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Vertical transmission of culture and the distribution of family names

Damian H. Zanette·Susanna C. Manrubia
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Abstract

A stochastic model for the evolution of a growing population is proposed, in order to explain empirical power-law distributions in the frequency of family names as a function of the family size. Preliminary results show that the predicted exponents are in good agreement with real data. The evolution of family-name distributions is discussed in the frame of vertical transmission of cultural features.

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Damian H. Zanette, Susanna C. Manrubia. 2000-09-25. Vertical transmission of culture and the distribution of family names. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0378-4371(01)00046-2

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