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Toni, Subaru & Dinie - your comments are interesting to me.

When I was born my mum and dad were married and so obviously I took their married surname. My dad died when I was a baby and my mum remarried a few years later.

When she remarried, I took the surname of my stepdad. However, my passport etc remained in my birth surname as it was never changed by deed poll. My step dad wanted to adopt me but as my mum would have had to adopt me too and give up her rights as a natural parent she refused to do it.

Anyway, as he brought me up since I was a baby, I call him dad and he is for all intents and purposes my dad.

I have since however changed my surname back to my birth name.

thanks, I have tried that already but it doesn't bring up anything.

On a birth certificate that I have it lists the fathers occupation as Seaman. Does this mean that he was in the navy?  and if so how can I trace him as he does not appear on any of the census's and I only know his name from the birth cert.

I know there is an online navy records search but my man would've joined before 1873.

My Mum was sometimes called Minnie, but more often Mina. Her full name was Williamina (not Wilhelmina), lots of Ina's on to male names were quite common at one point.

Suddenly a light went on in my head when I read this topic!
On the 1871, I've got a Minnie, then on the following census's she changes to Mina. I thought it was a spelling or transcription error but it all makes sense now....I didn't even think about the fact that it could be a shortened name!!

Thanks, I had found that, just wondered if he appears on the 1841 census