Onomap is a research methodology, based on an academic project, which allows users to classify any list of names into groups of common cultural ethnic and linguistic origin using surnames and forenames.

There are growing needs to understand the nature and detailed composition of ethnic groups in today's increasingly multicultural societies. Ethnicity classifications are often hotly contested, but still greater problems arise from the quality and availability of classifications, with knock on consequences for our ability meaningfully to subdivide populations. Name analysis and classification has been proposed as one efficient method of achieving such subdivisions in the absence of ethnicity data, and may be especially pertinent to public health and demographic applications. However, previous approaches to name analysis have been designed to identify one or a small number of ethnic minorities, and not complete populations.

Onomap methodology is based on a new ontology of ethnicity that combines some of its multidimensional facets; language, religion, geographical region, and culture encapsulated in people's names. It is a methodology developed using data collected at very fine temporal and spatial scales, and made available, subject to safeguards, at the level of the individual. Such individuals are classified into 185 independently assigned categories of cultural ethnic and linguistic (Onomap) groups, termed Onomap Types, based on the probable origins of their names.