Does anyone have evolving surnames?

[PrawnCocktail]

We started looking everywhere for a guy surnamed AUCKLAND. My 2g-grandfather.

We had him on the 1861 Census, with his wife and 5 children. We found the births of his younger children, and from them, his wife's maiden name.

Thanks to having his wife's maiden name, we found his marriage - as OAKLAND. That found us the births of his older children, as Oakland.

But it took us years to find his birth. And it wasn't until we'd exhausted the entire county, and tried a few other places as well, that we came back to where he said he'd been born, and tried again. We found him, by searching for the right Christian name, with the father's name off his marriage. As OFFLAND.

By the time we'd found his parents' marriage, the name had become HOUGHLAND. Which sounds like "Hoff-land" locally.

His father was not married where he was born, and his son was not born there either. Nor was his son married either where he was born, or where his father came from. So we had several different vicar's interpretations of what they heard!

[aghadowey]

It's only fairly recently that there's been an attempt to standardise spelling of names and keep accurate, traceable records.

My French L'Estrange family eventually became Streing then Strang.

German ancestor Buechele went to America and generation by generation the surname became Buechle, Beeghley, Beeghly, Beighley, Beachley, Beechly, Beekley, Beeckley, Peachley, and many more variations...

Swiss Zuggs were Zaugg, Zug, Zook.

Welsh Rhys evolved to Rice, Roice, Royce.

Dutch van Ditmarsen ('of Ditmars') later Ditmarsen, Ditmars, Ditmarrs.

[ancestorsnoop]

Thanks, to all, for the examples of changing surnames or spellings of the surnames!  It is very interesting and appears to be a lot more common that I imagined.  In the future I will use this as a reference to find other possible spellings for a surname. 

[clairec666]

It makes it even more fun - you have to use your imagination a little, rather than just typing names into a search box. I've got really good at searching with wildcards, but even my methods wouldn't find some of the examples people have given here.

[coombs]

Makes you think if you cannot find any record of a rarer surname before say 1750 then it could be a variant of another name.

[aghadowey]

Just came across one this morning while looking at birth registrations- mother's maiden name listed as both McArthur and McCarter on various certificates.

[clairec666]

Just came across one this morning while looking at birth registrations- mother's maiden name listed as both McArthur and McCarter on various certificates.

Say "McArthur" in an Irish accent, then you'll see how a registrar could have got them mixed up!

[McGroger]

A couple of experiences I’ve had, involving complete name changes rather than the morphing of names:

When chasing the forebears of ancestor Marjory McFarlane I came across possible parents John McFarlan and Elspet Keaster. John and Elspet had 5 children, with her name variously given as Keaster, Mceaster and Mcester. I was completely stumped as to Elspet’s line until I came across this obscure quote while looking up something quite unrelated in an old book, ‘In Famed Breadalbane’:

“The Hays of Kenmore district are said to have come originally from the parish of Yester, and were therefore called ‘MacYester’, locally.”

So Elspet was really a Hay.

Second one, involving given names more than family names. This is a much simplified version of the actual process that took months, but it gives some indication of the mental gymnastics you sometimes get forced into:

Following the Scottish naming pattern, I considered that the father of John McGregor (alias Graeme) was probably called “Patrick”, the same name as John’s first son.

However, it turned out to be “Gregor”.
 
The biggest clue was the naming of a subsequent son as “James or Peter”. The use of “Peter” meant that “Patrick” had died (they were used interchangeably). But the use of two names was very rare. And for the paternal grandfather’s name to be given second billing in a double-barrelled name... It just wouldn’t happen. There is no way that someone else’s name would have taken first spot if Patrick/Peter was the name of John’s father.

Therefore Patrick/Peter was not the name of John’s father.

So, what was?

Well, this was during the Proscription, when the names (Mc)Gregor were banned.

So John’s father’s name was Gregor. (Patrick Graeme was the name of a local landlord.)

Cheers,
Peter

[Rosinish]

I think that Nursall is one.

Your right SB....

It's a genealogy transcription error of "All are nuts" in reverse 

Annie