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As I understand the Gypsy life style it is about FAMILY. and people do not just become a Gypsy. Smith and Wood are not necessarily Gypsy Surname. Because of a TV program that doesn't make it clear that there are Gypsies in several countries there seems to be a lot of confusion about the word.

Here are 3 dictionary definitions for Gypsy

1.a member of a nomadic, Caucasoid people of generally swarthy complexion, who migrated originally from India, settling in various parts of Asia, Europe, and, most recently, North America.

2.Romany; the language of the Gypsies.

3.( lowercase ) a person held to resemble a gypsy, especially in physical characteristics or in a traditionally ascribed freedom or inclination to move from place to place.

The word in the racing industry means some one who owns & trains his horse and is also the Jocky.

If you have gypsy ancestry....then what happened? As gypsies are a very close culture so someone 'left' that culture and lifestyle.....I have the surnames Smith and Wood in my ancestry and they were not gypsies, so if that is all the evidence you have, then it is not evidence of gypsy ancestry........sounds like you are living a nomad lifestyle anyway, so what exactly do you want to change, or think you need to change......................................................

Gypsies, just as is the case of the white race, originated in India.

Gypsies have long been associated with Romania.

Just as Americans say "buffalo" in lieu of bison,

and corn in lieu of maize,

People also say "gypsie" when what they mean is a wandering person, what the Germans would call "wanderlust".

This doesn't cover it completely, but is a good start: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romani_people

How would you become a gypsy now? Learn the language, learn the customs, and be adopted.