Unmarried parents - child's surname

KSS · Post by **KSS** » 16 May 2011 19:22

FH has assigned the father's surname to the child of unmarried parents. Is this correct?

ID:5101

gerrynuk · Post by **gerrynuk** » 16 May 2011 20:05

It might be - depends on the circumstances.

FH allocates the father's surname by default but you can easily change it. Just click on the name in the Property Box. You can also add another name by clicking on 'more (+)...' and make that the primary name if you want to. There is also an option under Preference (General tab) to turn off this action.

Children were sometimes given the father's surname if the mother married after the birth. Of course she may not have married the father in which case the child had the 'wrong' surname. This also happened when the father died and the mother re-married, although in those circumstances it was probably more common for the child to retain the surname of their natural father.

(I am only familiar with what happened in England and Wales - practice elsewhere may have been different. I do know that in some countries (but not in England) if the natural parents married after the birth of one or more children the marriage would legitimise them.)

Gerry

KSS · Post by **KSS** » 16 May 2011 20:42

Thanks, Gerry. That explains the situation. I'll now have to find out just what the parents decided to do.

Post by **tatewise** » 16 May 2011 21:00

Depending on when and where the birth took place, there are various options.

If it was after 1837 in the UK, when GRO registrations began, the formal Birth Certificate will give the 'official' surname.
You may also find this in the free GRO Index online databases.
This 'official' surname is what most genealogists record as the FH Surname.
Other assumed names are recorded as Alternate Names.

If pre-1837 in the UK, then Church Parish records may give the answer.

Other countries may be different.

pwe · Post by **pwe** » 16 May 2011 21:10

My own experience of birth certificates post 1837 [in England & Wales] is that the surname of the child is not given. The Christian name of the child plus the name of the father and mother and the mother's maiden name is given.
From this it is not possible to know what surname the child used in cases where the mother and father had different surnames. In fack the childs birth is indexed in the GRO index under both the father's and mother's surname.

In such cases I have arrived at the name used by the child by reference to census entries.
Peter E

KSS · Post by **KSS** » 17 May 2011 19:47

Thanks all. I need to do a bit more research.

doonhamer · Post by **doonhamer** » 23 May 2011 10:08

In the UK post civil reg the surname rule is that if a father is shown on the birth certificate then his surname is automatically given to the child. If no father shown then the mother's surname is given.

Census can b very unreliable for children surnames as in the case of illegitimacy or a second marriage as there was no formal adoption process until late 1920's ish frequently step children are enumerated not with their birth surname but with their step father's surname.

Later when the children marry frequently they revert to their birth surname.

If the shild was baptised then the surname is clear and if there is doubt then frequently Two surnames are given with 'Or'.

KSS · Post by **KSS** » 23 May 2011 19:12

Thanks, doonhamer. That's useful.

treefrog · Post by **treefrog** » 24 May 2011 08:32

Sometimes what goes on the the census form is wishful thinking on the family's part - there's a pair of illegitimate twins on my tree who first appear (as babies)in 1891 with the surname Robertson; but there are no other Robertsons on the tree and by 1901 they've reverted to their mother's name, Taylor. Took me a while to work that one out!

Hi there, doonhamer - I'm sitting here in Dumfries as I type!

Jocelyn

jeemo · Post by **jeemo** » 24 May 2011 23:56

FH has assigned the father's surname

KSS

You can turn the auto assignment of the father's name off if you want to. Go to Tools > Preferences > General Tab and untick the 'Insert father's surname when creating children'

KSS · Post by **KSS** » 25 May 2011 19:27

Thanks, John.

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