coding
4. How are Soundex-coded names ordered?

1. Can I look up a Soundex Code easily?

You can look up a particular Soundex Code for a name by using the JewishGen Soundex Calculator at http://www.jewishgen.org/jos.

The JewishGen Soundex Calculator will give you both the Russell (NARA) Soundex Coding and the Daitch-Mokotoff Soundex Coding.

You can then use the Soundex code wherever it is asked for. However, this is rarely needed anymore, because all JewishGen search engines automatically do Daitch-Mokotoff Soundex matching.

2. What is the Russell (NARA) Soundex Coding?

This soundex system is used by the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

In the 1930s, the Work Projects Administration (WPA) created indexes for the 1880 (partial), 1900, 1910 (partial), 1920, and 1930 (partial) U.S. Federal censuses. Other major indexes have also used this system, such as the INS' passenger arrival indexes.

2.1. What are the rules by which a Russell Soundex Coding is done?

The Rules

1. Coding consists of a letter followed by three numerals. Examples: L123, C472, S160.
2. The first letter of a surname is not coded, it is retained - that is, it is not converted into a number, it is kept as a letter. Hence L123, C472, S160.
3. A, E, I, O, U, Y, W, and H are not coded.
4. Double letters are coded as one letter (as in Lloyd).
5. Prefixes to surnames like "van", "Von", "Di", "de", "le", "D", "dela" or "du" are sometimes disregarded in coding.
6. Code the following letters to three digits, using 0 at the end if needed.

Letter	Code
B P F V	1
C S K G J Q X Z	2
D T	3
L	4
M N	5
R	6

2.2 Some examples of Russell Coding?

Let's try this on the surname SHERMAN.

S	H	E	R	M	A	N
S (is retained)	Not Coded	Not Coded	6	5	Not Coded	5
S			6	5		5

The explanation of the above example:

S is retained as a letter, H is not coded, E is not coded, R=6, M=5, A is not coded, N=5.

Therefore the NARA Soundex Code for the surname "SHERMAN" is S655.

Now let's try it on the surname WASSERMANN:

W	A	S	S	E	R	M	A	N	N
Retained	Not Coded	2	Not Coded	Not Coded	6	5	Not Coded	Not Coded	Not Coded
W		2			6	5

In this example the letters A and E are ignored altogether. The second S is not coded as it is a double letter, as explained above. The final letters are Not Coded, as only three numerals are allowed in a NARA Soundex Code.

Thus Wasserm would have the same code as Wassermann.

For additional Russell soundex information see The Source, A Guidebook of American Genealogy, by Arlene Eackle and Johni Cerny.

3. What is the Daitch-Mokotoff (D-M) Soundex Coding?

The Daitch-Mokotoff Soundex System was created by Randy Daitch and Gary Mokotoff of the Jewish Genealogical Society because they concluded the system developed by Robert Russell in 1918, and in use today by the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) does not apply well to many Slavic and Yiddish surnames.

It also some includes refinements that are independent of ethnic considerations.

3.1. What are the rules for Daitch-Mokotoff soundex coding?

The rules for converting surnames into Daitch-Mokotoff Soundex Code numbers are listed below.

1. Names are coded to six digits, each digit representing a sound listed in the coding chart (below).

2. When a name lacks enough coded sounds for six digits, use zeros to fill to six digits. 'GOLDEN', which has only four coded sounds [G-L-D-N], is coded as 583600.

3. The letters A, E, I, O, U, J, and Y are always coded at the beginning of a name, as in 'ALPERT' 087930. In any other situation, they are ignored, except when two of them form a pair and the pair comes before a vowel, as in 'BREUER' 791900 but not 'FREUD'.

4. The letter H is coded at the beginning of a name as in 'HABER' 579000 or preceding a vowel as in 'MANHEIM' 665600, otherwise it is not coded (see 'OHRBACH').

5. When adjacent sounds can combine to form a larger sound, they are given the code number of the larger sound. 'MINTZ' which is not coded MIN-T-Z but MIN-TZ 664000.

6. When adjacent letters have the same code number, they are coded as one sound, as in 'TOPF', which is not coded TO-P-F 377000 but TO-PF 370000.

   Exceptions to this rule are the letter combinations MN and NM whose letters are coded separately, as in 'KLEINMAN', which is coded 586660 not 586600.

7. When a surname consists or more than one word, it is coded as if one word, such as 'BEN ARON' which is treated as 'BENARON'.

8. Several letter and letter combinations pose the problem that they may sound in one of two ways. The letter and letter combinations CH, CK, C, J, and RS are assigned two possible code numbers.

