What’s In Aa Surname? Getting to the Bottom of the First Name in the Phone Book

As genealogy and family history buffs, we often become obsessed with small facts about surnames. That’s why a recent article from New Zealand caught my attention.

The writer spoke to Michelle A’a about the pros and cons of being the first person in the phone book.

There was obviously the novelty of being able to tell people you’re the first person in the phone book, but then there was the downside of constant calls from people looking for Alcoholics Anonymous.

This got me thinking. What’s the first surname in other countries around the world?

A quick search on the White Pages in Australia show’s the first surname could either be Van Der Aa, if it’s listed as it sometimes is a Aa, Van Der

Otherwise Australia’s first surname is Aab.

In the US, not only is the first surname Aa, but there appear to be a lot of them!

In the UK, Canada and South Africa, Aa is also the first surname.

With Aa appearing to be such a popular name I turned to the MyHeritage Records to get a better understanding of where the surname comes from

You can get an interactive version of the map HERE

Although there’s a wide spread of countries where the surname Aa exists, it looks like there may be two origins – Turkey and China, with migration from those countries explaining the spread of the surname.

What do you think? Am I on the right track or do you have some other information about the origin of the Aa surname?

I’d love your help to get to the bottom of this puzzle!