Estimation of inbreeding by isonymy in Iberoamerican populations: an extension of the method of Crow and Mange.

The method of isonymy for the estimation of inbreeding levels was extended to use the potentialities offered by the Iberoamerican surname system, in which a child inherits his surnames both from the father and the mother. Four possible types of isonymy were recognized between the family names of a husband-wife pair. It was found that, limited to simple consanguinity, the ratio between isonymy and the inbreeding coefficient of consanguineous individuals, starting from first cousins, is constant and equal to 16. Consanguinity levels were studied in four Venezuelan groups, Isla de Toas, Los Teques, Quibor, and Colonia Tovar, using genealogies, classical isonymy, and the extended method. It was found that, for Iberoamerican populations, the extended method is more precise than the classical method.