Genealogy Chat

I have no way of telling if a child was registered in the mother's or father's name which is very frustrating, especially as I don't even know the year, can only guess.

I know it's a girl and I know the father's name.

The birth was in the seventies. Was there more of a preference for either father's surname or mothers in a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship during that period. I don't know how serious it was. Feels like a needle in a haystack..

Any thoughts gratefully received, thank you. :-)

Hi Lavender.
Firstly, have you checked on other members' trees, to see if by any chance someone has this man listed?
I don't think you can say whether there was a preference for surname as such. Not sure if you are aware, but if a couple are not married, then the father has to be present to consent to his name going on the cert.
The only thing I can think of is to see if there is any child registered twice, both with the father's surname and with mother's name. You do see this sometimes.
It rather hinges on how common the father's surname is.
You would have to look for every birth with father's surname in the given period (I assume you have a location!), then check for births with mother's surname, and same registration number.
A very long shot to be honest,
Jan

It is a long shot Jan, but I'm very glad of your kind advice. I hadn't thought about the father needing to be present either! And I don't know the mother's surname!!! I realise that makes it an impossibility…

Many thanks, I'm always optimistic :-)

If you feel able to share it, you could tell us the father's surname (not first name obviously), and the location - this would be perfectly reasonable, as it would not reveal info that is too personal. People can then give a realistic assessment of your chance of success, They could have a look and PM any possible findings.
Worth a try.
But if the registration was in the mother's name, there is really no chance is there?
Jan

Thank you, Janet. PM sent :-)