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When did people with your last name come to the United States? Did they fight for the North or the South? What was their life expectancy compared to the rest of the nation? What did they do for a living? What does your last name actually mean? These and other interesting questions are answered for over 200,000 different last names in a new on-demand published book offering from Ancestry.com, the world's largest online family history resource. These books titled, Our Name in History, chronologically trace a particular last name, telling its unique story through interesting fast facts placed within a historical context. A convergence of content and technology, these customized books leverage Ancestry.com's unrivaled database of historical records to create a unique print-on-demand volume that follows the footprints of a family name across generations.

Our Name in History provides interesting information on a selected last name such as origin, definition, popularity and other relevant historical facts. Ancestry.com researchers pored through more than 5 billion names including the U.S. Census, immigration, birth, marriage, death and military records to fill the pages of this unique book that highlights the various details of a family name.

"From our exclusive digital U.S. Federal Census collection, 1790-1930, to our newly revamped website, Ancestry.com is dedicated to finding new, innovative and exciting ways help families make more meaningful connections," said Tim Sullivan, CEO, MyFamily.com, Inc., parent company of Ancestry.com. Our Name in History is a timeless, priceless gift that can bring families closer together by capturing the essence of the family name and detailing its significance through history."

Each Our Name in History book, approximately 90 pages and 8 x 8 inches in size, offers a wealth of fascinating tidbits, trends and trivia such as:

  *  Historical Timeline - Points of interest about the last name over the
     past two centuries in context of major events in history

  *  Family Facts - A variety of immigration, military and historical
     information about the name such as its origin, meaning, popularity,
     life expectancy rates, Civil War statistics, occupations, household
     distributions, etc.

  *  Historical Visuals - A customized selection of photos, maps, charts,
     graphs, etc. showcasing the stories and facts about your family name

  *  Discover Your Family - How-to tips on getting started with your own
     personal family history by building your unique family stories and an
     introductory version of Family Tree Maker, the No.1 selling software
     product for searching and sharing your family history

"Our Name in History books leverage innovative database-driven production digital printers and technology," said Jim Hamilton, Director of InfoTrends' On Demand Printing & Publishing consulting service. "This advanced process enables Ancestry.com to create a unique reading experience that could only be provided by on-demand methods."

In the process of culling name-relevant information, Ancestry.com has revealed some fascinating facts about last names in history. For instance, based on U.S. Census records between 1840 and 1920, Carlson was the fastest growing last name. In 1920, DeeBois had a 100 percent literacy rate in the United States. According to the Census that same year, the Harms, Knutsons, and Ellises had the highest rate of home ownership. In the 1880s, Sebastapol was the most common last name among professional gamblers. However, if your last name was McConville, "game" meant something totally different to you -- in all likelihood, you were a buffalo hunter.

Currently, Ancestry.com can create on-demand Our Name in History books for nearly 200,000 of America's most common last names -- 85 percent of all U.S. households and 90 million households in total -- and the company is continually adding names and content to its vast database.

Our Name in History books ($49.95 + shipping), custom created and printed to order, are available exclusively at Ancestry.com and can be ordered by phone or online at http://www.ournameinhistory.com/.

About Ancestry.com

With 725,000 paid subscribers, Ancestry.com is the largest online family history site and the premier resource for Americans interested in learning about their family history. Since 1997, Ancestry.com has been helping people connect to their roots, delivering a wealth of genealogical data to customers. Ancestry.com is the No. 1 online source for family history information, including the web's largest collection of historical records. Ancestry.com is part of a global network of sites under MyFamily.com, Inc., that includes Ancestry.co.uk, Ancestry.ca, Ancestry.com.au, Rootsweb.com, Genealogy.com and MyFamily.com. The MyFamily network of family history sites, of which Ancestry is the largest, receives more than 9 million unique visitors worldwide and 450 million page views each month. (© comScore Media Metrix, September 2006). For more information, visit http://www.ancestry.com/.