Author Topic: name change  (Read 1122 times)

Offline waswigg

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name change
« on: Sunday 02 December 18 18:02 GMT (UK) »
in my family our surname is Wright but in 1846 it went to Wigg and I  have been able to prove that this happened although it was the other way round ie Wigg To Wright.
It seems as though the said person John Wright who's father was John Wright Wigg a saddler
just dropped the name Wigg and Kept it to John Wright he must have disliked the name wigg
waswigg

Offline andrewalston

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Re: name change
« Reply #1 on: Friday 07 December 18 23:56 GMT (UK) »
Name changes can happen for any number of reasons.

In my research I've found:
  • people who used the name of the person they were living with, though they were not married.
  • a man who used his wife's maiden name in the censuses, though their children were all registered with his birth surname.
  • people who "forgot" that they had previously married.
  • a family who inherited an estate on condition that they changed their surname from MILLS to HOLT.
  • a man who used the surnames STAFFORD and RAWSON but was actually a JONES. I've still no idea why.
Looking at ALSTON in south Ribble area, ALSTEAD and DONBAVAND/DUNBABIN etc. everywhere, HOWCROFT and MARSH in Bolton and Westhoughton, PICKERING in the Whitehaven area.

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Online Ruskie

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Re: name change
« Reply #2 on: Saturday 08 December 18 02:08 GMT (UK) »
To add to Andrew's list:

A person who was illegitimate alternating between birth surname (ie mother's maiden name) and the biological father's surname (if known), or sometimes the surname of the man their mother later went on to marry ie their step father. On some records they use one surname and on others another.

It can sometimes be as simple as you say .... he didn't like the surname "Wigg". This happened in a family I am researching, and the story and reason for this was related by an elderly relative.

Offline majm

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Re: name change
« Reply #3 on: Saturday 08 December 18 02:13 GMT (UK) »
I have a living relative who changed their surname when still at school ...   took the phone book ,  shut eyes,  opened book,  put pencil on a name,  opened eyes ...  used that name at Uni,  for marriage,  work, voting, registering babies, and likely will be registered with it when dead. 

JM
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Online Ruskie

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Re: name change
« Reply #4 on: Saturday 08 December 18 10:11 GMT (UK) »
I have a living relative who changed their surname when still at school ...   took the phone book ,  shut eyes,  opened book,  put pencil on a name,  opened eyes ...  used that name at Uni,  for marriage,  work, voting, registering babies, and likely will be registered with it when dead. 

JM

They took a bit of a risk JM.  :)I hope they were lucky and landed on a good name. It could have been a disaster.

Unless the pencil landed on a couple of dud names and kept trying till they found a name they liked.

Did they have any issues when official documents like birth certificates were required for marriage or passports?

Offline majm

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Re: name change
« Reply #5 on: Saturday 08 December 18 10:50 GMT (UK) »
He married in New South Wales in the 1970s and in that era you could be married without needing certified proof of identity,  particularly if you were known to the clergy.    When he sought passport he provided proof of name change .... certified copy of NSW BDM marriage cert ... it shows his parents details including all names for both parents, plus his age at marriage and place of birth and bis former name .... as in James John SURNAME formerly UNSURNAME... and his NSWBDM birth cert ... which of course is not a document that is available for anyone to purchase ...  :)  He is used to admin staff asking for proof of name change in this century .... but he enjoys the attention in telling the tale in how he chose the new name ...  he is one of my 'go to' elderly rellies for help with tricky Rchat issues ... a retired archivist ...  :)  with a passion for 19th century NSW history...  :)

It is still legal in NSW to become known by another name/s without any formal deed...  provided that you are not attempting to deceive or defraud...  of course banks,  government etc would try to find ways to make it difficult but ...  :)


JM
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Online Ruskie

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Re: name change
« Reply #6 on: Saturday 08 December 18 11:06 GMT (UK) »
Great story JM.  :)

Did he change his name just "because he could", because he did not like his birth name, or was there a deeper reason?

Offline majm

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Re: name change
« Reply #7 on: Saturday 08 December 18 11:28 GMT (UK) »
He did not like his surname ... and had been teased once too often by school teachers in the classroom ... his dad took a while to accept the change. 

JM
The information in my posts is provided for academic and non-commercial research purposes. 
Random Acts of Kindness Given Freely are never Worthless for they are Priceless.
Qui scit et non docet.    Qui docet et non vivit.    Qui nescit et non interrogat.   
All Census Look Ups Are Crown Copyright from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
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Offline Mart 'n' Al

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Re: name change
« Reply #8 on: Saturday 08 December 18 12:31 GMT (UK) »
A long time ago a young man on the verge of a record career, called Harold Dorman, decided that his name wasn't fancy enough. He stuck pins in a map of the United States, and selected two names, and became Conway Twitty. He then became one of the most successful country singers of the next 30 odd years. He even started his own theme park, Twitty City.

Majm, your relative is lucky he didn't end up being called Area Code Enquiries.

Martin