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Soundex/Miracode
The Soundex and Miracode, alpha-numeric coding systems devised in 1935, were used to confirm people's ages for Social Security purposes when Social Security was first formed.
WPA workers were hired in the late 1930's and early 1940's to index the 1880, 1900, 1910, and 1920 censuses. According to "The Census Book" by William Dollarhide, some of the workers did not completely understand the Soundex coding system. One worker might code a name one way, and another worker would code the same name a different way. That makes it important to think about the different ways a name might sound, or be coded, and to be aware that mistakes were made. If your ancestor isn't on the Soundex, he still might be on the census.
The codes group names that have the same, or similar sounds, regardless of their spellings. The code uses only key letters, and disregards all vowels, and some other letters. For some help in coding your surname, use the rules below, and for more in-depth help, read "The Census Book" by William Dollarhide.
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Soundex Rules
Code Key Letters & Equivalents
1 b, p, f, v
2 c, s, k, g, j, q, x, z
3 d, t
4 l
5 m, n
6 r
(1) Do NOT code the letters:
a, e, i, o, u, y, w, and h.
(2) Every code MUST have 3 digits following the initial letter.
(3) Double letters and two letters together which are coded the same, and are not separated by a vowel are coded only once, such as Kelly = K 400, and Black = B 420.
(4) When there are no more letters to code, as in names with all vowels after the first letter, or a name that has only one code number, you add zeros. Lee = L 000, and Kuhne = K 500.
(5) If the first letter, and the second letter will code the same, do not code the second letter. Schwab = S 100, and Lloyd = L 300.
(6) Do NOT use more than three digits. So - for any name that has more than three letters after the beginning letter that can be coded, you will disregard any letters after you have three code numbers.(Ebelson = E 142 not E 1425)
EXAMPLES
Name
DuBois
Eberhard
Engebrethson
Herman
Kavanaugh
Lind, Van
Lukaschowsky
McGee
O'Brien
Scott
Waggoner
Zita
Zitzmeinn
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Lttrs Coded
b, s
b, r, r
n, g, b
r, m, n
v, n, g
n, d
k, s, s
c
b, r, n
t
g, n, r
t
t, z, m
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Code No.
D 120
E 166
E 521
H 655
K 152
L 530
L 222
M 200
O 165
S 300
W 256
Z 300
Z 325
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| And if you don't want to code your surname The Soundex Machine at the NARA web site will do it for you!
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To Code Your Surname
Print your last name on the following line:
___________________
______ ______ ______ ______
letter 3 numbers: 0 through 6.
For Example: To code the name Jones:
(1) Write Jones on the first line.
(2) Write J in the first blank.
(3) Ignore the second letter, the o, it's a vowel.
(4) Code the second letter n as a 5.
(5) Ignore the fourth letter, the e, it's a vowel.
(6) Code the last letter, the s as a 2.
(7) There are no more letters to code, so you will add a 0 as the last number.
(8) The Soundex code for Jones is J 520.
OTHER HELPS
(1) Such prefixes to surnames as "D", "DE", "DELLA", "DI", "DU", "LA", "LE", "VAN", or "VON" are sometimes disregarded in aplpahbetizing and in coding.
(2) Within a code group, heads of household are listed alphabetically by FIRST name.
(3) Also in 1880 and 1900, look for mixed codes on the film, usually indicated by a divider card.
(For example: 310 - 316 or 350 - 365)
Soundex applies to census for:
1920 --- all states.
1910 --- for 21 states, AL, AR, CA, FL, GA, Il, KS, KY, LA, MI, MS, MO NC, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV.
1900 --- all states.
1890 --- none.
1880 --- for all states but only for households with children 10 years old and under.
Soundex codes are also used as an indexing system for some other records.
Native American, Oriental, and Religious Nun's Names
Nuns in a religious order were coded as if "Sister" were their surname, so look for them under the code "S236." According to Mid-Continent Public Library's Soundex Code flyer, the Sister's are not usually listed in alphabetical order.
"The Census Book' indicates that Indian and Oriental names are sometimes coded as one word, with the first word coded, or sometimes the last word is coded.
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