how to designate a changed FIRST name?

Question

A few years ago, I legally changed my first name.  What would be a good way to designate that my current first isn't the one I had for much of my life?

Answer 1

Welcome to G2G forum James.

Please see the following help page:

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Help:Name_Fields#Proper_First_Name

According to WikiTree style and standards your current first name is to be entered in the "Prefered First Name" field.

You also could add a note explaining the name change to your biography if you would like to.

Comments

Not only could you include information about the name change in the biography text, but you should do that.

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Interesting.

And to make it potentially more interesting  ... my first name is what my middle name used to be, now have no middle name -- and to just to make things even potentially 'messier', my original first name is same as my late father's, and yet I was never a 'junior', having had different middle names (at least until I deleted my old first name and shifted my old middle name to first)

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To avoid creating a bizarre-looking display, you could put both your first and middle name at birth in the Proper First Name field, then put the single name that you use now the Preferred Name field. That's what I did with my great-grandfather (and some other profiles).

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Thanks for the tips, Ellen!