Geneneral rules for parsing names:
  1. During and after a spreadsheet load, you will probably receive info messages, warning messages, and error messages.
  2. You'll want to check the FYI messages to see if we properly guessed how to handle an ambiguous name entry.
  3. Warnings are bolded because they indicate invalid data which most likely will require someone to fix data in the spreadsheet, but we try to guess how to handle those also.
  4. Errors will usually require a call to Project A to handle a catastrophic issue.
  5. The spreadsheet will usually load up even when there are info messages and warnings. If you wish to address an issue mentioned in an info or warning message, simply change the data in the spreadsheet and resubmit.
  6. If you are obsessive about getting a load with no FYIs or warnings, you can usually change the formatting of the name(s) in the spreadsheet, then resubmit. Read on for the rules we use for making assumptions.
  7. The preferred input format for a name is 'Lastname, Firstname Middle'. We do our best to parse names in other formats.
  8. Names with no comma are occasionally treated as a business. You will receive notice so you can fix if necessary.
  9. Multiple first names can be forced using a second comma (Smith, Mary Lou, Middle).
  10. We attempt to extract Honorifics (Mr, Mrs, Dr, etc) and Suffixes (Jr, Sr, etc) before parsing names. See below for Honorific and Suffix values that we automatically extract from names.
  11. You can force an Honorific by enclosing it in [braces]. This is useful when an honorific can also be used as a name (i.e. [Judge])
  12. Multiple honorifics work within [braces] when separated by a comma. (i.e. [BGen, MD])
  13. Honorifics we automatically recognize: "2Lt", "Adm", "Admr", "Abp", "Bgen", "Cadet", "Capt", "Chief", "Clerk", "Cmdr", "Col", "Cpl", "Cpt", "Dr", "Gen", "Father", "Hon", "Lgen", "Lieut", "Lt", "Ltcol", "Ltjg", "Maj", "Md", "Mgen", "Miss", "Mr", "Mrs", "Ms", "Msgr", "Pastor", "Pfc", "PhD", "Pvt", "Rabbi", "Rebbe", "Rev", "Sen", "Sgt", "Sister", "Ssgt", "Spec-4", "Sir", "Sheriff", "Sister", "Tsgt".
  14. Suffixes we automatically recognize: "Jr", "Sr", "II", "III", "IV" and sometimes "V".
  15. Where possible, unspecified baby names are standardized to "Boy", "Girl", "Infant" or "Twin". When a parent is mentioned we create a name search key for the parent also so that a search on either the baby name or the parent name returns the original birth record.
  16. We put a lot of effort into automatically creating 'Additional' or 'Other' search keys, which help people find records even if they don't know exact spelling or if all they have is a Nickname or Maiden Name. Read on for details.
  17. Anything within double-quotes (i.e. "Bill") is treated as an 'Other First Name', which is what we call a Nickname.
  18. We automatically generate 'Other First Names' for common nicknames, even when no nickname was specified in the original record. (i.e. 'Smith, James' results in additional search keys for 'Smith, Jim' and 'Smith, Jas' and 'Smith, Jms'.
  19. Anything within parenthesis is usually treated as an other First/Middle or Last Name, based on what it follows in the original record. For example "Smith (Smythe), Joseph William" results in OtherLastname "Smythe" because the parenthesis is immediately after the last name. "Smith, Joseph (Joe) William" results in OtherFirstName "Joe", and "Smith, Joseph William (Bill)" results in OtherMiddleName "Bill".
  20. When contents within parenthesis are all lower-case, we treat them as characters that are to be inserted in or appended to the name to produce an 'other' name. Example 'M(a)ctavish' results in primary name 'Mctavish' and 'other' name 'Mactavish'.
  21. Last names containing a hyphen or slash generate a name search key for the entire name AND each individual name. Example "Smith-Wesson, John" results in a key for "Smith, John", a key for "Wesson, John", and a key for "Smith-Wesson, John".
  22. Names separated by ampersand are treated as separate names. If your legal document involves 3 different people, put an ampersand between each.
  23. We automatically generate additional name search keys for all 'other' last, first and middle names. Example, "Smith (Smythe), John" results in one name key record for "Smith, John" and one for "Smythe, John". All automatically generatedkeys point to the original data record so that users can quickly find that record using any of the names associated with the person.
  24. For consistency in searches, all name search keys are formalized with only the first letter capitalized. Example, "McMillian, John deVoss" results in a search key of "Mcmillian, John Devoss". However, the original capitalization format is kept and displayed in the detail record of the transaction.
  25. We save search keys for LastName, FirstName, MiddleName, Honorific, Suffix, MaidenName, OtherLastNames, OtherFirstNames, and OtherMiddleNames, then build a standardized 'FullName' key of 'Lastname, Firstname Middle' that is then used to link the name to everywhere it is used within the system.
  26. We additionally generate SOUNDEX search keys to enable rudimentary "sounds like" searching.
Handcrafted in Southern Oregon by Project A