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General => The Common Room => Topic started by: HeatherB on Sunday 12 February 06 21:51 GMT (UK)
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Have many of you discovered that children who get registered under one name often get called something totally different sometimes a nickname other times a totally different christian name.
A Sylvia that was called June a Millicent called Paula, a Paul that was called Peter
Seems to be fairly typical to call someone by their second name especially if more than one person in the household has the same name, that makes sense to avoid confusion.
Because of the way that people were named in the past a presumption of what your fathers name was on a certificate totally wrong.
Of course abbreviations and nicknames are common.
I know lots Bubby, Girlie, Sissie, Honey a Nathan who become chopper because the day his dad came home and he had his first two teeth dad said "hey son you have got your first choppers" and that has been his name since.
Big James the father who is a lot smaller than little James the son.
Someone called red because they had red hair and someone else called blue for the same reason.
I have a cousin who being a foundling was named after the area she was found in.
Most you can sort out but sometimes it comes as a great shock to someone when they send for a certificate to get married and find the name they have been using all their life is not theirs.
Cheers Heather
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My grandmother didn't like her given name Nellie, so told everyone her name was Nancy. If you think back to the generations when the eldest son got named after his father and likewise for no 1 daughter, it is not hard to see nicknames creeping in. I'm sure Jack for John is an example of this. All rather complicated for the poor family history researcher.
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My mother's friend had a brother always known as 'Chopper' - I never heard his real name. Wonder if it was because of his baby-teeth. I'll never know now.
During the war a neighbour was always known as 'Dolly with the teeth ' - perhaps there were other Dolly's in the street.
These sorts of nick- names seem to have been used more in the past.
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I know someone who named the child after the husbands motor bike in the hope that more interest would be given the child.
Did it work? No the bike still came first.
Cheers Heather
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hi heather,
this subject is very close to home for me,examples are
being called by my second christian name(i'm second youngest in a
family of seven)because my dad wanted to name me after my mother,
so she called me by my second name to save confusion(did'nt work)
but for official documents i have to use my first name,other people in the family tree called lillie who were actually elizabeth, then one g'mother called lillie who used that on marriage and her childrens birth certs(wonder if her birth cert when i find it will have lillie or elizabeth? i have known people baptised sarah but known as sally all
their lives or julia and then known as sheila(told recently that sheila is the gaelic for julia ???.) and last but not least the lucky boy whose father wanted him baptised 'arkle' after the famous racehorse,at least his mother called a halt to that one ;D
i'll bet there are many more examples out there,but i'm as bad,i gave my son 3 christian names,my excuse?if he did'nt like his first name he could use the first letter of each of the second and third names together as a nickname. :)
regards,anne
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Hi.
Don't know if this will help,If you GOOGLE (nicknames) , then click Franklin, it will come up with many names , I was looking for Ronald ... but every thing lead to Reginald, found the answer with Google , Ronald is Reginald.
Regards
Reg.
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What fascinates me is why on earth someone with the surname John would call their child John or a John Johns and a William, Williams I have several of these in the family tree and they strike me as very odd.
I have a daughter called Hellen two LL's so was my aunt and grandmother and teachers all the time told her she was spelling her name wrong . My grandmother said it had always been spelt that way in her family seems she was right as Hellen Ferguson born abt. 1760 seems to have had it spelt that way I guess it could have been an error but we will never know.
Cheers Heather
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I have a cousin names Robert Cameron but when Christened it was changed to Cameron Robert. When I asked my aunt why she said they didn't want him called RC!!!!
Ros
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Good strategic thinking.
Cheers Heather
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One of my ancestors had a grand daughter, whose birth name was Florence, but she was known as Daisy, on census etc. This made some problems when searching the 1837! why on earth she was called Daisy is a mystery
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Maybe she had big eyes and long eyelashes. I knew a child like that and everyone called her daisy I never did find out her real name.
Cheers Heather
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I'd like to know why my mother-in-law's mother was registered at birth as Lavinia Elizabeth, and was registered at death as Lavinia Elizabeth, but was married under the name of Winifred and was known as Winnie for all of her married life.
At first I thought that there might have been a mistake on the marriage certificate but it seems that she signed it Winifred too.
Mind you, the mother-in-law is known as Jill, but her cheque book tells us she's called Audrey!!
Wotty.
