Did/Do Gipsy families keep the maternal surname?

[Keith Sherwood]

Hi, Everyone,
I'm not entirely sure whether the term "Gipsy" is politically correct nowadays, but nevertheless I have come across a couple of examples in Cambridgeshire where a "gipsy" child has apparently taken the mother's surname as their final name, rather than the father's.  Have I misinterpreted matters, or is/was this indeed the custom...
Keith

[kerryb]

Hi Keith

I don't know whether it is a custom but I have a family of gipsy's in my tree that seem to keep the mother's maiden name as a double barrel and her grandchildren seemed to be called by her maiden name regardless of their parents surname.

Extremely confusing and complicated.  Especially as the maiden name was Lovekin and obviously half the family couldn't read or write and it became Luffkin!

Kerry

[mc8]

you could try asking on this site
http://www.rtfhs.org.uk/

[Keith Sherwood]

Kerryb,
Very interesting to read what you put about this topic...
and Mc8, I'll have a good look on the site you kindly provide.
Very best wishes,
keith

[MaryA]

I can't speak from personal experience, but I came across a family I was looking up for a friend and found a similar situation, the father was also missing despite the mother being noted as "M"arried, it was believed that she still kept her maiden name. 

The occupations were noted as travellers, hawkers and something to do with brush makers as I recall it.  To date no marriage has been found for the mother and the person believed to be the father and my romantic suggestion was that their marriage ceremony was of the "jumping over the brush" kind by the side of a campfire followed by a good old shindig.

Mary

[kerryb]

Mary

Now there is an idea, I wonder if that is how my couple got married because I have looked under all 3 possible names and I just can't find a marriage anywhere.  The mother was Emily Stanford, the father appeared to be John Smith.  Some children are called Lovekin?! and my gr gr grandmother was known as Helena Lorraine Lovekin Stanford Smith!!!!

I have even wondered whether there was a first marriage of Emily to a Lovekin but I am still going round and round and round!!

Kerry

[poly1963]

My Romany gt Grandparents never married and all their children were named after the mother.  She then left her partner, went with his brother and had a couple more children and again gave them her name. They regarded themselves as married by having the children.

Also I know of children being passed around the family, when a parent died, or gave birth quite young.  It worked well and kept children within the family as they didn't like interference from outsiders.

Jenny

[Keith Sherwood]

Jenny,
Thanks so much for your own personal input.  This is an area of family history of which I am ashamed to say I knew next to nothing.  I'm finding the whole topic fascinating, and I'm sure there'll be other people chipping in with their own experiences of this as the days go by.  The more I'm learning about these Romany family customs, the more I like them...!
Keith
The Romany and Traveller family History website that Mc8 gave us the link to earlier, is an interesting visit, by the way...

[Boongie Pam]

There are occasions where after marriage the man takes the wife's name in Romany families - from what I've read.

Romanies have/had a very dynastic attitude to family, so if the woman was from a noble line then I believe the man would be more than happy to take that name.

I've done a wee bit of research on this as my Lowthers I believe are from a gypsy line.

Pam