Would a man use his wife's maiden name on the 1901 Census? - COMPLETED

[howellbp]

Thanks for the clarification Heather and Linda.

I was using "maiden" incorrectly".

Cheers,

Bryan

[osprey]

just to throw out another suggestion, he may have been hiding from some trouble. I couldn't find one great uncle on the 1901 census. Using the details of his children from the 1911, I did find him - he was enumerated with his stepfather's name. There won't have been an inheritance involved, sawyers with 19 children not having much in the way of savings. I don't know what was going on, but as they moved from Glamorgan to Yorkshire and back again, he may have been trying to avoid something.

[markyb74]

A possible explanation is that the enumerator asked the wife and she gave her name before marriage. and this got filled in for her husband and children.

My great grandfather appears on the 1901 census under his wife's maiden name along with their children, yet all the children were registered at birth with his name and indeed they are using his name on the 1911 census.

Mark

[howellbp]

Mark,

Thanks for this - it's another possibility.

Neither Joseph nor Annie survived until the 1911 census. Both were 49 years old when they married (for the second time) and there were no further children.

Annie did however die as "Fackrell" and not "Marnham".

Bryan

[Plummiegirl]

It is not uncommon for men to take their wives surnames when marrying especially if the wife is an only child and that name could die out once she marries.

Also there is the old age problem of "odd" names.  I worked for many years with a James James (name changed) and one day I did ask him what his parents were thinking of calling him James when it was their surname and he told me that he actually took his wife's surname as she did not want to take his name which was more like a double entendre.

I also worked with a real eejit who changed his name to a double barrel name so he could inherit his aunts money, and when she died he did not get a penny  he he!