Generally, a family association or family organization is an organization

Organization

An organization is a social group which distributes tasks for a collective goal. The word itself is derived from the Greek word organon, itself derived from the better-known word ergon - as we know `organ` - and it means a compartment for a particular job.There are a variety of legal types of...

 formed by people who share a common ancestor

Ancestor

An ancestor is a parent or the parent of an ancestor ....

 or surname

Surname

A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...

. They join together for a variety of purposes including exchanging genealogical information, sharing current news about family members, having reunion

Family reunion

A family reunion is an occasion when many members of an extended family get together. Sometimes reunions are held regularly, for example on the same date of every year....

s, and promoting family pride

Family Pride

Family Pride is the name of:* Family Pride, the British soap opera.* The previous name of the Family Equality Council.* Family Pride Canada, a Canadian organization advocating for family equality for LGBT parents....

 and unity among living descendants. Family organizations or associations centered around a more distant common ancestor are often referred to as "ancestral family organizations," while those centered around a commonly shared surname are commonly referred to as "single surname family organizations".

Some family associations strive to collect information about people with their surname all over the world, while others consist of a relatively small family group in a specific geographic area. Some groups put a lot of effort into family research while others prefer to concentrate more on family reunions and current family news.

Family associations and organizations often figure prominently among the Overseas Chinese

Overseas Chinese

Overseas Chinese are people of Chinese birth or descent who live outside the Greater China Area . People of partial Chinese ancestry living outside the Greater China Area may also consider themselves Overseas Chinese....

. Family association buildings are often prominent features of Chinatown

Chinatown

A Chinatown is an ethnic enclave of overseas Chinese people, although it is often generalized to include various Southeast Asian people. Chinatowns exist throughout the world, including East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Americas, Australasia, and Europe. Binondo's Chinatown located in Manila,...

s. They also figure prominently among descendants of Mormon pioneers and other early converts to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

See also

• Chinese clan associations
• Guild of One-Name Studies
  Guild of One-Name Studies
  The Guild of One-Name Studies is a UK-based charitable organisation founded in 1979 for one-name studies.-History:The Guild developed as an off-shoot of the Federation of Family History Societies. The FFHS was founded on 8th June 1974. By 1977 one-third of the members of the FFHS were one-name...
  
  
• List of hereditary and lineage organizations
• List of Mormon family organizations