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Never had this problem until I couldn't find Jesse HURST in the 1841 census or his birth. I have him as Jesse Hurst on all the other census.
So I think in the 1841 census he must be listed by his true name because he would be living at home with his parents.
Any suggestions of another name in place of Jesse (male) ::) Thanks Gem
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My Grandfather was born Ernest Abbott Onley, but he was at various times known as Frederick Onley, Fred Only and then just to stuff us up he also called himself Fred Blunt.
I had a great Aunt who was named Eliza Alice, but was always known as Fanny . . . . strange!!
Barbara 8)
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I have this exact same problem!!
My husband's ancestor is Robert Enoch and I've found him in the census with his family ... but I can't find Robert Enoch's christening or birth certificate -- but I *have* found a child of the same parents, born about the same time named Alfred George (seen in christenings of parent's parish and in the FreeBMD index)
Any way to prove they are the same individual? (well, perhaps his 13th Hussars service record will have a birth date - need to track that down!
One theory is that a child's name is changed to honour a recently-departed relative. At least that is the theory in the case of my American great-grandmother whose name mysteriously changed before she was 3 years old.
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I have a great grandfather who not only gave himself one new Christan name but two, he was registered Jeremiah, but was known as George Bernard.
My grandfather was always Tony to me it wasn't until after his death that I found out he was actually Thomas. ::)
Most of my nephews are known by their second name.
My sister changed hers as she has a rather peculiar name and didn't like it (saying that we have another pet for her too).
Two of my aunts changed their names too, one from Ann Maire to Laura and one from Edna Jude to Brideen.
Sharon
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My great grandmother Mary Ann was always known as Polly, the reasons for which are lost in the mists of time.
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I was born Kathleen Ann Acheson sent off for original birth certificate and this has an amendement "for Acheson read Patton"
I was adopted as a baby my new parents renamed me Sandra Denise Ireland then decided to only use Denise.
All legal documents come as Sandra D
All very confusing what to have on my gravestone I do not know
"Here lies somebody she knows not who"
Dont even ask about my birthdate.... that was amended too, cept no one told my adopted parents. Legal documents say 14th Feb, but my original certificate thats amended says I was born on the 10th ( confirmed by writing to the hospital of my birth)
Future researchers are gonna stumble with me or just not find me :'(
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All very confusing what to have on my gravestone I do not know
"Here lies somebody she knows not who"
Very confusing Kathleen/Sandra, maybe you could just put "Take your Pick" ;)
Barbara 8)
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I am two years older than my sister, and did'nt know her
christian name until she started school.
Grandad decided to give her the nickname Randy
(after the boxer Randy Turpin) she is now 53 and still
called R by family), it's caused a few chuckles over the
years.
Jackie.
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How interesting I notice that whenever a heroic deed was done that that name was introduced into a lot of families especially children born the year of a battle being named after the commander, this often gave researchers the impression they were related to the hero.
Mine was changed for a much more mundane reason my grandparents didn't like Amy thought Heather was a better name to go with Douglas.
Cheers Heather
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In the Diocesan and Prerogative Marriages Licence Bonds entries on the nationalarchives Ireland website is a marriage between William Acheson and Anne Patten and as well of Charles Achison and Catherine Patten both of 1814 in the Diocese of Cashel and Emly, see http://census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/dm/IRE_DIOC_007246528_00007.pdf
Was the change of the surname happening in context with one of these marriages? - I myself have ancestors with the surname Acheson (also other spellings possible) in the Co. Tipperary and Waterford.
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My great grandmother Mary Ann was always known as Polly, the reasons for which are lost in the mists of time.
POLLY was a fairly common "pet" name for Mary in 1800s Ireland, not as common as Molly, May, Maisie, Mamie.
Maybe because it rhymed with MOLLY
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Polly was a nickname for Mary in England, as was Peggy for Margaret, Patty for Martha, well documented from earlier centuries. Something about the pronunciation of M and P changing over time but I can’t remember exactly how now!
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It took me forever to find one of my OHs ancestors named Daniel McCarthy born in Cardiff.
Luckily I knew his bride's name and I eventually found the marriage by just searching for the two surnames in the freebmd index. Daniel had become Dennis.
I knew the year of the ancestor's death but it didn't appear in the town's death list. Then I spied a death entry for Daniel Dennis McCarthy.
He was a Catholic and I've only recently learnt that given names can be changed when they're confirmed.