Change of surname

[Venster1972]

Hello.

First time poster so I hope I’m in the correct forum!

My question is, my ancestors had a change of surname about 3/4 generations ago. The father has the surname Venney but all the children were registered Veni and all of their subsequent descendants, including myself.

Why or how would this be so? I understand the literacy issues from the 1800s and would understand 1 or 2 of the children could be documented differently, but it’s all 6 of them.

Thanks, Simon.

[Ray T]

Welcome to Rootschat Simon.

As I see it, someone who can’t read or write is asked their name by a Registrar and he/she writes down what he/she hears. The child learns to read, looks at their birth certificate and sees how their name should be spelled.

[shanreagh]

And a warm welcome from me too Simon/Venster 1972.

If all six of the children were baptised in the same place then that would explain the 'consistency'. Also Veni is a Latin word and if a priest or Registar was classically educated then they may hear and spell it using a Latin form.

[Venster1972]

And a warm welcome from me too Simon/Venster 1972.

If all six of the children were baptised in the same place then that would explain the 'consistency'. Also Veni is a Latin word and if a priest or Registar was classically educated then they may hear and spell it using a Latin form.

Hi.

That actually makes sense, but more difficult tracing backwards as there’s so many variations of my name going back into the 1700s.

Thank you.

[Spelk]

My first thought was that it is the VENNEY which was the error and VENI is the more correct spelling. Do you have earlier generation? We’re their ancestors Italian?

[nanny jan]

One of my lines has the surname Pain; but have seen them documented as Pain/Paine/Payne/Payn.

People wrote what they heard.

[Venster1972]

My first thought was that it is the VENNEY which was the error and VENI is the more correct spelling. Do you have earlier generation? We’re their ancestors Italian?

VENI is the more recent - it changed around 1900 and has been the same since. I’ve got back, on the maternal side, to mid 1740s where the name originates from and before then it’s slightly different.