General Chat

My granddaughter birth has been registered in her mother's name, and then re registered again in the fathers surname.They never did marry.Records show 2 births.Which one is the legal name.

The latest one is the legal name. The original entry will be flagged by GRO and cannot be used for I. D. purposes such as passport.

Nowadays parents nominate a surname. Previously it was implied by the father's name on the birth certificate or if unmarried and no father named, then mother's surname was used.

You may find that the 2 registrations have the same reference number on the GRO index.
This means that the couple both registered themselves as the child's parents and were present at the registration.

If it was, as you say a later amendment to change the information, the later certificate will carry her father's surname, but she could still, if they wished, be known by her mother's surname.

When you say re registered was that at a diffenrt time or is it the same registration

When the parents aren't married but the father accepts paternity and is named on the certificate then it shows with both surnames . It's only one registration and you would only get one certicate whichever surname the cert is ordered in

In theory the child can use either surname.

Thats normal to do this :-D