Handling people who change name by deed poll

Question

Any thoughts on how to handle someone who has changed their name by deed poll? (Second marriage - kids from first marriage changed to Second surname at 16). I put this as their current surname but Genealogy programs all use Birth Surname when doing charts.

If I put their current surname in as Birth Surname it then looks weird as not Biological Dads Surname.

Or do I just have to accept that nothing handles this well :-)

Answer 1

Hi David,

So, with other programs, they recommend you replace the LNAB when a child's name is changed? Could it be that the other program uses the Current Last Name differently than we do? (That's an understandable complaint from many genealogists about WikiTree. Since they're used to thinking about ancestors and not modern people -- which we blend on the same system -- Current Last Name seems irrelevant and distracting.)

On WikiTree I think we'd clearly want to use Current Last Name. This is the style guide for those fields: http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Name_Fields#Last_Name_at_Birth

Unless maybe the child was an infant at the time? Then maybe there'd be some wiggle room?

Or maybe I'm not understanding, or the style guide needs to be improved upon?

Chris

Comments

Dunno what the other progs recommend you do ;-)

But, they use LNAB in their printouts, data etc - which I suppose, if you were looking for e.g. birth certificates, is correct.

However, most other stuff, when there's a name change reverts to current name - e.g. Census

What the objected to was my beautifully printed family tree showing their birth name.

OK, what happened

Girl {First Surname} born

Mum divorces and remarries

At 16 Girl changes surname to new dad's

Girl {Second Surname} then has baby - dad not around

Baby {Second Surname} looks weird on printout as child of Girl {First Surname}

Looks like abscent dad was called {Second Surname}

Answer 2

Not sure if I should start a new thread or "answer" here.

I have a cousin who, we will say for this exercise, was born:-  'Albert Brian Cooper'

We can see what his First name, Middle name and Surname are and he will show as Albert B. Cooper.

He has changed his name by Deed Poll to 'David Edward Ford-Cooper'.

I have tried putting 'Albert Brian' as 'First name' with 'Middle name' blank and 'David Edward' as 'Preferred'.  Is this OK?  If I add Ford-Cooper as 'Current Last Name" he shows as David Edward (Cooper) Ford-Cooper.

Is this how it should be done?