Change of name?

[Velma Dinkley]

I have a close ancestor who, at birth, took his father's surname even though the couple weren't married. They later split up and his mother changed his name to her married name (she was a widow).

His birth certificate is clearly in the surname of his father... yet today I have just realised that he has entries in the birth indexes under both this and his mother's married name.

He was born in 1937 and was using his 'new' surname by the 1960s. I don't know how officially she went about changing it, although it appears that the register was changed at the time to reflect this... would that be correct?
What other documentation would there have been for his change of name - would the registrar have this if I looked at the original register??

Also, he only possessed one birth certificate - the original one taking his father's surname, which did cause him some problems when he had to produce it at various times in his life...

[Little Nell]

I think you will find the birth cert gives the child's forenames in column 2 and name and surname of father column 4, plus name, surname and maiden name of mother in column 5.

The child's surname is generally assumed to be that of the father where one is named, but legally a child's surname can be whatever its parents choose.

What evidence do you have that the register was changed and when it was done?

[JudithM]

Assuming this is an English birth certificate and not a very recent one you will find that in column 2 where the child's name is listed this will only be the christian name(s), then in column 3 the father's name and surname is shown and in column 5 mother's name and maiden surname. Where the parents' surnames are different the birth was then indexed under both. Thus on my (1950) birth certificate I am listed as Judith L******, my father as P**** A***** Manley and my mother as D**** Manley formerly K***. This only appears in the index under Manley and that is the surname I was known as. If my parents had not been married the entry in clumn 5 would have read Doris K*** my birth would appear in the index under both Manley and K*** and I could have used either surname (or indeed another one entirely as long as no fraud was intended!

[Olde Crone Holden]

Indexes are a cross reference and list ALL the surnames, but lead to only one certificate.

It is only relatively recently that birth certs have a column fior surname. Previously the surname was inferred from the father's name, as Judith points out above.

You can call yourself whatever you like, for whatever reason you like, so long as you are not attempting to impersonate someone else for the purpose of fraud.

OC

[Velma Dinkley]

Thanks for that everyone, that makes sense

As I knew he took his father's name at birth and I had the cert showing it, I had never thought to look up his birth under his mother's married name before - I only discovered it today when I was looking for somebody else.

I really don't know how officially she did the name change, but I can imagine she just decided one day and that was that. He certainly didn't have any documentation, just this original cert.

However seeing the entry in the birth indexes made me think it was changed at a later date, but as you say it was cross-referenced at registration which does make sense.

Thank you again for all your help