They Changed Our Name at Ellis Island
By Donna Przecha
Types of Changes. In the United States around 1900, there were no rules about names so immigrants could alter their names, first or last, any way they wanted. For example, one of the easiest changes was to simplify the pronunciation and spelling. So, the German "Nüchter" could get rid of the un-American umlaut and change the sound to one more familiar to English speaking people, ending up with "Nichter."
Sometimes the change is for the better. I read several years ago about a French family named Belcher, pronounced “Belshay” in French. They quickly changed the spelling to Belshay for obvious reasons.