What is the possibility that two people with the same surname are related?

Answer 1

Not necessarily. If you have a very uncommon surname and you meet someone with the same surname, then it is reasonable, but not certain, to think that you may be related. If you have a more common name, like Smith, Jones, Johnson, Low, etc., in the absence of other information, being related to someone else with the same surname is much less likely and sometimes very unlikely.

Answer 2

Especially with common surnames like Smith, Jones, Cohen, Robertson, Wong, Nguyen, etc., it is almost certain that having the same surname is not an indication, in and of itself, that you are related. For example, the surname Smith was taken by people who were blacksmiths or copper smiths or silver smiths, etc. And every town had at least one blacksmith, not to mention the other metal working professions.

It is only with very uncommon names that you can begin to suspect that all those with that name may be related. Even then, you really have to confirm that presumption with other evidence.

Answer 3

The possibility that two people with the same surname are related varies depending on how common the surname is, whether the two people have similar ethnic heritage, and whether their immediate families are located near or far from each other. If a surname is uncommon, the chances that two people who carry it are related is greater than if the surname is common. There are many people named, for example, Smith, or Schwartz, who are not related. However, the chances that two people named, for example, Felgercarb, are related is a great deal higher. If two people with the same surname are from different ethnic groups, the chance of a relationship is smaller. If two people carry the same name and grew up in the same village, they are more likely to be related than if they grew up in a large city like Chicago. However, there is no certainty either way. The only way to be certain is to trace the ancestry of both people to see if they have an ancestor in common. If so, then they are related, wiht 100 percent certainty.