Names which cause problems with searches....

[andrewalston]

I regularly search for "Alstead", since virtually everyone in the UK with that surname is a cousin of some sort.

Unfortunately, there's a place in New Hampshire with the name. On Google, I can add tokens to restrict the results:
   alstead -hampshire -nh -estate

When I tried the same type of search on Bing, it insisted on returning hits for Real Estate agents dealing with property in Alstead Hew Hampshire.

Twenty three pages of them.

The first interesting result was on page 24.

I have not used Bing for any sort of internet search since.

[andrewalston]

It is always worth getting to know the "language" used when searching on websites you use regularly. Some can get quite complex. For instance a search I use on eBay (note the minus sign is again used to exclude things):
  (daimler, lanchester, rotax) (192???, 193???, vintage, veteran) -kart -wifi -"7149973" -401444
I want to see items mentioning any of the 3 brands in the first set of parentheses, but only when they also mention one of the date periods mentioned in the 2nd set. Of these, I want to exclude the ads placed by those who believe that a 1990s go-kart is "vintage", and the hundred of ads placed by companies with those phone numbers who insist on mentioning every brand of vehicle ever made. The exclusions mean I see 665 results now rather than 3914 in the vehicle parts section.

Access to Archives (A2A) used to have a very good search language, allowing you to find articles where two words occurred in proximity.
<surname> near10 bastard was one of my common searches. You can tell what sort of lives my ancestors lived!

[sarahsean]

My family name is Hall gives lots of problems in searching!

Sarah

[Paul Caswell]

I'd bet Butt causes you some problems too Sarah. 

[sarahsean]

Well Butt is a bit of an unfortunate name not that I would have ever said that to my grandmother! However it was actually quite a useful name as my great uncle changed his name when he moved to the USA and it made it easier to find the family.

Sarah

[pinefamily]

You should try typing Pine into searches (especially on the directories site!). The search finds addresses, all kinds of public houses, and of course anything made of pine. Occasionally it tosses up the odd Pine person, just to keep me interested.

[Michelle79]

I always have issues with the surname Key especially when I haven't got a first name to go with it.  If I google search for 'Key family staffordshire' i get lots of hits for Key family history collections within staffordshire which would be great if it was a collection about the Key family but it isnt 

The do have 1 surname that is funny to search and thats 'Bullock' if I search the British newspaper Archives for the surname I get lots of results for articles regarding bulls for sale lol 

Michelle

[Marmalady]

try searching for "Helps" !!

i also have Bulloch/Bullocks,

[catweatherwax]

I have an ancestor called Eliab Box. Various sites insist I mean Elizabeth when I do searches. I've even seen a printed transcription of his baptism record where they've first written Elizabeth but then it was thankfully crossed out!