Maiden Names

[Trillian]

I have a female ancestor who's surname was changed at a young age when her mother got married ( I don't believe the husband was her father). I'm having trouble which name to use as the maiden name - the one her birth was registered under or the one she would have used for most of her childhood until she herself got married. It's starting to get a bit annoying using both. 

Any suggestions?

[ThrelfallYorky]

No idea - but if you ever work it out, tell me! I've one - a male, birth registered under one name, spent childhood to young adult under another, married under another, and then bopped about from one to another to a third, for the births of children!!
And I've a female very similar! Oh dear.
With the male I've used the birth name, which actually was in the end the one he went back to. With the female I also used the birth registration name. with both I put other names in brackets at the time they were used.

[Milliepede]

I would say the one her birth was registered under is the correct one to use.

[antiquesam]

My maternal grandmother's family had the German name "Thiel", but the whole family changed to "Shiel" before the First War to avoid trouble. This caused me endless trouble, because I didn't know this when I started the research. I have used "Thiel" and if I am doing any research I check both names.

[JAKnighton]

I would say the one her birth was registered under is the correct one to use.

Normally I would say this, as this is what I have done with my illegitimate great grandmother, who later took on her stepfathers surname.

But my sister was also born out of wedlock, to a different father, and it feels inappropriate to use her birth surname in the tree as we all consider her to be a part of my fathers family, and she has used that surname since she was two years old.

Sometimes it's too easy to see your older ancestors as just names on a piece of paper, and not think about what they may have wanted.

[Milliepede]

Well you can't change the facts even if it is what they may have wanted 

[antiquesam]

I seem to have more than my fair share of these problems. My paternal grandmother's birth was registered in her mother's maiden name of Cocks, despite the fact she was married to and living with her husband Jethro Coomber. My grandmother seemed to interchange the names at will, but registered her three illegitimate children as Coomber's.

[lizdb]

Using the example of her name at birth being Smith, and the name of stepfather that she used being Bloggs, why cant you just record her in your records as Smith k/a Bloggs?

I cant see a problem - have I missed something?