Uses of the Surname in Epidemiologic Research1

Cook, D. (School of Hygiene, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada), D. Hewitt and J. Milner. Uses of the surname in epidemiologic research. Am J Epidemiol 95: 38–45, 1972.—Vital records listing surname together with country of birth were studied in an attempt to define objective rules by means of which subjects in mortality and morbidity studies could be allocated to ethnic groups on the basis of their surnames. Useful samples of Italian-born and possibly also of Polish-born can be constituted in this way. Classification of surnames by subjective judgment is shown to be fairly reliable and potentially informative in the case of comparisons between Canadians of French and non-French origin. The frequency distribution of surnames in Ontario is such that a return of up to 50% in one component of the cost of follow-up studies may be achieved by excluding 7% of the population with the commonest surnames.