Ellis Island Name Butchering

[Cowutopia]

Something TypeRyan said in the 4th of July thread peaked my curiosity.

How many people on TNL have/had family that immigrated through Ellis Island? Did your family name get changed upon arrival in this country, and if so, how?

My dad's family's last name was Waldman but upon immigration through Ellis Island it became Woldman.

[MechDeus]

Grandfather's last name is Balester changed from Balestrero. Not that people say it right anyway (it's Bal.es.ter but most people say Ba.les.ter, though that makes it easy to weed out telemarketers).

[Hubbitron]

The telemarketers are fucking awesome when they ask for my mother. "Can I speak to Mr. Dial-extree Hewbert?"

Those dumb whores.

[Anthony]

Grandfather's last name is Balester changed from Balestrero. Not that people say it right anyway (it's Bal.es.ter but most people say Ba.les.ter, though that makes it easy to weed out telemarketers).

Sounds like a combination of balls and molester

[MechDeus]

That's how I'm normally described but the name is said Bal, not Ball.

[sleeve]

My family on my father's side came to North America from Poland through Niagara Falls, eventually settling in Montreal and then Buffalo. No one knows exactly what our last name was originally; Manchovski or Manchevski seems most likely. It was shortened to Manch.

Today, my entire family line on my father's side is a mystery. The name change is part of the reason. But the Nazis probably erased whatever familial traces I had left in the "old country," anyway.

[Doc Holliday]

Holliday is English. It's good to be English.

[Drewbacca]

My last name never changed. My mother's heritage is O' Carroll, which were Irish royalty back in the day. My dad's side were horse breeders and warriors.

[Razor Ramon]

My family was already here before America was "discovered." Damn you, white man, for raping my land.

[Doc Holliday]

Ba! If we wouldn't have fucked you the Aztecs were going to.