Uncommon
Ellis Island Special
Family names changed in U.S. immigration, often at Ellis Island
Ellis Island Special
An Ellis Island Special is a family name that is perceived or labeled, incorrectly, as having been anglicized or otherwise altered by immigration officials at the Ellis Island immigration station when a family reached the United States, typically from Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In popular lore, some family lore, and literary fiction, certain family names are thought to have been shortened by immigration officials for ease of pronunciation and/or record-keeping, or simply due to lack of understanding of the true name—even though the name changes were made by the immigrants themselves at other times. Immigration officials at Ellis Island did not write down the names of immigrants. Names were only written down on shipping manifests by officials in Europe or elsewhere. Before visas existed, there was no official identification of immigrants arriving at Ellis Island. Immigration officials at Ellis Island opened the shipping manifest to inspect the names of arriving immigrants...
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