3.2. Chart for doing Daitch-Mokotoff Soundex Coding

Letter	Alternate Spelling	Start of a name	Before a vowel	Any other situation
NC = not coded
AI	AJ, AY	0	1	NC
AU		0	7	NC
Ą	(Polish a-ogonek)	NC	NC	6 or NC
A		0	NC	NC
B		7	7	7
CHS		5	54	54
CH	Try KH (5) and TCH (4)
CK	Try K (5) and TSK (45)
CZ	CS, CSZ, CZS	4	4	4
C	Try K (5) and TZ (4)
DRZ	DRS	4	4	4
DS	DSH, DSZ	4	4	4
DZ	DZH, DZS	4	4	4
D	DT	3	3	3
EI	EJ, EY	0	1	NC
EU		1	1	NC
Ę	(Polish e-ogonek)	NC	NC	6 or NC
E		0	NC	NC
FB		7	7	7
F		7	7	7
G		5	5	5
H		5	5	NC
IA	IE, IO, IU	1	NC	NC
I		0	NC	NC
J	Try Y (1) and DZH (4)
KS		5	54	54
KH		5	5	5
K		5	5	5
L		8	8	8
MN			66	66
M		6	6	6
NM			66	66
N		6	6	6
OI	OJ, OY	0	1	NC
O		0	NC	NC
P	PF, PH	7	7	7
Q		5	5	5
RZ, RS	Try RTZ (94) and ZH (4)
R		9	9	9
SCHTSCH	SCHTSH, SCHTCH	2	4	4
SCH		4	4	4
SHTCH	SHCH, SHTSH	2	4	4
SHT	SCHT, SCHD	2	43	43
SH		4	4	4
STCH	STSCH, SC	2	4	4
STRZ	STRS, STSH	2	4	4
ST		2	43	43
SZCZ	SZCS	2	4	4
SZT	SHD, SZD, SD	2	43	43
SZ		4	4	4
S		4	4	4
TCH	TTCH, TTSCH	4	4	4
TH		3	3	3
TRZ	TRS	4	4	4
TSCH	TSH	4	4	4
TS	TTS, TTSZ, TC	4	4	4
TZ	TTZ, TZS, TSZ	4	4	4
Ţ	(Romanian t-cedilla)	3 or 4	3 or 4	3 or 4
T		3	3	3
UI	UJ, UY	0	1	NC
U	UE	0	NC	NC
V		7	7	7
W		7	7	7
X		5	54	54
Y		1	NC	NC
ZDZ	ZDZH, ZHDZH	2	4	4
ZD	ZHD	2	43	43
ZH	ZS, ZSCH, ZSH	4	4	4
Z		4	4	4
Letter	Alternate Spelling	Start of a name	Before a vowel	Any other situation

3.3. Some examples of D-M Soundex Coding

Auerbach	Ohrbach	Lipshitz	Lippszyc
Lewinsky	Levinski	Szlamawicz	Shlamovitz

AUERBACH = 097500 A UE R B A CH   0 NC 9 7 NC 5 Pad 0   9 7   5 00	OHRBACH = 097500 O H R B A CH   0 NC 9 7 NC 5 Pad 0   9 7   5 00
LIPSHITZ = 874400 L I P SH I TZ   8 NC 7 4 NC 4 Pad 8   7 4   4 00	LIPPSZYC = 874400 L I P P SZ Y C   8 NC 7 NC 4 NC 4 Pad 8   7   4   4 00
LEWINSKY = 876450 L E W I N S K Y   8 NC 7 NC 6 4 5 NC Pad 8   7   6 4 5   0	LEVINSKI = 876450 L E V I N S K I   8 NC 7 NC 6 4 5 NC Pad 8   7   6 4 5   0
SZLAMAWICZ = 486740 SZ L A M A W I CZ   4 8 NC 6 NC 7 NC 4 Pad 4 8   6   7   4 0	SHLAMOVITZ = 486740 SH L A M O V I TZ   4 8 NC 6 NC 7 NC 4 Pad 4 8   6   7   4 0

4. How are Soundex-coded names ordered?

Names listed in Soundex order are not arranged alphabetically, but are listed in Soundex numberic order instead. If several surnames have the same Soundex code, they are all 'interfiled' under their common Soundex code, and the items are arranged thereunder alphabetically by given name.

For example:

• S655 Sherman, Arthur
• S655 Scherman, Betsy
• S655 Shurman, Charles
• S655 Szerman, David
• S655 Shireman, Ester

Note that names are ordered by first name, not surname, within the Soundex code.

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Authors: Warren Blatt, Michael Tobias, Carol Skydell, Iris Folkson, Susan King, Tony Zendle, Gary Sandler.
Version 3.00   Last Updated: August 29, 2024   GS