A problem: Bridget & Margaret interchangable?

[atmartinas]

Just to put another twist to changing names.
I always hated my first name and when I got to working at 15 years old I
told everyone I was taking my middle name as I didn't like my first one.
I have done that for over 50 years.
Apart from my close family and people who went to school with me no one
knows what my first name was and my real middle name is what everyone knows
me as.   

regards Sandymc

I tried to do that when I went to college but in reverse I wanted to use my first name as I am known by my second name. Unfortunately there were too many people that I kept meeting that already knew me and it was too confusing so I didn't stick with it! Glad to see it worked for someone.
M

[jgcruiks]

Recognize this is an old post but want to mention that this may indeed have been the case.
I recently came across a baptismal entry made in Canada in 1849.
In the register the margin lists the number of the baptism and name, while the body has a narrative that lists dates, parents, sponsors, and other information.
In this case the margin shows Bridget O'Brien while the commentary states Margaret O'Brien. 
I also recall some instances Bridget and Margaret appeared to refer the same child in different censuses. I originally attributed this to the various accents, dialects, and languages in the area at that time (French, English, Scot and Irish Gaelic).
Note that the above birth was during the time of the Great Potato Famine, when many Irish came to Canada.  Since emigrants from the same region of Ireland tended to arrive and settle in the same area, it could well be that only a small region of Ireland interchanged these names.
Also, with reference to earlier speculation in this thread that it could relate to needing a saint's name, both Margaret and Bridget (Brigit) are saints names. Brigit lived in the 1300's and Margaret about 300 years earlier.
 and the last name of the Parish Priest was Ryan. 
 

[Rosinish]

I haven't read all the posts but Bridget being Margaret is a bit odd in any language.

I can see Bridget being Bridie or Margaret being Maggie so my thought is one was a forename & the other a middle name which was changed round?

Annie

[SuzyBlueShoes]

I have the exact same problem !
I can see 3 x great grandmother on census of 1841 as Margaret, in the workhouse in 1847, her husband is widowed on census of 1861 (no trace of family on 1851 census). I can find death entry for Bridget in the right area in 1847 (after discharge from workhouse) with correct age - so dates and location match up. Their daughter (2 x great grandmother) is called Bridget so maybe a family nick name. This is all in Strand area of London but Margaret and husband Michael are on 1841 census as Irish - which is the family link we were expecting to find. Can't find any of them in the Irish records though (but I was looking for Margaret not Bridget - LOL)

If only our ancestors could have thought ahead for our sakes and been more consistent !
 

[heywood]

Hello and welcome to Rootschat Suzy.
If you would like to open a topic on your family, you can ask a moderator (click on report to moderator) to move your post.
Alternatively, you might want to just start a new topic with names etc so that people could see if they can help.
Best wishes
Heywood

[lmgnz]

My problem is the name Jeremiah.  I have several instances where a Jeremiah appears to have been  listed as James.

For instance in the marriages of 2 daughters of my 2x gt grandmother's brother Jeremiah Wallace, in one daughter's marriage her father is listed as Jeremiah and in the other marriage as James. Both marriages took place in 1853 in the same church. Their father died a few months later the same year and left property to both daughters.

This is not the only instance and I wondered if there was a reluctance to use the name Jeremiah as it is associated with bad news.