If maiden name is also married name

[iolaus]

Unfortunately the only birth certificate I have for my mother is a short one (and I'm broke and already know the information which would be on the long certificate) and another thread made me wonder so thought I'd see if any of you knew how her mothers name would be recorded

My grandmother married a man (my grandfather) who had the same surname (I've not found a link between the two families at all) so her birth on the freebmdindex looks as if her mother was single ie Smith MMN Smith

Under Name and Maiden Name of Mother would it just say, for example, Jane Smith or would it be Jane Smith, formerly Jane Smith?

[Wiggy]

I think the Smith MMN Smith proves that her maiden and married name are the same.  I have instances of that in my family also.  Otherwise they wouldn't have bothered to have written it that way (I don't think.)

Wiggy

[Milliepede]

so her birth on the index looks as if her mother was single ie Smith MMN Smith

If her mother was single it would be Smith MMN -

Nothing for mothers maiden name just a line.

[iolaus]

I meant on the freebmd index not the gro one sorry (yes, they do use a line sorry)

I know what the maiden name was I was just wondering if anyone knew how it would be written on the actual certificate (without me actually going and buying one for no actual information other than nosiness as to the wording)

[Milliepede]

The wording would be the same as on certificates where the parents had different names.

Jane Smith formerly Brown if it was Smith & Brown

Jane Smith formerly Smith if it was Smith & Smith

[iolaus]

thanks

[clairec666]

If you're looking at FreeBMD, there's no way of telling from the index if Smith was the mother's maiden name as well as her married name, or whether she is an unmarried Miss Smith.

Wiggy and Milliepede are right about the GRO index though, where MMN can be recorded as a dash.

As for what wording is on the actual certificate.... well it depends on how thorough the registrar was in recording the information. I recently ordered one (from 1837, so the registrar didn't have much practise at filling in the form!) and the mother's previous name (the same as her married name) is not recorded, she is just "Jane Smith". Maybe the registrar asked for her previous name, and thought it wasn't worth recording the same name again? Or maybe he neglected to ask for that information? Who knows!

[Sloe Gin]

Another situation is where the informant didn't know the mother's maiden name.  It won't be a common situation, but I have one where the parents were travellers and the information was given to the Registrar at a later date by a third party, probably the midwife.  This was in the time when it was the Registrar's responsibility to record births, rather than the parents.

[angelfish58]

My parents had the same surname, I have checked my 1958 birth certificate and it is as Millipede stated, Smith formerly Smith.