Considered to be a Greek patronymic (sur)name, this is a surname which originates from what used to be called Asia Minor. The usual Greek patronymic is -poulous or - poulou, whilst -oglou was used in Greece to indicate a person from the (largely) muslim regions to the east. The prefix derives from 'Isma' given as being the son of Jafar (700 - 760a.d), the sixth iman after the prophet Mohammed. The 'build' of the name indicates that it may have been locational from the Turkish region of Pamphlyia - Cappadocia, on the mainland north of the island of Cyprus, and specifically from the small town of Ismirn. However this is just one of the many spelling forms of Isma, of which the most popular is Ismailia. Over the past century which included the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in 1918, there has been a wholesale creation of states including Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi-Arabia, Palestine and Israel, as well as a reformation of ancient ones Greece, Egypt and Turkey itself, which once ruled the whole of the middle east. The subsequent meddling with natural forces was opposed by 'Lawrence of Arabia' who sought the creation of one Islamic nation, but was over-ruled. As a result that nearly a hundred years on there seems to be no end to the chaos. One of the many sequels has been in emigration from the area, particularly amongst people who found themselves disenfranchised. This (sur)name was probably not recorded anywhere before 1914, but today is found in small groups in the USA. It is unlikely they are all related - although this could only be proven by the creation of 'family trees'. This is outside of the scope of this report.

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