Author Topic: Different spelling of surnames  (Read 9473 times)

Offline DixonBainbridge

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Different spelling of surnames
« on: Thursday 11 February 16 12:40 GMT (UK) »
Hi all,

I have a question regarding best way to identify the correct spelling of a surname. I have members of a family who's surname differs in spelling between documents, in some the surname is Easter and in others it's Eastaugh.

The head of the family is Samuel Easter/Eastaugh born abt 1863 in Suffolk, England. His name on the sources I have are:

FreeBMD Birth: EASTAUGH
Census 1971, 1891, 1901, 1911: EASTER
Census 1881: EASTAUGH

His children also seem to alternate between the spellings. So I'm confused which is correct. Do I need to go with what is on the birth certificates? Or is BMD more relaiable than census?

Thanks

Offline Rosinish

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Re: Different spelling of surnames
« Reply #1 on: Thursday 11 February 16 12:57 GMT (UK) »
Many names have many variations.......

I have a family with 11 children with 4 different spellings on baptisms/births not to mention more on census records.
I have them listed by the name on the baptism/birth as there are so many variations of the name (7 to date)

Kain, Kean, Cain, Caine, etc  ::)

Spellings were noted by how the name sounded as many people were illiterate.

If my names are Mac/Mc I use Mac for consistency with notes of how they were recorded on different docs.

Annie

South Uist, Inverness-shire, Scotland:- Bowie, Campbell, Cumming, Currie

Ireland:- Cullen, Flannigan (Derry), Donahoe/Donaghue (variants) (Cork), McCrate (Tipperary), Mellon, Tol(l)and (Donegal & Tyrone)

Newcastle-on-Tyne/Durham (Northumberland):- Harrison, Jude, Kemp, Lunn, Mellon, Robson, Stirling

Kettering, Northampton:- MacKinnon

Canada:- Callaghan, Cumming, MacPhee

"OLD GENEALOGISTS NEVER DIE - THEY JUST LOSE THEIR CENSUS"

Offline lizdb

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Re: Different spelling of surnames
« Reply #2 on: Thursday 11 February 16 13:12 GMT (UK) »
The further back you go, you will find spelling more and more variable.  As time went on, then different lines tended to settle on a particular spelling, so you can have many strands of the same family who, in modern years, have differently spelt surnames.

My family spell their name Edmonds with an 'o', and until I started researching Family history I would have said that was the "right" way for "my" family, and people called Edmunds with a 'u' were not my family at all!

But as I worked back, spelling became much more fluid.  Plenty of Edmunds and Edmends amongst ancestors. Several lines working forwards tended to settle with the Edmunds spelling, one line adopted Edmends right up to the present day. Going further back I saw Edmands, Edmems, Edmans, Emans, and 101 others.

There is no "right" spelling!

And even in recent years, transcription errors can easily occur. My own nephew married not that long ago, very much an Edmonds, but I see his marriage in the GRO index is recorded as Edmunds. So somewhere between him signing the register in the church and the record making the index, it got misread.

I only search for Edm* now and really take no notice of the actual spelling when a record is found.
Edmonds/Edmunds - mainly Sussex
DeBoo - London
Green - Suffolk
Parker - Sussex
Kemp - Essex
Farrington - Essex
Boniface - West Sussex

census information is Crown Copyright from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline Ruskie

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Re: Different spelling of surnames
« Reply #3 on: Thursday 11 February 16 13:19 GMT (UK) »
They are all correct.  :)

Often surnames were phonetically spelled by whoever was recording the name on a particular document, so it would not be a case of your ancestors making a conscious decision to alternate spellings of the surname, it was just how the person writing the name decided to spell it. Many of our ancestors were illiterate and even those who weren't would probably not have spelled their surname in order for it to be recorded 'correctly', nor would they have checked to see that it had been.

Sometimes surnames can vary quite considerably. I have a Clemmet ancestor whose surname has many variations including Clemmonson. I have a Lawrenson who also has many different spellings.


Offline Billyblue

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Re: Different spelling of surnames
« Reply #4 on: Thursday 11 February 16 13:24 GMT (UK) »
I have a paper somewhere in my filing  ::)  ::)  ::) that lists 104 - yes 104 - different ways to spell my surname!

Dawn M
Denys (France); Rossier/Rousseau (Switzerland); Montgomery (Antrim, IRL & North Sydney NSW);  Finn (Co.Carlow, IRL & NSW); Wilson (Leicestershire & NSW); Blue (Sydney NSW); Fisher & Barrago & Harrington(all Tipperary, IRL)

Offline barryd

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Re: Different spelling of surnames
« Reply #5 on: Thursday 11 February 16 13:24 GMT (UK) »
My Routledge line changes to Rutledge when emigrating to the USA. No problem if they were born in England they are Routledge and when in America they are sometimes Rutledge so I just change their names accordingly.

Offline AntonyMMM

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Re: Different spelling of surnames
« Reply #6 on: Thursday 11 February 16 13:37 GMT (UK) »
Names vary over time in everyone's family  - there is no correct spelling, just a record of how it was written at that particular time or event.

You should record the name as it is written on each record you find.

Offline Ruskie

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Re: Different spelling of surnames
« Reply #7 on: Thursday 11 February 16 13:40 GMT (UK) »
I have a paper somewhere in my filing  ::)  ::)  ::) that lists 104 - yes 104 - different ways to spell my surname!

Dawn M

That's got to be a record Dawn!  :o Now you have me wanting to know your surname.  ;D

Offline Beeonthebay

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Re: Different spelling of surnames
« Reply #8 on: Thursday 11 February 16 13:44 GMT (UK) »
They are all correct.  :)

Often surnames were phonetically spelled by whoever was recording the name on a particular document, so it would not be a case of your ancestors making a conscious decision to alternate spellings of the surname, it was just how the person writing the name decided to spell it. Many of our ancestors were illiterate and even those who weren't would probably not have spelled their surname in order for it to be recorded 'correctly', nor would they have checked to see that it had been.

Sometimes surnames can vary quite considerably. I have a Clemmet ancestor whose surname has many variations including Clemmonson. I have a Lawrenson who also has many different spellings.

And not forgetting accents as well, not only regional but also other countries...... ::)
Williams, Owens, Pritchard, Povall, Banks, Brown.