The look of your family tree

[Karen Lorraine]

Hi
I have been doing my family tree using the web site Find My Past. 
I was wondering when others add names to their tree do you keep the womans maiden name.
For example
Peter Bunch married Doreen Morgan - I have left Doreen with her maiden name rather than changing it to Bunch (where as Find My Past automatically changes it to Bunch)
I like to see the maiden names - was wondering what others do regarding this?

Thank you
Karen

[mirl]

I don't use that particular website for my tree but I do prefer having maiden names clearly visible.

[KGarrad]

I use Ancestry (on internet) and RootsMagic (at home).
I always use maiden names, and never, ever change a surname!

How would you enter a woman who has had 3 husbands? So 4 surnames in total?

[3sillydogs]

 I use My Heritage and Ancestry (internet)  My Heritage Family Tree Builder and Roots Magic (home)

I always keep the maiden names.

My maternal granny is one such much married lady, for me solved the problem by keeping her maiden name and my mother's, just for consistency

Made a note of her other surnames but no children from those marriages so they are just for info sake.

[dowdstree]

I use Ancestry and enter the ladies by their maiden names.

No matter how many times they marry I never change their name - just the husband - nor does Ancestry change it for me.

Didn't know that was what Find My Past does,  not very satisfactory really. Have you contacted them to query this?

Dorrie

[StevieSteve]

From another forum, a similar discussion (on what to do when the maiden name is not (yet) known) started off with

As is often the case, there is more than one school of thought on this.

but soon degenerated to

to use the married name when the maiden name is known is sheer ignorance.

[clairec666]

I always keep the maiden name in my tree.

On a similar note, what name do you record in your tree if the spelling changes over time, or if they reverse their first name and middle name, for example?
I usually record the version they most frequently use in adulthood, e.g. the name they sign on their marriage certificate (if they are literate) or on their children's birth certificates.
Some earlier ancestors have three different spellings on their baptism, marriage and burial records!

[StevieSteve]

So that I can have a hard-and-fast rule, I use the name on their baptism or birth certificate with others entered as an a.k.a.

It does make the tree look a bit messy at times though

[3sillydogs]

I also use the name on their baptism, if I can find one, or the most commonly used spelling if not and notes made as to the other versions.

I  think the different spellings have come from the people who fill out the certificates and then my lot have just signed them with their names. Fortunately not glaring differences just a letter here or there is not the same.