What is the Guild?

The Guild of One-Name Studies is the worldwide centre of excellence in one-name studies, and promotes the interests of both individuals and groups who are engaged in them. Through its programme of activities it provides the means to share, exchange and publish information about one-name studies. It also encourages and assists those interested in one-name studies by means of conferences, seminars, and many other activities and projects.

The Guild was established on 1st September 1979 and registered as an unincorporated association with the Charity Commission on 21st September 1989 (Registered Charity No. 802048). Its objectives, and the rules governing the Guild's operation, are laid down in its Constitution.

The objectives of the Guild of One-Name Studies are:

to advance the education of the public in one-name studies (defined as research into the genealogy and family history of all persons with the same surname and its variants); and
to promote the preservation and publication of the resultant data, and to maximise its accessibility to interested members of the public.