"Also known as..."

[cms]

I have a record of an ancestor in the 1600s with an alias.
He was a farmer in a small village and his alias is "Graunge".
What would this signify and is it common to have another name at this period? His own surname was uncommon so it is not to distinguish him from all the others. I am wondering if the name of his farm was Grange Fram, but is this jumping to conclusions?

Caroline

[stanmapstone]

An Alias could mean illegitimacy; or the remarriage of a widow, to denote 'formerly'; to recognise a change of name; to signify a common law marriage; to differentiate between different holders of common surnames; to acknowledge a personal inheritance from outside the family; to indicate stepchildren or fostered children. Discovering the reason for an alias is not straightforward, and each case has to be treated on it's merits. Even in cases of illegitimacy there is no rule whether the father's or the mother's name was given first.

Stan

[crystalight]

Sorry to jump in on your thread Caroline, but thank you Stan you have Partially answered a query of mine 

I have been unable to find a birth record for my gggrandfather (I have a thread in the common room asking for help).
He appears as Thomas BRADSHAWE on his marriage & daughters birth cert which also has his fathers name on it Paris William Augustus Bradshawe 
Thomas Christie BRADSHAWE on his death cert
but his Naval/Coastguard service record has him as Thomas CHRISTIE Alias Thomas Christie BRADSHAW  born 11 Sept 1838 in London Middlesex

All very confusing, wish we could travel back in time 

Crystal 

[cms]

Crystal
We had exactly the same thing with my husband's gt gt grandfather; He was born before his parents married so although he used his father's name his real name was his mothers name which he used as a second name. V confusing until we sorted out the reason.

I wish we could go back in time too - I am always trying to imagine what certain places would have been like in the period my ancestors lived there. I wouldnt want to live in any other times though. Imagine not being able to communicate like this!

Stanmapstone - you are always so helpful - thank you. The problem is, this is SO far back in time, but I am sort of hoping it will not be illegitimacy, but will pinpoint the farm he had.

Caroline