Original name

Question

I know we should use the surname on the Birth certificate no matter what. But, what if we don't have it? Should the name on the death certificate be used? Providing of course that a woman's maiden name is recorded.

thank you

Comments

Can you find a marriage record?

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I have some Marriage records, I'm searching for more records right now. The thing is this. Some Dupuis are Dupuy and some are Dupuy Montpellier or dit Montpellier. so I have a family/marriage record for Joseph and he's Dupuy Montpellier and a death record for his daughter Marie and she's MarieMontpellier, in the written part she's Montpellier dit Dupuis, on Find a Grave she's Dupris dit Montpellier but on the family/marriage record she's Marie Dupuy Montpellier. Well, I'll assume that since they only show the father's surname.

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I'd probably go for the earliest likely record/s and use the name from those.

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ok thank you very much

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on Find a Grave she's Dupris dit Montpellier but . . .

commented 1 hour ago by Melissa Greenwood

My limited understanding says she should have been listed as dite, not dit; and that dit / dite  simply means "called".  If that's the case, it's your guess, seeing the "dit" was used in two different places.

Answer 1

Death certificates would be the last record to use. Birth or marriage are closer in time to the events.

Also, if "dit" names are involved, have you read the Québécois Project's section on names?