Why You Should Be Using Wildcard Searches in Genealogy

Wildcard searches are one of the most powerful — and most underused — tools in genealogical research. They allow researchers to find records even when names are misspelled, abbreviated, or recorded inconsistently.

What Are Wildcard Searches

Wildcard searches use special characters to replace unknown or variable letters in a word.

• Help locate spelling variations of names
• Compensate for transcription errors
• Expand search results beyond exact matches
• Work in many genealogy databases and search engines

Using the Asterisk (*)

The asterisk replaces multiple letters within a word.

• Joh* → finds Johnson, Johnston, Johanson
• Cath* → finds Catherine, Catharine, Cathy
• Mac* → finds MacDonald, McDonald, Mack

Best used when:

• Name endings vary
• Prefixes differ (Mac/Mc)
• You want broader results

Using the Question Mark (?)

The question mark replaces a single letter.

• Sm?th → finds Smith and Smyth
• Jon?s → finds Jones and Jonas
• W?m → finds Wm (William abbreviation variations in some systems)

Best used when:

• Only one letter is uncertain
• Common spelling substitutions exist

Using Quotation Marks (” “) for Phrase Searches

Quotation marks force the search engine to look for an exact phrase.

• “John Smith” → finds that exact name together
• “New York” → avoids results with just New or York separately
• “William J Brown” → keeps full name intact

Best used when:

• Searching full names
• Looking for exact phrases in newspapers
• Reducing irrelevant results

Using Boolean OR Searches

The word OR allows you to search for multiple variations at once.

• Jakob OR James → finds both versions of the name
• Wm OR William → finds abbreviations and full name
• Schmidt OR Smith → captures anglicized name changes

Best used when:

• Names have known variations
• Immigrants used multiple versions of their name
• You want to combine search strategies

Combining Search Techniques

Wildcard, phrase, and OR searches can be used together.

• “Joh* Smith” → captures variations of first name with exact surname
• Jakob OR “James Schmidt” → mixes variations and phrases
• Sm?th AND Ohio → combines wildcard with location filtering (if supported)

Research Considerations

• Not all databases support the same symbols
• Some sites limit wildcard use or placement
• Test different combinations for best results
• Broader searches may return more irrelevant results