Name Changes???

[Er Indoorz]

OK heres a question...

On a birth Cert I have the name HUNNIBAL, yet on his marriage cert it has changed to HANNIBALL

Was this common practice??? It makes our job so much harder if this is the case!!

[Rod Neep]

That sort of thing is very, very common indeed!

There was no fixed way of spelling surnames until relatively recently. As you progress through your family history research, you will identify many different spellings of that same surname, and many examples of the same person with different spellings.

Regards
Rod

[Peter Goodey]

Same difference!


Spelling of surnames didn't become standardised until around the second half of the 19th century as a result of civil registration and improving literacy levels. In earlier times the idea that there was a "correct" spelling of a surname would simply not have ocurred to people. A name was written the way the clerk at a particular time chose to write it. Another clerk might choose to write it a different way.
There would probably have been 20 or 30 variations on the HONEYBALL theme. You'll find that sort of number of them in the 1881 census. The first few in order of popularity were HONEYBALL, ANNABLE, HANNIBAL, HONEYBELL, ANNIBAL, HONNIBALL, HUNNABLE etc etc.

[Er Indoorz]

So apart from the 400 or so people I already have in my tree.... there could be thousands more?!?!

I think I need to lie down

[Peter Goodey]

"So apart from the 400 or so people I already have in my tree.... there could be thousands more?!?!"


Well, think about it. If you go back 12 generations that's over 2000 direct ancestors. Add siblings and offshoots and you're soon talking telephone numbers.

You need to bear in mind the likely variants you might find but it's only your research that's going to find out what variants there actually are in your tree.

[Diane Grant-Salmon]

OK heres a question...

On a birth Cert I have the name HUNNIBAL, yet on his marriage cert it has changed to HANNIBALL

Was this common practice??? It makes our job so much harder if this is the case!!

Snap! Admittedly, there are more variations in the spelling of this particular surname, than I have in the rest of my lot and I was confused at first as you are.

My HONNIBALL's were from Somerset, then my Great-Grandmother's birth cert said she was HONNIWELL and her Mother's maiden name was BLINGS (Melksham, Wiltshire). Being confused, I ordered her elder brother's birth cert, this one said HONNIBALL and BILLINGS (both correct) for Chippenham, Wiltshire. This must be the result of the Registrar in Melksham, misunderstanding the 'thick' accent of someone who was born in Somerset, so he wrote down what he thought she had said.

My same Great-Grandmother married in Yorkshire and her marriage certificate says HANNIBALL.

[Er Indoorz]

Blimey, got my work cut out haven't I?!

Diane, do u use Family Tree Maker or Genes Reunited?

I wonder if we can exchange files to see if theres any connection between our families?

[Diane Grant-Salmon]

I'm not saying that there wouldn't be a connection between us, as you never know! However, unless you have ones in your file from Somerset, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire or Yorkshire ..... we can't connect at the moment.

I don't have any at all 'down London Way'

Your best bet of finding a connection, is to list a few of your names on the appropriate Forum here. When I asked for help on the Somerset Forum, AnnB helped me enormously, plus Terry ...... and another Terry on the Devon forum.

Good Luck!

[jeremyf]

If you are looking at surnames, Italy comes to mind, then the fun really begins. It is very common practise to retain the family surname after marriage and I have examples where a person has 3 surnames inherited from father, grand-father and g grand-father. Even worse is that when the become to many then one or more may be dropped. This became even worse for my wife, who is Brazilian from Italian descent, who has this problem along with names being misspelled during imigration.

[Er Indoorz]

I'm not saying that there wouldn't be a connection between us, as you never know! However, unless you have ones in your file from Somerset, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire or Yorkshire ..... we can't connect at the moment.

I don't have any at all 'down London Way'

As far as I have found so far I have no connections in that part of the country. Will keep u posted if I do!