Fun Websites

Sometimes when I'm writing I need to take a break. Sometimes I'll walk in my garden and photograph my flowers, but often I play around on the internet. Playing around isn't the right set of words. Although it looks like I'm fooling around instead of writing, I'm actually working. I am! While I'm looking on the net, my brain is working out the next sentence, paragraph and reviewing what I have already written. Sometimes I get ideas for articles. See I'm really working when you think I'm wasting time. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Anyway, I thought I would share some of the fun websites I have found.

http://howmanyofme.com/
You can find out how many people according to the census records in the US have your name. Has a search box for your first and/or last name. I found out that there are 3,033 people with the first name of Genie & 664,144 with the last name of Walker, but only 7 people with the name Genie Walker.

http://www.datesinhistory.com/
You go to your birth month and click on the date of your birth. A list by year appears of some of the more memorable happenings on your birthday. The year I was born is empty, perhaps in a few years it will read: Genie Walker, author was born. Some of the more memorable happenings on my birthday (February 8th): 1587 Mary, Queen of Scots looses her head; 1926 Walt Disney Studios is formed; and in 1965 the Supremes release "Stop In the Name of Love."

http://www.searchforancestors.com/surnames/origin/
This is a free dictionary of 70,000+ surnames origins and last name meanings. First you choose the first letter of the last name you are looking up, and then scroll down the list to find the name. Once you click on your surname you should get a brief description from the source (or at least all the names I looked up were from this source) : An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names with an Essay on their Derivation and Import; Arthur, William, M.A.; New York, NY: Sheldon, Blake, Bleeker & CO., 1857.