✦✦✦✦✦Sample review
We gave each other this for our first anniversary. Seeing where both our names are found on one map was a lovely surprise.
For couples · Two surnames, one story
The Couple's Surname Map
The history of two surnames that met, drawn on a map of America in the style of the past.
- ✦Two investigations in one piece: one surname each
- ✦The origins, geography and routes of both families
- ✦Dated, signed and stamped by hand by our team
- Printed on archival, parchment-style paper
- Ships rolled in a sturdy tube, ready to frame
Black Friday
Ends in
Order 4, Get 2 Free
For every 4 items in your cart, the 2 lowest-priced are free. Order 8 items and 4 are free.
Couples to investigate
One map per couple. The more you order, the more you save.
How many maps?
1
The last couple has text in it. Tap “−” again to remove it.
1 map: full price · 2 maps: 15% off · 3 or more: 20% off
Choose your format
ADD MORE AND SAVE | FOR EVERY 4 ITEMS, THE 2 LOWEST-PRICED ARE FREE
Every item you add counts toward the Black Friday 2+2
Total
Secure Checkout
30-Day Guarantee
Arrives in 5 business days
The map of your two surnames in the size you choose, printed on archival, parchment-style paper, then dated, signed and stamped by hand by our team. It ships rolled in a sturdy tube with a certificate of authenticity. The digital file arrives by email in high resolution, ready to print.
Both surnames: the origin, meaning and American geography of each name, its home and its route to America, all researched from verified archival sources. One map that keeps two stories side by side, each one told in full.
Printed maps ship in 5 business days, with tracking. Shipping is $14, and free on US orders over $79. The digital file arrives by email. Every piece comes with our 30-Day Guarantee.
Inside the map
Two surnames, one map
Here's what we research for both families, where their stories meet.
-
I. Two title banners
Your two surnames side by side on the banners that name the map.
-
II. Two origins
Where each name comes from, what it means and how far apart the two homes were.
-
III. Where both names are found
Every state shaded where both families lived: the places where your stories could meet.
-
IV. Famous names on both sides
The notable people who carried each surname, side by side.
-
V. Two homes
The American home of each name, marked on the map.
-
VI. Two routes
Two small maps of the countries your names came from, and the way each one reached America.
I. Two title banners
Your two surnames side by side on the banners that name the map.
II. Two origins
Where each name comes from, what it means and how far apart the two homes were.
III. Where both names are found
Every state shaded where both families lived: the places where your stories could meet.
IV. Famous names on both sides
The notable people who carried each surname, side by side.
V. Two homes
The American home of each name, marked on the map.
VI. Two routes
Two small maps of the countries your names came from, and the way each one reached America.
All of this, researched for the two names you carry.
Made for your names
Two stories that become one
Every Couple's Surname Map brings two separate investigations together in one piece.
| Hoffman Sample investigation | O'Brien Sample investigation | |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | German: Hof and Mann, the man who ran a farm or served at a court | Irish: Ó Briain, “descendant of Brian,” after Brian Boru, High King of Ireland |
| By the numbers | About 125,000 people in the 2020 US Census, the 245th most common US surname | Almost 116,000 people in the 2020 US Census, the 261st most common US surname |
| Where it began | Central Germany | County Clare, in the west of Ireland |
| Home in America | Pennsylvania | [from the state table] |
| A famous name | E. T. A. Hoffmann, author of the tale behind The Nutcracker | [verified famous bearer] |
| The crossing | From Bremen and Hamburg to New York and Baltimore, 1840-1890 | From Irish ports to Boston and New York, during and after the Great Famine |
Hoffman
Sample investigation
O'Brien
Sample investigation
Origin
Hoffman
German: Hof and Mann, the man who ran a farm or served at a court
O'Brien
Irish: Ó Briain, “descendant of Brian,” after Brian Boru, High King of Ireland
By the numbers
Hoffman
About 125,000 people in the 2020 US Census, the 245th most common US surname
O'Brien
Almost 116,000 people in the 2020 US Census, the 261st most common US surname
Where it began
Hoffman
Central Germany
O'Brien
County Clare, in the west of Ireland
Home in America
Hoffman
Pennsylvania
O'Brien
[from the state table]
A famous name
Hoffman
E. T. A. Hoffmann, author of the tale behind The Nutcracker
O'Brien
[verified famous bearer]
The crossing
Hoffman
From Bremen and Hamburg to New York and Baltimore, 1840-1890
O'Brien
From Irish ports to Boston and New York, during and after the Great Famine
Two investigations, one map. No two couples are alike.
