Genealogy Chat

can someone please tell me, that if for example in the 1960's a child was born out of wedlock and therefore given the mothers maiden name, would that child be given a new surname if the mother married?

if that child was lead to believe that the mothers husband was the childs father only to find out many years later that the man was actually not the childs father, could that child get his name changed back to his mothers maiden name?.
any help please

florence
in the hebrides

A person can call themselves by any name they chose providing that the name change is not for fraudulent purpose.

If the mother married (but not to the childs father) the husband would need to formally adopt the child for the child to be given his name. In those circumstances an adoption certificate and a new "Short" version birth certificate indicating the childs new surname would be issued.

thankyou jonesey. i just know someone that today has their mmn, but years ago had their so called "fathers" name and then they changed it back.

florence
in th hebrides

My nephew was born with my brothers surname, when my bro & his then wife parted the boy has his surname changed to her maiden name, without even fathers consent! He's just known by his mother maiden name ( was a smalll child when she did it. Legally I suppose he is still andrew ********( MY bro's surname). As the law stands he is entitled to be called whatever he likes.

thankyou penny for your info

florence
in the hebrides

My brother-in-law used his 'proper' surname, the surname of his father, for well over 20 years, but then decided he didn't like it any more, so changed his surname by deed poll to his mother's maiden name! That's going to cause a few scratched heads if future generations start researching the family tree!
Not the only problem they'll have... I looked up my own marriage in the BMD and my maiden name is SO wrong, it starts with a Ka but in the records it's RA. Having looked more closely at my original marriage cert, i can understand why there has been a transcription error,... flippin' clergy, have writing that would make a doctor's handwriting look good!!! :-)

No-one's birth name can actually change.............what can happen is that the individual can change the name by which he/she is known.

The original birth registration will not be altered.

If a child is born to an unmarried mother and registered in her name, the child can be re-registered with the fathers surname at a later date if the mother and father marry or if the father simply wants to go on the birth certificate (GRO form 185 / Register office form LA1 depending on whether or not they are married).
A new birth certificate is then issued in the new name.

In that case, it often looks in the records like there are two children with the same first names but different surnames, born a year or two apart.

I don't know how long this has been allowed.

Donna

There are several possible scenarios here, which are all slightly different.

1. Adoption means that you adoptee parents now become your legal parents. Your birth parents, if either or both is not the same as your adoptee parents relinquish all parental rights.

On adoption it is usual to change your name, in which case a new adoption birth certificate will be issued, as previously mentioned. You also relinquish your original name.

2. Your parents were not married at the time of your birth, or perhaps, one or the other was already married to someone else. In this case it was usual to use the mother's surname, which could be the surname of her current husband, or if she were not married, her maiden surname. If they subsequently married, then the births could be re-registered with the father's surname.

We have an example of this in our own family where nine children were re-registered in their dad's name 17 years after the birth of the first, following the death of their dad's first wife. They were originally registered in the name of their mum's first husband - who was not their father!

More recently it has been the practice to register illegitimate children (can you say that these days as so many are born out of wedlock!) with the father's surname, provided he agrees to it.

3. You can call yourself by whatever name you like. Legally, there is no requirement for any documentation whatsoever. However, the usual way is to complete a deed poll, which is nothing more that a formal declaration that you wish to be known by another name. Without such a document you would might have difficulty in, say, applying for a passport in your new name.

Just a note, If a child is born to an unmarried mother and the father of the child goes to the register office with the mother to register the child in his name, then the GRO register will have two entry's with the same vol and page numbers, one with the fathers surname and the other in the mothers surname, but the child's surname on the actual cert will be the fathers

Roy

Thankyou all for you info, it has been very interesting and has solved a problem i came across recently, well not a problem just more of a mystery!
thanks again
florence in the hebrides :-)