Genealogy Chat

it has been there since time immemorial ... or at least when I started using Ancestry a decade ago ... :-)

it used to be called 'birth surname' which was more useful and accurate

the problem is that Ancestry offers all these options for the reason why the addition is made ... but actually when a user clicks to see the added info, the reason why it is there is not shown at all

for instance I have added two names to a record of an ancestor of mine ... one is their birth name and the other is the correct spelling of their name in the census ... all that is shown is my explanations, but no label like 'birth name' or 'name change' or 'incorrect in image' that I had to check when I added the info ... so the whole thing would have been a complete mystery to anyone looking, if I hadn't explained!

so it is useful for people who add info to state why, but very very few do ...

Joonie - I don't know why you think birth surname is more accurate than maiden surname - they're two difft things - a maiden surname is the surname used when a woman first marries, and this may well not be her birth surname. My niece is an example - her maiden surname was the name she'd used for the previous 10 y, viz, her stepfather's surname.

Hi mgnv,

I agree birth names and maiden names can be different I have some women on my trees using step fathers names too. Being able to add births names would be an idea too as males sometimes changed their names too. My great grand father never used his birth name, on 2 census he used his step fathers name and then when he married he used his middle name of Allsopp as his surname and was always know as Allsopp after that, took me years to find out his birth name.

heh, what would you call the surname my ancestor used when he married, which was not the surname he was born with? :-)

the standard French equivalent is 'née', which simply means 'born'

'maiden name' is not a formal or official term ... on children's birth certificates in the 1800s, for instance, the mother was 'formerly' ... no space for 'maiden name' ... it is used on some forms today by convention only

exceptions prove (test) rules!

I have also seen official information that defines a mother's maiden name as her last name when she was born, and then refers to her adoptive last name at marriage if she was adopted

and you do understand that there are social objections to the term 'maiden name', since 'maiden' really means 'virgin', and nobody ever concerns themselves with the groom's past exploits :-)

I guess 'name before first marriage' would cover it all !

the thing in this case is that what people will most likely know and be referring to when they add info at Ancestry is in fact a woman's birth surname ... so maybe there should be separate category for 'name at time of first marriage' ...

Perhaps Ancestry should change the add maiden name to Former Names that would cover any name used.be it man or woman.

Scottish certificates use the term m.s. (Maiden surname) rather than formerly when giving the name of the mother on birth, marriage and death registrations.

Also, it wasn't too uncommon for widows to be listed on the 1841 in Scotland using their maiden surname. In fact there are quite a few examples of married women listed using their maiden surname on the 1841 Scottish census even although they are living with their husbands. Then again in Scotland we women tend to retain our maiden surnames with married surnames for legal purposes. For example a Mary Brown marries a Mr. Smith then later marries a Mr. Green, on legal documents she would be Mary Brown or Smith or Green.

Wendy, good one, 'former names'. :-)