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When indexing, do I put a space between "Mc" Donald or not?

Judy Robison
Judy Robison ✭
December 8, 2020 edited February 10, 2021 in Indexing
When indexing, do I put a space between "Mc" Donald or not?
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  • Melissa S Himes
    Melissa S Himes ✭✭✭✭✭
    December 8, 2020 Answer ✓

    Here is a help center article on names that begin with Mac, Mc, El, Van, and so on:

    How do I index a surname with a prefix, like El or Mac?

    Published November 23, 2020

    It can be difficult to tell whether a space exists between a prefix and the last name. Record it either way. The system overlooks spaces, so type what you see.

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Answers

  • Anitra Whittle
    Anitra Whittle ✭✭✭
    December 8, 2020

    Hello Judy,

    I'm going to tag your good question for @Indexing Chat​ 

    Thanks,

    Anitra

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  • Teresa Arispe
    Teresa Arispe ✭✭
    December 8, 2020

    When I index names, I only put a space between different parts of the name if it looks like it was originally written (or typed) as separate words. Different individuals with the same last name often differ as to whether or not elements of that last name should be spaced out. For example, one person might spell their last name "Van Deventer" while another spells it "Vandeventer".

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  • Teresa Arispe
    Teresa Arispe ✭✭
    December 8, 2020

    Oh, I didn't know the system overlooked spaces! Thanks, Melissa!

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