Standardizing the name זיו Ziv/Zeev/Sive/Siew/Siev/Siff, etc.

Yosef Gavriel (Robbie) Bechhofer You make an excellent point. Perhaps a "soundex" system could eventually developed for Geni search. It would greatly assist in matching trees that otherwise would never find each other----and help achieve the goal of One United World Tree.

Even in my own family http://www.geni.com/projects/Meisels there are so many variations. Many of which are not even noted on the project.

The spelling of the name Meisels changed depending on the region the family members moved to, eg. Germany, Poland, Russia, or when they arrived in the US how the customs official filled in the form.

Geni search supports both the Soundex and Metaphone search option, but it is well known that these methods mostly works for English only.

Soundex and Metaphone are good for casting wide nets, but they are often very wide nets indeed!

there is a "Jewish" soundex - DM soundex
well it's not really Jewish, but it works good on European Jewish names.
JewishGen uses it for research
for Hebrew names there is another algorithm, but I'm sure that Geni didn't implement it.

just one thing .
Ziv and Bride are not exactly the same family , since there are at least 2 Ziv tribes one from Ariogala , and the other of Simcha Zi Broide from Keidan .
Simcha has changed his family name as title , when the family from Ariogala use this name at least from 17 century

Just a note that I followed some Sieff family members to Ohio where they are related by marriage to families related to my relatives (Margolis). I'm not sure yet how the Sieff members in Ohio connect, but they appear to have immigrated from Lancashire.

And actually, one of my X great aunts nee Margolis is a Shiff of Ohio, but I don't think that that is a related family.

Yosef , Ziv and Braude are not exactly same family :) there where 2 tribes one that was Ziv from the area of Ariogala ,Krakes and other tribe that is related to Braude that came from Seta or so .
probably there where inter marriege as well , but those are seperated tribes
Hag Sameach

Noftel Chaim "Hyman" Ziv's profile and tree has been updated with the 1891 England Census and the 1887 Russian Empire (Ariogala) Revision List information added.

This extends the Ariogala Ziv family of Israel Moses Sieff, giving him a ggf and gg grandfather and giving Ephraim (his father) a number of siblings.

Chaim the father of Ephraim retuned to Lithuania after his wife died , according to the Israel Sieff the son of Ephraim , his Grandfather remarried and returned to Ariogala . (from the book "the memories of Israel Sieff "page 6 )
in the lithuanian database you can a record for such marriage that suite the time frame , Chaim father name Iosel now the question how do relate them to the Gaon ????