Genealogy Chat

I wonder if any one can shed any light on the following: I have an aunt who was adopted in 1941. She was registered under one name ( the surname of the father) and then there is another registration with the surname of the Mother. Both registrations have the same GRO number.

Any ideas please?

This must refer to her original BC - her birth parents weren't married to each other. Presumably the mother's maiden name is the same?

The gro ref has been double entered, but the ref is for the same certificate.

When the parents are married to each other, then the certificate would give the fathers surname, which by convention in the UK, the child takes. Lets assume its Jones
The name of the married mother would be (say) Mary Smith formerly Jones. Jones was her maiden name (mmn)

The entry on the GRO index (post 1911) would read
Smith, Mary mm Jones.

if the parents weren't married but the father acknowledged paternity, then the child might have been known by her mothers surname. The entry would be duplicated to reflect that. So you'd have

Smith, Mary mmn Jones
Jones, Mary mmn Jones.....Jones is the mothers maiden name

The vol, page, district etc are exactly the same.

Thank you so is it merely because the parents of Mary Anne were not married there is a double entry?

Not the given names but as follows: Mary Anne Carter (Fathers surname) (Mothers name Hills) GRO 4a 123

Mary Anne Waters (Mothers widowed name) (Mothers maiden name Hills) GRO 4a 123

The format of b.certs was unchanged from 1837q3 thru 1969q1. If you look at a b.cert from this era (maybe your own?) you'll see the child's surname is not explicitly given. It is a matter of convention (but not of law) that the child be given a parent's surname as their own surname. In a case like the one we're discussing here, it's not clear which surname that would be, so the GRO index has two entries, each pointing to the same GRO copy of the b.cert

OK, thank you. I think I understand that basically a child can have either parents' surname, and between dates given its a matter of choice.

On a side issue is this the same for a child born within marriage, that they could be given a surname of say a grand parents maiden name?

Always good to learn something new on genealogy.

One last question I'm assuming if I order the certificates they will say all the same details but the surnames will be different on them?

Jayne
There will only be one cert.The surnames of father and mother will not be the same.

They could be known by any name they choose, as long as it isn't for illegal purposes.

In the case of your Mary Ann, the name of the mother goes back to what has been said previously - as the surnames of both parents don't match, all three names have to be shown.

If you were to order the BC, which ever set of names you use from the GRO index, you will get exactly the same certificate.

Thinking of it as a filing system. Lets say that our household paper work has a file for bills paid by credit cards, and a file for home improvements.

We have the drive re-laid paying by credit card. I have to make a copy of the receipt and file one copy in the 'home improvements' file, and the other in 'paid by CC' file.
There was only one payment - the two copies are exactly the same.