Genealogy Chat

I know how you feel,when I obtained my grandfathers birth certificate,there was no fathers name on it,and it was signed by his mother with an X, ,brought a tear to the eye, she did marry soon after the birth but I will never be sure if he was the father,so the family name is harriets maiden name skeratt ,though still a long and proud one

The GRO website currently includes this information:

"If the father's details are not included in the birth register, it may be possible to re-register at a later date."

I don't think the requirements have changed much in the last 100 years or so, so this probably explains the two registrations with the same number.

My mother was born in 1919. Her parents didnt marry till 1920.

Her birth is registered under her mothers name. It is also registered under her fathers.

Both entries have the same reg number

Thanks alot for your advice Helen. My grandfather was given his mother's maiden name when he was born and had his father's (?) surname added later - I assume sometime after they got married. He did actually keep his mother's maiden name as well and this used as a middle name from then on. Thanks again.

I think the answer is simply that the father's name was not given when the birth was registered. Back in 1900 an aunt of mine was seduced by the young man of the family she worked for and became pregnant. The young man's family paid for her to have the baby in a London clinic and contributed to his upbringing on condition that she never revealed the father's name. I have a copy of the birth certificate and the father's name is blank. My aunt's son (i.e. my cousin - over 40 years older than me; my aunt was 16 years older than my father) went by our family surname all through his life.

Copied and pasted this reply from one of my threads. This applies to Scotland ... but you may be able to apply some of it to English certificates.


f the date and place of marriage is not on a Scottish birth certificate, but both parents names are then usually it is because they are not married at the time of the birth. If unmarried, the fathers details are only added if he attends the registration and signs the register with the mother.

If the father does not attend then his details cannot be entered but the mother is still allowed to give the baby the fathers surmane. In older days the word illigitimate was also added though this practice is no longer carried out. Even today when I register a birth in Scotland the father's name is only given if he attends and no marriage date will show if they are not married.

A good indication also is if the (ms) maiden surname features after the mothers first surname.

If she was born Black and Married a Mr White then her details would show as Mary Black (ms) or White. A date and place of marriage would then be given at the bottom

If she was born Black and did not marry but assumed the name of her live in partner Mr Black then her details would show as Mary Black or White and there would be no date of marriage.

Hi. I have a birth certificate for my grandfather dated May 1912. His mother married 3 months after he was born to a man who may or may not have been his father. However, there is nobody listed as his father on the birth certificate, just a line. Would it be the case that he couldnt be named as they weren't yet married? Or maybe he was not the father. Just wondered if anyone knew how things were around 1912 regarding fathers names on birth certificates etc. Thanks.