Genealogy Chat

I am a bit puzzled to find a birth entry listed with 2 maiden names for the mother. I will give an example of what I mean - I've changed the names and details, birth was actually registered in 1975 and there is a sibling with listed similarly the year before:-

Black Andrew Black or White London 13 1972
White Andrew White or Black London 13 1972

Can anyone throw any light on this for me please?

Thanks :-)

Probably the mother was known by both surnames?

Maybe the mother wasn't married to the father, but used his surname, so the birth was registered under both her own surname and the father's ??

(Snap, MC!)

Thanks.

But surely even if the mother wasn't married to the father it would still have to be her own maiden name listed in the column 'mothers maiden name' ?

Perhaps the mother was born and registered under her father's surname (which would be her maiden name) but then the father died while she was still young and she was brought up using her step-father's surname and was known by that so wasn't sure which surname she should give - in which case both would have been recorded.

Kath. x

The "mother's maiden name" could be any/all names she was known by. Only way to determine is to get certificate.

Thanks. I always thought that the 'mother's maiden name' HAD to be the name that the mother of the child was born/registered at birth with.

I know that my own BM had several partners and marriages but her children's names were always registered with various surnames but her actual 'mother's maiden/surname ' was always the same.

I'm not sure how the cert would prove/disprove this either as surely the info would be the same as recorded in the register? :-S

the cert would throw a light though on why both names are listed it could say White previously known as Black.

is there a comment if you found this on freebmd - shown by a little envelope against a name. On a choice of names transcribers are usually asked to put in a comment as appropriate and the index entry is keyed twice

Thanks lancashireAnn - I've just done this and it says "#Comment Mothers name Black or White."