POINTING & POYNTING surnames in the period before 1600 are almost exclusively from Somerset, England. The main aim of the project is to establish whether there is a single origin for these surnames and close variants, and if not which families are related. Trees of the main families, named after places with which they are most associated(Somerset, Wycombe, Kent, Sussex, London/Surrey & Norfolk) are at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~pnlowe/pointing_home.htm. Although these surnames are very rare in the USA, there are many people with these surnames in Australia. Most are known to come from the Somerset and Sussex families, but others are less clear at present. DNA analysis of these and other families as yet unconnected with the main families will be very informative. A secondary aim is to see whether similar surnames such as PONTING, POINTON & POINTEN might have a common origin, and we would be pleased if men of those surnames were able to contribute to this project.