Different spelling of surnames

[anne_p]

Just got to add my bit to this.
My family name switched between two variants as far back as I can research and as recently as the last generation

My mother and her FULL brother were both born in 1930's
My mum was Kerr and her brother was Carr.
As it was the spellings  used on their birth records, it's the spellings that they used for life!

[jaybelnz]

My Christian name is Jean, and I have been known as Weejean, Jeanie or Jeanne ever since I can remember!  The only time I was ever called Jean was when I was in trouble at home, or school, and in Official documents. 

[clairec666]

I don't think there's a "correct" way of spelling any surname. But it's sometimes hard to decide which spelling to use for each individual on my tree. If they were literate and signed their marriage certificate, I go with the spelling that they used at the time.

One surname in my tree - Breakwell - seems to gravitate towards the same spelling by the end of the 19th century. Yet another surname - Philpot - seems to diverge more and more as time goes on, with a double "l", double "t", or an "s" on the end.

[KGarrad]

Spellings are strange! Or perhaps it's people who are strange?

Many people, including lots of RootsChatters, spell my surname as Garrard, rather than Garrad

BUT, in censuses and BMDs, almost invariably the spelling is "correct" - that is, it's always the spelling my family have used?!

Over the years I have been addressed as Gerrard, Goddard, Gadd, etc.
I don't really notice too much any more

[Teddington44]

Had the same with my lot three different spellings of surname