Q on surnames of babies born 1917/8 to unmarried mothers who married later

[helenback56]

Sorry for the vague title.
If a baby was born to an unmarried woman in WW1, do I understand correctly the child would be registered under the mother's surname unless in some circumstances where both parents attended the registration of the birth?
In the scenario in my family research, the father of the unmarried child died in WW1 before he could return home to marry the mother of his child.  I am told the mother later married another man. Does anyone know if the child would have kept his mother's maiden name as his surname or if there is a chance he would have been formally adopted by the step father and taken his surname?
A distant relative has implied to me the mother was from a 'nice' family and it sounds like she was looked after by her family.
I'm still trying to narrow down exact identities so I'm trying to see if this would affect my search for marriage and death records of the likely suspects of the illegitimate child....if that makes sense?

[MargP]

Hi

There was no legal adoption until 1927/8, if the mother remarried, sometime the child would take her husbands new surname name, sometime the child would keep there birth surname, if both parents were present at the registration, it may be entered under both names.

If you would like to give us the details, we can see what we can find

Margp

[MargP]

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[brigidmac]

 Sometimes as in My grandma's case  the child was given the  first name  or surname  of their birth father as a middle name + their mother's surname .
My grandma was boarded out to the Hallis family informally in 1901 but by  1911 she was listed as adopted and used their surname at school .her marriage certificate shows her birth surname  + her adopted name "Roberts otherwise Hallis"

I hope that is useful

[carol8353]

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http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=702229.msg5452043#msg5452043

[helenback56]

Thanks for your replies.
I don't know what the child was called, which makes my search difficult to say the least, but of what info I do know and hope is true (from a distant relative), then I think I have narrowed down the possibilities to two births. I will have to request some birth and marriage records to see if they prove to be of any help.....and hope that he kept his mother's maiden name.