摘要：Surname distribution may replace quantitative information on the genetic and demographic structure of human populations. Deviations of random unions due to a limited number of ancestors, sex, preference or rejection of certain types of consanguineous marriages, and a limited migration within a social or geographical space constitute the population structure. The objective of this study was to use surnames as an analytical element to examine the population structure and recent migration pattern of the 6 provinces that constitute the Argentine Northwest (ANW): Salta, Jujuy, Tucuman, La Rioja, Catamarca, and Santiago del Estero. The sample of male and female surnames corresponding to 2,576,548 individuals proceeded from Voting Registers (2001). The following population movement indicators were calculated for the 117 ANW departments: Karlin MacGregor’s v, Wright’s m, and Rodríguez Larralde’s A. These values were correlated to the population sample size and proportion of Unsatisfied Basic Needs (UBN) and urban populations. A negative relationship was observed between the sample size and the 3 anthroponimics indicators. Correlation between v and m was positive and very strong (r = 0,953) and the A indicator presented a positive relationship to both. Percentages of UBN population and urban population correlated both positively and negatively, respectively, to v and m. It was concluded that different indicators developed from frequency and distribution of surnames provided similar results about recent migration in the ANW, and that it was more significant in the smaller population-sized departments. Although these indicators do not allow making a distinction between the relative contribution of emigration and immigration to the migratory flow, it maybe hypothesized that the predominant movement would be that of individuals moving toward urban centers where better living conditions can be found.
