Soundex codes are used to group surnames by their pronunciation instead of their spelling.  This is useful since many surnames have changed spelling over the years but are still pronounced the same.

Since US Censuses are indexed using the Soundex code, finding a match with your ancestor is more likely, even if they spelled their name differently.  As a genealogist, is is imperative that you have the codes for all your important surnames handy.

Use the tool below to calculate your soundex code.  This tool uses CSS and JavaScript to calculate and display your soundex code.  If your browser does not support these technologies, you will not be able to use the Soundex Generator.