Daitch–Mokotoff Soundex

Daitch–Mokotoff Soundex (D–M Soundex) is a phonetic algorithm invented in 1985 by Jewish genealogists Gary Mokotoff and Randy Daitch. It is a refinement of the Russell and American Soundex algorithms designed to allow greater accuracy in matching of Slavic and Yiddish surnames with similar pronunciation but differences in spelling.

Daitch–Mokotoff Soundex is sometimes referred to as "Jewish Soundex" and "Eastern European Soundex", although the authors discourage use of these nicknames for the algorithm because the algorithm itself is independent of the fact the motivation for creating the new system was the poor results of predecessor systems when dealing with Slavic and Yiddish surnames.

Improvements

Improvements over the older Soundex algorithms include:

Examples

Some examples:

Surname American Soundex D–M Soundex
Peters P362 739400, 734000
Peterson P362 739460, 734600
Moskowitz M232 645740
Moskovitz M213 645740
Auerbach A612 097500, 097400
Uhrbach U612 097500, 097400
Jackson J250 154600, 454600, 145460, 445460
Jackson-Jackson J252 154664, 454664, 145466, 445466, 154646, 454646, 145464, 445464

Beider–Morse Phonetic Name Matching Algorithm

To address the large number of false positive results generated by the D–M Soundex, Stephen P. Morse and Alexander Beider created the Beider–Morse Phonetic Name Matching algorithm.[1] This new algorithm cuts down on false positives at the expense of some false negatives. A number of sites are offering the B–M soundex in addition to the D-M soundex.[2]

See also

Notes

  1. Beider–Morse Phonetic Matching: An Alternative to Soundex with Fewer False Hits - copy of Avotaynu: the International Review of Jewish Genealogy (Summer 2008)
  2. Nu? What's New? Volume 9, Number 22 Gary Mokotoff, Editor - The E-zine of Jewish Genealogy From Avotaynu

External links

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