Name change in mid-life - WHY?

[kath davis]

Good, thank you for that.  This is my preferred option.  Now his father is John - but can I find him anywhere!!!!  Perhaps I should look for William!

[Annie65115]

Names in my close family over the last 100 years:

Pamela -- known throughout her entire life as Paddy, NEVER uses Pamela.
Maud - k/a Billie
Augusta - k/a Frances.
Norman Frederick - k/a Tim.
Thomas Edgar -k/a Ted.
Brenda Elizabeth - k/a Betty.
Muriel -k/a Jonnie.
John Michael - always been k/a Mike since birth.
John Arthur - known at different times as John, Arthur or Jack.
I have never used my "real" name - it's on various documents but my parents always intended me to use a diminutive version of it (it's not actually Ann/Annie btw!)

It's immediately obvious how some of the above came about. Most of the others are obvious once you know the background. A couple are total mysteries.

There are lots of reasons why people change their names, or use different ones!

[kath davis]

Thank you, yes you are right of course.  I did air this as a discussion point, and it has produced some interesting suggestions.  Once I had convinced myself it was the same person - thank goodness he lived to the 1851 census (just) so I could get a birth date - with a different name to add to my other evidence.
You have an impressive list there, doesn't make life easy does it?

[majm]

I have several brothers.  Each one has their 'own' first name, and then two further given names.  Those given names include names based on Grandfathers' names, Uncles, and Dad.

However,  NONE of my brothers are known to use ANY of their given names.

So, let's say their birth certificates at least match their baptism records (.... ummm.... more later)... anyway lets say there's
John Michael Frederick Roger SURNAME
Peter George Edward SURNAME
David William James SURNAME
Roger Paul Dennis SURNAME

Well ....
John answers to Charles and Charlie
Peter answers to Christopher and Chris
David answers to Ian
and
Roger answers to Ken (although I have not ever heard him called Kenneth)

All because back in the 1940s and 1950s they were allowed to decide 'what name do you want to be known by AT SCHOOL' ....   phew, they all kept their surname intact.    I have a male cousin who changed his SURNAME when at school. .... Yes, opened phone book, shut eyes, selected a surname ....

JM

 

[a chesters]

My brother was baptised as Robert Andrew.

Robert was grandfathers name, but where Andrew came from we don't know.

He has ALWAYS been known as Andrew, or Andy.

AC

[chempat]

A quick scan of answers seems to be examples of birth names never being used, not why someone changes after many years.

I know of a change by a teenager.
I cannot remember why, but some time in early teens she stopped being called by birth name and used, possibly, her second name.  This was announced by her parents, so that, for example, if we sent Christmas cards and named all the children on the card, we should use this new name.
By her mid-twenties she was back to her original name, cannot remember that being announced, she was just referred to by her parents under her old name.

A colleague at work changed his first name because too many people thought he was a she because  in many countries his name was only used by females. If one is dealing with clients in Asian countries it does make a difference.  So in all official work-related documents his name changed, however he kept his original name for his private life.  This would mean that, with a surname such as Smith or Jones, it would look like 2 separate people had worked for the company.

Neither of those examples explain William/Thomas.  Sorry.

[kath davis]

AC and PM.  Interesting, obviously changing names is and probably always has been fairly common.  I suppose I was surprised that people didn’t use their ‘official’ name on official documents.  The school example is a case, I taught, more recently than the 50s, and yes you checked on their chosen name, but they still used their given name on external exam papers etc.

 Chempat just in before I signed off.  I remember in my early teens a group of friends (girls) adopted boys names, one of these stuck throughout her school years, I suspect some peers never knew her real name! 

Thank you all for your offerings

Kath - not quite my given name!

[oldfashionedgirl]

I bitterly regret calling my kids by their middle names, in this computer age it has caused them a huge pain in the neck. I had known many people who were called by their middle names and didn’t think it was particularly unusual, you were called what you were called and people didn’t bother.

As a new mum and of an ‘artistic ‘ nature  I thought the combination of names flowed better !

If only I had known what hassle I was setting up for them.

My late Dad last one of 9 was called Sam, not his baptismal name, as when he started school the teacher said “oh ANOTHER one of Sam ******s kids”

[KGarrad]

My grandfather and his siblings used their given (first) names throughout their lives.
EXCEPT for the 1911 census, when all of them used their middle names?!