1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«The main objectives of this study were to compare contemporary surnames with those of the founding ancestors in each paternal line and identify patronymic changes occurring over multiple generations.» (p. 27)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«Data for this study were obtained from a corpus of 5,100 ascending genealogies. The starting points of the genealogies (the subjects) were individuals who were married in one of the 17 Quebec regions […] between 1966 and 1985. […] The genealogies (300 for each region) were reconstructed using data from the BALSAC population register.» (p. 27)

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse de contenu
Réflexion critique

3. Résumé

«This study of intergenerational patronymic changes provides new insights into the relative frequency and nature of surname transformations in the Quebec population over a period of nearly four centuries. Although most of the original surnames remained intact during the whole period, many surnames have undergone important alterations. Regional comparisons show that surnames were more frequently transformed among the populations of the western regions of Quebec than among those from the eastern parts. […] The results also show that surname changes can occur several times in a single paternal line. Hence, simple comparisons of contemporary surnames with the original surnames may hide other intergenerational changes. […] In the Quebec population, the most significant changes occurred in the first generations following the original bearers of the surnames, which may be explained in part by the fact that literacy was not as common during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries compared to during the following centuries. In the case of non-French immigrants, integration with the dominant French-Canadian community also may have played a role in the francization of their surnames. Another factor which could explain the relative stabilization of surnames in the later generations is a directive issued by the Quebec authorities in 1870, stipulating that families should use only one single surname for administrative purposes.» (p. 33)