Most of us know what it’s like to scramble for something interesting to say when someone asks the classic question, “Tell me something about yourself.” It’s similar to the feeling when you’re asked to share a fun fact about yourself on the first day of school or at a new job.
Thankfully, there’s a quick way to discover fascinating information about yourself. Our All About Me feature can tell you everything from the meaning and frequency of your name, to the cost of gas when you were born, to the most popular music when you were 8.
Start by logging into FamilySearch.org, or, if you don’t have an account, get started by simply entering your name, what country you are from, and when you were born.The experience can answer some of the following questions.
Meaning and Popularity of Your Name
Did you know that Shakespeare was the first to use the name “Jessica”? I didn’t—not until All About Me, that is. There, you can learn the following information about your first, middle, and last names:
- Places in the world your name is commonly found
- Number of people who share your name
- Meaning of your name
If you are logged into FamilySearch.org and you’ve entered the names of your family into your tree, you can see how common their names are or what part of the world they come from by selecting your family member’s name from a list below the experience.
How Has the World Changed Since You Were Born?
Quiz yourself on the difference between the world’s population when you were born and now. Hint: There’s likely a billion-person difference between now and then.
You can also see how many people lived on the earth when a relative, such as your father or grandmother, was born. If you don’t have that person’s date of birth yet in your family tree, All About Me will prompt you to enter a birthday for the person so it can calculate the population.
Another fun game you can play is comparing the price of items—such as a movie ticket or postage stamp—now, when you were born, and when your parents and grandparents were born.
Music, Popular Culture, and Sports
Here’s an idea for your next birthday—watch the movie that won best picture, or listen to the most popular song from the year you were born.
Know how you can find out what those were? You guessed it. All About Me can tell you such things as the top grossing film, the album of the year, sports trivia such as the Grand Slam winner and World Series winner from the year you were born.
The feature can also give the same information for the years you turned 8, 16, and older, so you can nostalgically listen to some of the most popular songs on the radio from when you were a young.
You can also connect with family members who came before you by seeing what shows, music, and sports they were experiencing when they were growing up. What better way to honor Grandma and Grandpa on their birthdays than trying to experience the world they grew up in?
Fun Facts about Your Family
Learn more about your family! Though you can compare your name and facts with your family’s throughout each experience, you can also focus specifically on a member of your family by changing the page settings to that person’s name.
Change the settings by clicking the black button in the top-right corner that says View a Different Year. From there, you can choose a family member from your tree, and learn more about that person’s life and past.
All About Me puts your family’s life in a larger context, and context brings your story to life. You might be surprised by what you discover.
Learn All about You
FamilySearch’s All About Me feature can help you get to know yourself and connect with others—especially family—in a meaningful way.
All you have to do is sign up for a FamilySearch account (which is absolutely FREE), and enter some basic information such as your name and when you were born. Then you are set to learn all sorts of cool, fun facts about yourself and your family!
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At FamilySearch, we care about connecting you with your family, and we provide fun discovery experiences and family history services for free. Why? Because we cherish families and believe that connecting generations can improve our lives now and forever. We are a nonprofit organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. To learn more about our beliefs, click here.
