Do you know the names of your great grandparents

[GreenCaterpillarOnALeaf]

I saw something on X the other day asking this and it made me wonder.

I can’t tell you their government names, but I know the names my parents refer to them by (skinny grandad, grandad with the hat, farmer grandad, mean Nana who used to tell my dad off when he was a little shit, nice Nana who enabled him being a little shit, and Welsh grandma). I know a decent bit about each of them, including the fact that farmer grandad looked spookily like Morrisey when he was younger (I’ve seen a photo, he really did). I don’t know about one set of my mums grandparents, but I know a decent bit about the rest.

It just made me think about if anyone will remember me or if I’ll be referred to as “Nana (insert description)” hopefully not mean Nana, I think she got a raw deal with that. Imagine my dad was a proper little terror back in the day, but he claims it was unfair persecution.

I remember meeting someone from Belfast who was shocked that I didn't know the names of my great grandparents. He knew his entire ancestry and not because it was a hobby but he reckoned it was the norm in NI. I don't know if that's still the case as this was a long time ago.

There were some GGs still alive when I was a child in the 1960s but I don't know their names. I do know one great grandfather fought in the Boer war.

Yes, though all passed before I was born....2 Sarahs, William and Alfred.

Its occurred to me that I cant be 100% sure of my maternal grandad let alone great grandparents. That said, he died when my mum was a teenager. I only knew one grandparent (M Gm died before I was born, P GM died when i was about 2)

Yes I can on my dad’s side, I luckily got to meet, love and be loved by one set. The other set were talked about often and pictures up in my nans house. I can’t name my moms side, which doesn’t sit right with me so will be asking my mom the questions today.

I always knew the names of my maternal grandfather's parents, as my mother was brought up by them, and I have a few stories about them.

All the others I have traced as I have researched the family tree. My Dad had all the birth and death certificates of his paternal grandparents. His maternal grandparents had been 'living over the brush' - never married. This was a big secret, as they were a well-respected couple who ran a shop - born in the 1850s, so this would have been Victorian times.

Weirdly enough, they had looked down on my grandad, because he was a widower with a child already when he married my nan. When all the while her dad was still legally married to someone else!

Yes, although one of my great grandfathers was possibly using a different name to his birth name. I can't find birth/census/electoral records for him before his wedding in 1918.

When it comes to great great grandparents I have them all on my father's side, and my mother's mother, but my grandad's mother was illegitimate so we only know about her mother, and I can't find anything more than the name of grandad's father so his line is a blank.

I imagine based on my Dad, his Dad, and his Dad’s Dad that I can name all my Grandfathers back to Domesday. They are all called John.

Until my Dad (John, obviously) married my Mum and she put paid to that and called her son (my brother) after her own Dad in a fit of spite.

Who was also called John.

Yup and some way further back too.

Dad's side i know from doing ancestry- my nan shared what she knew before she died but there were gaps to fill in. Mum's side always talked about the family history and her family never throw anything away, so things get passed on with the stories attached. Just from where I'm sitting I can see gg grandmother's embroidered picture, g grandma's jewellry box, grandpa's trophy he was awarded, books gifted to g uncle when he won a scholarship to Cambridge, a decoration from gg aunts house (she was born 1890s and I was lucky enough to meet her), a photo of ggg grandparents (b 1833).

They are not stately home type things, the value is just in the history and the stories that get passed on.

On my materal side yes.
On paternal side no, but I have seen a photo of one of my paternal Granddads,

Yes. All of their names. I met both my great-grandmothers and my maternal great-grandmother (Mum's Mum's Mum) was still alive until I was a teenager.

Excellent sitcom material there @BeachOrBeech

Have an absent father so on that side no. On my mum's side yes, I was very fortunate that my great granny lived till I was in my late 30's and got to meet my children. My middle name is hers.

Yes, but I’ve always been interested in the family tales my grandparents told and looking at the old photos. So even when I was little I’d learned the basics of my grandparents parents who were no longer around. As an adult I’ve been researching more on Ancestry.

My own children aren’t that interested but I have all the details in case one day they are more curious or if I have a curious grandchild one day.

No, but hardly a surprise cos I’m really poor at remembering any1’s name lol.

Sadly my grandfather and his parents immigrated to the uk in the 70s. I know their english names (to help them assimilate and help them get jobs) but not their "real" names. As someone who was given a cultural name its really sad that they had to change parts of their identity to fit in.

I do, but I'm a genealogist 😊 My great grandpa was the provost of a small town, and I have a photo of him meeting the Queen Mother.

I know the first names of my mum's maternal and paternal Grandma's, but only because her elder sister (my aunt) was given both names as was tradition then.

@MrsAvocetor anyone else who is good with 'Ancestry' site - can you tell me how I can save (ideally print off) my family tree please? I can't afford the £20pcm I'm paying indefinitely but don't want to lose all the info.

They all died before I was born, and I can name four of the eight - my maternal Grandmother’s parents and my paternal Grandfather’s parents. I’m seeing my Dad later, this thread has prompted me to ask.

I could have written this.

Also, some of my great grandparents were still alive when I was a little girl and I remember them well.

I think this is one of those things you don't think about until you are older. I would really recommend talking to older relatives whilst they are still around. Since researching my family tree I have been surprised by how many family anacdotes have actually lead to useful links!
One thing I wish I had done was to encourage older relatives to label their photos. I have loads of photos from clearing older relatives houses, but no way of linking them to names.

No.

Yes because I've recorded them on Ancestry.com. What helped me most to get started was that, when I was a teenager, I asked my grandparents and parents for all the details of their families. Then it's much easier to get started using the 1921 census and similar, because often more recent records aren't publicly available.

I don’t have a clue nobody has ever told me unless it was for a family tree that someone was doing

No. Not a clue