Daitch-Mokotoff Guide

Home
CJHS Internet Links
Search CJHS
CJHS Oral Histories
Upcoming CJHS Events
About CJHS
CJHS Bookstore
CJHS Volunteering
CJHS Genealogy
CJHS Archive Inventory
CJHS Library
CJHS Cemetery Project
Send A Comment

A GUIDE TO THE DAITCH-MOKOTOFF SOUNDEX SYSTEM

DAITCH-MOKOTOFF SOUNDEX SYSTEM WAS CREATED BY RANDY DAITCH AND GARY MOKOTOFF OF THE JEWISH GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY BECAUSE THEY CONCLUDED THE SYSTEM DEVELOPED BY ROBERT RUSSELL IN 1918, AND IN USE TODAY BY THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT, DOES NOT APPLY WELL TO MANY SLAVIC AND YIDDISH SURNAMES. IT ALSO, INCLUDES REFINEMENTS THAT ARE INDEPENDENT OF ETHNIC CONSIDERATIONS. THE RULES FOR CONVERTING SURNAMES INTO D-M CODE NUMBERS ARE LISTED BELOW. THEY ARE FOLLOWED BY THE CODING CHART. TURN TO THE CHART BRIEFLY TO FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF WITH THE CONCEPT AND THEN RETURN TO THE SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS ON THIS PAGE.

1. NAMES ARE CODED 1N SIX DIGITS, EACH DIGIT REPRESENTING A SOUND LISTED IN THE CODING CHART BELOW.
2. WHEN A NAME LACKS ENOUGH CODED SOUNDS TO FILL THE SIX DIGITS, THE REMAINING DIGITS ARE CODED 'O' AS IN GOLDEN (583600) WHICH HAS ONLY FOUR CODED SOUNDS (G-L-D-N).
3. THE LEITERS A, E, I, O, U, J AND Y ARE ALWAYS CODED AT THE BEGINNING OF A NAME, AS IN ALPERT (087930). IN ANY OTHER SITUATION, THEY ARE IGNORED EXCEPT WHEN TWO OF THEM FORM A PAIR AND THE PAIR COMES BEFORE A VOWEL. AS IN BREUER (791900), BUT NOT FREUD. THE LEITER "H" IS CODED AT THE BEGINNING OF A NAME, AS IN HABER (579000) OR PRECEDING A VOWEL AS IN MANHEIM (665600), OR OTHERWISE IT IS NOT CODED.
4. WHEN ADJACENT SOUNDS CAN COMBINE TO FORM A LARGER SOUND, THEY ARE GIVEN THE CODE NUMBER OF THE LARGER SOUND, AS IN MINTZ, WHICH 1S NOT CODED MIN-T-Z (663400) BUT MIN-TZ(664000),
5. WHEN ADJACENT LEITERS HAVE THE SAME CODE NUMBER, THEY ARE CODED AS ONE SOUND, AS IN TOPF, WHICH IS NOT CODED TO-P-F (377000) BUT TO-PF (370000). EXCEPTIONS TO THIS RULE ARE THE LETTER COMBINATIONS "MN" AND "NM" WHOSE LETTERS ARE CODED SEPARATELY, AS IN KLEINMAN WHICH IS CODED 586660 NOT 586600.
6. WHEN A SURNAME CONSISTS OF MORE THAN ONE WORD, 1T IS CODED AS IF ONE WORD, SUCH AS BEN ARON WHICH IS TREATED AS BENARON.
7. SEVERAL LETTERS AND LETTER COMBINATIONS POSE THE PROBLEM THAT THEY MAY SOUND IN ONE OF TWO WAYS. THE LETTER AND LETTER COMBINATIONS CH, CK, C, J AND RZ (SEE CHART BELOW) ARE ASSIGNED TWO POSSIBLE CODE NUMBERS. BE SURE TO TRY BOTH POSSIBILITIES.

 

EXAMPLES:

SZ L A M A V I TZ (486740) SH L A M O W I CZ (486740)

A VE R B A CH (097500) O H R B A CH (097500)

L I P SH I TZ (874400) LIPP SZ Y C (874400)

DAITCH-MOKOTOR: SOUNDEX CODING CHART