Author Topic: Does anyone know anything about name changes in the 1800s?  (Read 2304 times)

Offline ReesyJ

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Does anyone know anything about name changes in the 1800s?
« on: Sunday 14 February 21 14:27 GMT (UK) »
Did people change their names in the 1800s?
 I have a family member that has always been named David. His marriage certificate says David, his children's baptism registrations also name him David, However, we are unable to find any documents for David before his marriage and when looking into his parents a bit more, it looks like the only children they had were a William and a Lucy.
I am so confused.  This is why I am wondering if people change their names in this period.
Any help would be much appreciated.
Baldock, Barlow, Brattle, Bray, Cubitt, Cubitt- Keeler, Elphick, Emery, Haselgrove, Jupp, Keeler, Lock, Manser/Manser, Morse, Parsons, Rees, Sayers, Sebbage, Vigor, Wheeler.

Offline PaulineJ

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Re: Does anyone know anything about name changes in the 1800s?
« Reply #1 on: Sunday 14 February 21 20:06 GMT (UK) »
I'd suggest presenting the evidence as see what we make of it.

Link to each and every record.

Pauline
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Offline iluleah

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Re: Does anyone know anything about name changes in the 1800s?
« Reply #2 on: Sunday 14 February 21 20:41 GMT (UK) »
Hi and welcome to rootschat ;D

Yes people changed their names in the 1800s.

I could never find my great grandfather who was born in 1860, this was before the internet and easy peasy searching, you had to search through parish records or fiche in the records office.

He was born/baptised with a first/surname and by the time he was ten was using another first name, within 10 year he was using another surname and then moved counties so back very difficult to find with lots of travel to 'potential' county records offices...so born/bap using one first/surname and died/buried using a completely different first/surname and no 'legal' name change( so no name change records to find) it was just using the name and it was accepted at that time including legal purposes



Leicestershire:Chamberlain, Dakin, Wilkinson, Moss, Cook, Welland, Dobson, Roper,Palfreman, Squires, Hames, Goddard, Topliss, Twells,Bacon.
Northamps:Sykes, Harris, Rice,Knowles.
Rutland:Clements, Dalby, Osbourne, Durance, Smith,Christian, Royce, Richardson,Oakham, Dewey,Newbold,Cox,Chamberlaine,Brow, Cooper, Bloodworth,Clarke
Durham/Yorks:Woodend, Watson,Parker, Dowser
Suffolk/Norfolk:Groom, Coleman, Kemp, Barnard, Alden,Blomfield,Smith,Howes,Knight,Kett,Fryston
Lincolnshire:Clements, Woodend

Offline ReesyJ

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Re: Does anyone know anything about name changes in the 1800s?
« Reply #3 on: Sunday 14 February 21 20:47 GMT (UK) »
Hi and welcome to rootschat ;D

Yes people changed their names in the 1800s.

I could never find my great grandfather who was born in 1860, this was before the internet and easy peasy searching, you had to search through parish records or fiche in the records office.

He was born/baptised with a first/surname and by the time he was ten was using another first name, within 10 year he was using another surname and then moved counties so back very difficult to find with lots of travel to 'potential' county records offices...so born/bap using one first/surname and died/buried using a completely different first/surname and no 'legal' name change( so no name change records to find) it was just using the name and it was accepted at that time including legal purposes


How did you figure out that your great grandfather had changed his name or was it already common knowledge within your family?
Baldock, Barlow, Brattle, Bray, Cubitt, Cubitt- Keeler, Elphick, Emery, Haselgrove, Jupp, Keeler, Lock, Manser/Manser, Morse, Parsons, Rees, Sayers, Sebbage, Vigor, Wheeler.


Offline KGarrad

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Re: Does anyone know anything about name changes in the 1800s?
« Reply #4 on: Sunday 14 February 21 20:49 GMT (UK) »
My family name has remained virtually the same spelling since the 1500's ;D

BUT I had trouble finding my grandfather in 1911.
Turns out he and his siblings had left Wiltshire and were living in Bedminster (now in Bristol) but all using their middle names!
Garrad (Suffolk, Essex, Somerset), Crocker (Somerset), Vanstone (Devon, Jersey), Sims (Wiltshire), Bridger (Kent)

Offline ReesyJ

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Re: Does anyone know anything about name changes in the 1800s?
« Reply #5 on: Sunday 14 February 21 21:06 GMT (UK) »
This is what I have so far


David Bray - abt 1810 Ringmer, Sussex, England
Married: Hannah Parker (Waller) 24th December 1848, Portslade, Sussex

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-DR53-V29?i=746

This states David’s father is John Bray.
The only John Bray I can find in the right area and time married a Margaret Evans
However, when I search for children of John & Margaret I can only find

William John - 1809   https://www.ancestry.co.uk/discoveryui-content/view/87433178:9841

Lucy -  1811 https://www.ancestry.co.uk/discoveryui-content/view/1731406:9841
There are a few more children later as well

David appears on all censuses up to 1881
His birth always calculates to abt 1810
And they all state he was born in Ringmer, Sussex

I have searched for baptisms for David from 1810 - 1848 when he got married, to no avail

David Died: 10 May 1886 - Steyning Workhouse, Ham Road, Shoreham-By-Sea, Sussex, England of Chronic Bronchitis.


Baldock, Barlow, Brattle, Bray, Cubitt, Cubitt- Keeler, Elphick, Emery, Haselgrove, Jupp, Keeler, Lock, Manser/Manser, Morse, Parsons, Rees, Sayers, Sebbage, Vigor, Wheeler.

Offline hdw

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Re: Does anyone know anything about name changes in the 1800s?
« Reply #6 on: Sunday 14 February 21 21:18 GMT (UK) »
In 19th-century Scotland certain first names from the previous century seem to have become regarded as rather uncouth, and there was a process of anglicisation whereby, for example, a woman christened Grizel in the 1700s would have her name given as Grace on her 19th c. death-certificate. Something to be aware of if you are looking for Grizel's death and wondering where the heck she went. The answer is that she lived as Grizel but died as Grace!

In Lowland Scotland a Daniel might be descended from a Highland ancestor called Donald, and an 18th century Patrick might end his days as Peter. Don't assume that a Patrick must be of Irish origin, it was regarded as the "same" name as Peter.

In my neck of the woods in east Fife Michael was often pronounced Mitchell by the old folks and often so written as well. Another potential headache for the genealogist.

But my favourite is one of my 3 x great-grandmothers who was called Campbell Swankie, but on her death-certificate her descendants gave her name as Camilla! (She had a sister called McKay Swankie).

Harry

Online MonicaL

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Re: Does anyone know anything about name changes in the 1800s?
« Reply #7 on: Sunday 14 February 21 21:24 GMT (UK) »
This is, I think, the best resource for checking first name variants. Some are obvious, some less so  ::):

www.whatsinaname.net

Monica

Added: Oops! Welcome to RootsChat, ReesyJ  :)
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Offline Ruskie

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Re: Does anyone know anything about name changes in the 1800s?
« Reply #8 on: Sunday 14 February 21 22:03 GMT (UK) »
Welcome to rootschat from me too.  :)

Do you have David in all of the censuses, and is he always referred to as David there too? Have you traced William in case he morphs into ‘David’?

Do you have the birth/baptism records of William in case he is William middle name David?

It could be that David has fallen through the gaps somehow and was not registered, records lost, spelling variations, registered elsewhere or you may have missed him.

If you would like to give us some names we can see if we can come up with anything.