Since the recent opening of the American Family Immigration History Center at Ellis Island, a popular myth has come again to the forefront of topics related to Ellis Island. This myth, that immigrants’ names were changed when they entered Ellis Island, needs to be dispelled. While immigrants’ surnames changed over time as they began assimilation into a new country, names were rarely changed at Ellis Island.

This popular myth ignores the way documents were created and carefully scrutinized throughout the immigration process. For admittance into the United States, an immigrant had to have proof of identity. This form was filled out in the homeland by a local clerk who used the native language. Name spellings on these documents would logically conform to local spellings. Next, when an immigrant purchased a ticket for passage, exit visas and other paperwork had to be examined by ticket agents before a ticket could be issued. The surname would have been accurately recorded at that time as well.

Similarly, a ship’s passenger list was prepared by the ship’s captain or his representatives before the ship left port. The list was created from the traveler’s documents. The ship’s captain or designated representative would examine each passenger’s paperwork. Immigrants would not be accepted into Ellis Island without proper documentation and, if the paperwork was incomplete, the passengers would be sent back home at the shipping company’s expense. The ship’s owners went to great lengths to ensure the accuracy of the paperwork, including names, places of birth, and travel plans.

The myth of name changes also revolves around the concept that the immigrant was unable to communicate properly with the English-speaking officials at Ellis Island. However, this assumption ignores the fact that officials at Ellis Island employed hundreds of translators who could speak, read, and write the immigrants’ native tongues. Interpreters spoke Yiddish, Russian, Lithuanian, and all of the European languages. They were usually earlier immigrants or children of immigrants.

When the ship arrived at Ellis Island, the captain or his representative would disembark first with the passenger list. Ellis Island officials would then bring in the interpreters to handle the interrogations. The processing time was one to three days. During this time, each immigrant was questioned about his or her identity, and all of the necessary documentation was examined in detail.

Of course, there were a few exceptions to the formality of documentation at Ellis Island, and names may have been changed at these times. Occasionally, war refugees were admitted into the United States without much documentation, especially in 1945 and 1946. A few other immigrants succeeded in falsifying their documents in order to gain admittance when they could not have been admitted under their true identities. Or, a child may have been admitted under the surname of a stepfather when the name of the natural father would have been more appropriate. In general, though, names remained the same throughout the Ellis Island experience.

Once the immigrants settled into their new homes, however, anything could have happened. Millions of immigrants had their names changed voluntarily by clerks or schoolteachers who couldn’t pronounce or spell the foreign-sounding names. Some immigrants changed their names in order to obtain employment. Others found it easier to assimilate into American culture if they had American-sounding names, so they accepted the names their neighbors or schoolteachers used.

Return to the Ancestry Magazine July/August 2001 Table of Contents.