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Middle Names used as first name on census?

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}((((*> Jeanette The Haddock <*)))){

}((((*> Jeanette The Haddock <*)))){ Report 7 Nov 2004 23:06

My great Grandfather was called William on all the censuses and I had also thought that was his name. Imagine my surprise when his marriage cert turned up naming him as Frederick William. His father was called Frederick so perhaps he was known as William to avoid confusion Jeanette x

Helen

Helen Report 7 Nov 2004 22:55

I've found for some reason that the 1881 Census usually has the right given names but the 1901 has the name they were known by. Perhaps it was the way the questions were asked by the enumerators?

Steven

Steven Report 7 Nov 2004 22:49

Thanks everyone.....

Mary

Mary Report 6 Nov 2004 09:27

Even harder when the person you're trying to find had a name totlly different from the one passed down through the family - been looking for a George for ages only to find he was christened Charles (middles name not George either) just he was always know as George to the family. Talk about a headache ! mary

Irene

Irene Report 6 Nov 2004 08:54

Hi Yes it was, you can spent ages looking for one name not knowing what their first name was. We had a Arthur Hinton, born abt 1848 it took just over 3 years to prove his family and full name. Ebenezer Arthur Hinton. It would probably only take about a month now, the computer didn't hold so much information 4 years ago. My father in law we all knew as Charles Arthur even his wife, got a bit of a surprise when he died and found he was Arthur Charles. It does run in families, my husbands has proved it, all Aunts & Uncles never used their given name, this goes back a long time, my family uses the name given to them. Irene

Guinevere

Guinevere Report 6 Nov 2004 07:19

Hi, It was (and still is in our family) common for a son to be named for his father - for the sake of tradition - but be known by his second name. Gwynne

Researching:
Lowestoft and North Suffolk, Monmouthshire, Breconshire, Somerset

Steven

Steven Report 6 Nov 2004 07:15

Hi, I have a family where three fathers in succession were named Francis Green. However on the one Census (1871) the only family that fit has a father of William Green. I know his name was actually Francis William Green as confirmed by his sons Birth and Marriage certificate. Was it common for people to use their middle name for a census? I know I'll have to get other proof before I can confirm or dismiss him as an ancestor but I thought I'd ask if it was common for someone to use ther middke name. His son was also living in the same house and was called Francis too. Thanks ....