?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Adc&rft.title=Getting+the+most+from+a+surname+study%3A+semantics%2C+DNA+and+computer+modelling&rft.creator=Plant%2C+Dr+John+S&rft.creator=Plant%2C+Prof+Richard+E&rft.subject=Population+Biology&rft.subject=Statistical+Models&rft.subject=Computational+Linguistics&rft.subject=Semantics&rft.description=We+here+address+such+questions+as%3A+what+does+a+surname+mean%3B+is+it+single+origin%3B+and%2C+why+do+some+surnames+grow+abnormally+large%3F+Though+most+surnames+are+rare%2C+most+people+have+populous+surnames.+In+1881+for+example%2C+90%25+of+the+population+of+England+and+Wales+had+the+most+populous+4%25+of+surnames%3B+and%2C+in+1998%2C+80%25+had+the+1%25+most+populous.++In+this+paper%2C+we+consider+the+evidence+that+some+frequent+surnames+could+be+single+source%3B+this+would+imply+that+a+single+family+has+grown+abnormally+large.+For+some+populous+surnames%2C+they+have+a+geographical+distribution+that+might+be+thought+to+be+consistent+with+a+single+origin+though%2C+as+yet%2C+such+supposition+generally+lacks+support+from+adequate+DNA+evidence.+%0D%0AWith+the+onset+of+DNA+testing%2C+some+scientists+are+becoming+more+active+in+surname+studies+and+they+might+be+more+reluctant+than+some+traditionalists+to+infer+too+much+from+categories+of+surname+meaning.+Instead%2C+they+are+likely+to+maintain+that+statistical+analyses+of+the+data+should+be+properly+performed.+For+example%2C+King+and+Jobling+(2009)++considered+forty+English+surnames+and+found+no+statistically+significant+correlation+between+the+supposed+semantic+category+of+a+surname+and+its+degree+of+DNA+matching+into+single+male-line+families.+As+a+specific+example+that+we+here+describe+in+some+detail%2C+little+can+be+deduced+about+the+inter-relatedness+of+those+called+Plant+from+the+assumption+of+a+semantic+category%2C+such+as+by+arguing+that+it+is+locative+and+hence+single-origin%2C+or+occupational+and+hence+multi-origin.+By+comparison%2C+more+surely%2C+we+discuss+the+DNA+evidence+that+this+name%E2%80%99s+main+family+grew+unusually.+Though+motivated+initially+by+the+evidence+of+unusual+growth+for+Plant%2C+we+extend+our+deliberations+more+generally+to+other+surnames.%0D%0AGuided+by+the+empirical+evidence%2C+our+computer+simulations+identify+various+reasons+for+a+surname+family%E2%80%99s+prolific+growth.+In+particular%2C+chance+is+a+main+factor%2C+along+with+favourable+conditions+during+the+Industrial+Age+when+overall+population+growth+took+off%2C+evidently+earlier+in+some+regions+than+in+others.+Also%2C+the+modelling+suggests+that+some+additional+factor+such+as+polygyny+or+resilience+to+plague+or+favourable+economic+circumstance%2C+after+an+early+start+to+a+hereditary+surname%2C+is+beneficial+in+seeing+a+family+through+initial+precarious+times%2C+sustaining+its+survival+through+to+a+small+but+real+chance+of+subsequent+proliferation+in+favourable+Industrial+Age+conditions.%0D%0A&rft.date=2012-06-07&rft.type=Other&rft.type=PeerReviewed&rft.format=application%2Fpdf&rft.identifier=http%3A%2F%2Fcogprints.org%2F8267%2F1%2FGettingTheMost-Guild.pdf&rft.identifier=++Plant%2C+Dr+John+S+and+Plant%2C+Prof+Richard+E++(2012)+Getting+the+most+from+a+surname+study%3A+semantics%2C+DNA+and+computer+modelling.++++++&rft.relation=http%3A%2F%2Fcogprints.org%2F8267%2F