Change of name in Victorian times…how easy?

[nellie d]

I am wondering how easy it would have been to change your name in the 1800’s.
My reason for asking this is that I think that my gt grandfather FJF may have done just this in c1879.
He appears in records with the name that I know him as FJF and the same occupation, that is in, census returns, births and marriage records of his children and two of his his and marriage certificates. (He had 4 “wives”) on his married certs his father’s name (FF) and occupation are given.
There are no records for him in the name I know him as before 1879.
This other chap FJH has the same two first names and same profession as my chap. Father has same first names F and profession. I found this on the baptism and marriage certificate for FJH.
FJH has records census, baptism and marriage up until 1879, then he disappears.
FJF abandoned his first “wife”, for whom there is no record of marriage but 4 children and “married” my gt gt grandmother, again for whom there is no record of marriage and one child.
Now…I have DNA matches to descendants of the children from his two “marriages” under the name FJF…and have just discovered DNA matches to the descendants of two the children of FJH. These matches place the descendants of both FJF and FJH at the same level of relationship to me.
So…to my original question. How easy would it have been for someone to change his identity back then? These days, we need our birth and marriage certificates to prove who we are. Would it have been easier, back then, to get away without these documents…or get forgeries, if needed?

[AntonyMMM]

Anyone is free to use whatever name they want - even today.

I can't think of any occasion  a person at that time would be required to produce a birth, or marriage, certificate.

( with the exception possibly of  the need to prove a child was old enough to work, under the later Factory Acts)

[nellie d]

Anyone is free to use whatever name they want - even today.

I can't think of any occasion a person at that time would be required to produce a birth, or marriage, certificate.

Thank you Antony MMM .
So it’s quite possible then, that my gt gt grandfather was a bigamist then. I didn’t think that it would have been as “strict” back then. Thank you for the confirmation.

[Biggles50]

I found in my Sister in Laws line that one of her relations moved, changed their surname, yet stayed in the same profession.

He used his Mothers maiden name as his surname.

I never found out why and only identified him when at census time he had relations staying with him that had the same birth surname as he originally had and the relationships tallied with actuals.

So yes, it was easy to change names.

In a different tree one even emigrated under a changed family name, after deserted his family in England, then both he and his Wife committed bigamy and went on to have more children

[KGarrad]

Divorce was beyond the reach of most people.
So bigamy, or moving in with a new partner, was an easier solution.

Please note: it's only bigamy if another marriage took place.