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Here is one situation where it could have an impact.

Say for example Thomas McDill senior had a huge estate that he had left in his will to all his biological greatgrandchildren when they came of age. 

That would mean that I legally had a claim to part of this huge estate and should be living in a castle in the Highlands, but due to the mistake I discovered in the records  I would never be recognised as his great grandchild and totally miss out.

Dont get me wrong, I am not complaining of negligence on the part of the registrar or anything of the kind. It is merely an interest into what people may do in a situation like this, when they discover in their recent history a provable error in the records. I would think there may be some precedent set for such a situation, where records are amended, simply to keep the records straight. I wouldnt change my name by deed poll or anything, but wondered more about correcting such an error in records .

As currently as things stand, Thomas McDill was born and recorded and then at his death was recorded as Thomas Ross, by mistake because noone knew the truth. So that leaves a gap in the continuity of the records, which I wondered if that gets amended with some note, for future generations to be able to see what happened (as I only stumbled upon it by chance and curioisity).

I wouldnt change my name by deed poll, it is enough for me to know my genetic history, and be able to find relatives I never knew I had this way, but like I say, I do wonder what the precedent is when a mistake in a record shows up that is provable beyond doubt, whether it gets amended in retrospect by the registrar.

Hi,

I went to Register House in Scotland and found a birth certificate that makes me unclear about my actual surname.

You see my Great Grandfather, was commonly known as Thomas McDill Ross (1884-1960), his son my grandfather was also a Thomas McDill Ross(1911-1949) and his son, my father Barry McDill Ross. I am named Clare Ross.

But when I found the birth certificate of my Great Grandfather (1884-1960), he is registered at birth as being the illegitimate son of Thomas McDill (1849-1922)  and Annie Ross (widow of John Ross who is not the father and who died four years previously). It actually states those things on the birth certificate and his name on his birth certificate is Thomas McDill, the same as his father.

It seems that my Great Grandfathers widowed mother Annie Ross 1849-1915 (Ms Gallagher), had him  in 1884 with a different father than her other children, who were legitimate Rosses, after John Ross (1849-1880) had died. His father is named on his birth certificate as Thomas McDill, from Ayrshire, Scotland. I suppose that if he lived with his mother and her Ross children, he would have assumed the name Ross, for social reasons. But in fact he was a McDill, as per his birth certificate.

When my great grandfather Thomas McDill (Ross)(1884-1960) himself met a woman and had a child ,on his childs birth certificate he wrote his name as Thomas Ross, even though his name was really McDill. So what has happened is that he put the incorrect surname on the birth certificate of my grandfather, maybe because he didnt want anyone to know he was illegitimate and wanted to be known as a legitimate Ross, whatever reason, it wasnt his real name, it was his mothers married name, but not his fathers given name, or the name on his birth certificate. He just assumed the name and put it on his sons birth certificate and that is where the mixup has occured and why I am not sure what my name is.