Hi Fred,
When speaking of names in this context, my dream is to be able to type in "*ies" (for example)and receive all the surnames that correspond with this ending.
I realize this is probably wishful thinking, but I have a lot of somewhat faint and fuzzy records that I'm trying to read. I am indeed a dreamer.
If you know of anything that fits this description, I'd love to hear about it. Otherwise, I'll keep dreaming (and get a stronger prescription for my glasses). 
Thanks,
Kristin