Two investigations, one map
Our method
Five fields of research, one investigation
Every investigation follows the same method: different kinds of expertise, real archival sources.
01 Name origins
Where your name comes from and what it means.
02 Surname geography
Where a name is found points to where it began.
03 Old records and handwriting
Reading centuries-old documents and telling the real ones from the rest.
04 Heraldry
Coats of arms and titles, checked in the records. We tell you the answer either way.
05 Migration history
The path your name traveled, from its first home to the ships that carried it.
01 Name origins
Where your name comes from and what it means.
02 Surname geography
Where a name is found points to where it began.
03 Old records and handwriting
Reading centuries-old documents and telling the real ones from the rest.
04 Heraldry
Coats of arms and titles, checked in the records. We tell you the answer either way.
05 Migration history
The path your name traveled, from its first home to the ships that carried it.
Facts, theories, legends. Never mixed.
Every story we tell keeps three things apart: what the records prove, what the evidence suggests, and what families have passed down. That line is what makes our work reliable. When something can't be proven, we say so.
Our print shop
Your map is made here
Every piece is printed in the USA on archival paper with fade-resistant inks. [PRINT SHOP DETAILS] Our maps and case files aren't run off at a copy center. They're printed with care, one name at a time, because these pieces aren't made to be looked at once. They're made to be kept.
Before it ships, every map is checked, dated, signed and stamped by hand, then rolled into our tube with a certificate of authenticity.
More investigations
Complete your family's story
Each investigation lights up a different side of where you come from.
The Surname Map
Your surname across America, drawn as an old-world map: where it is found, where it is most at home and the route from the country it came from. A collector's piece, dated and signed by hand.
From $54
Create Your Map
The Surname Case File
A full investigation into your surname, numbered and filed like a real case: where the name comes from, how it traveled, what the heraldry records say and the leads still open. Facts, theories and legends, always kept apart.
From $35
Order Your Case File
Questions
Before you open your case
We open two separate investigations, one for each surname, and bring them together in a single map: two origins, two geographies, two stories meeting on the same page. All we need is the two surnames. If you like, add your first names for the title banner. Printed maps arrive in 5 business days, with tracking; the digital file arrives by email.
A rare name is easier to trace; a common one has more stories to tell. Either way, we tell you what the records show and where they stop, for both names.
We research the surnames: their origins, geography and history. Your own family lines take records about your relatives, and the map and the case file show you where to find them.
Free sites give you a generic meaning, often copied from site to site. We research both surnames from scratch, from real records, and we tell you when something is a theory or a legend.
Yes. It's made for weddings, anniversaries and engagements. Add a gift note at checkout, and we can ship directly to the couple you're celebrating. Printed maps arrive in 5 business days, so we suggest ordering a little ahead of the day.
The 13 × 19 in print fits a desk or a shelf. The 20 × 28 in print is the classic wall size. The 28 × 39 in print is the large collector's size, made to be the centerpiece of a room. The digital file is the same map, sent by email for you to print.
We'll tell you exactly what the heraldry records say about each surname, whether the answer is yes or no. A coat of arms belongs to a specific family line, not to everyone with the same surname, so we never attach one without proof. Most families' history is found somewhere else: in the records of the lives they actually lived.
Every piece comes with our 30-Day Guarantee. [GUARANTEE TERMS]