Two different surnames

[mydogisthebest]

One of my neighbours uses two different surnames. Has two facebook accounts, two twitter accounts.

Yesterday I was updating my family tree and while on Ancestry decided to be nosy. It seems he is registered twice. Definitely him - date of birth, place of birth and mother's name exactly the same.

I didn't know that was possible

@mydogisthebest Is this in England?

The only possible reason I can think of is that if the parents were unmarried, then the father had to be present at registration. Could it be that he was registered twice, once by his mother with her surname, and then again separately by his father with his? Or perhaps they went back to ask them to amend the first entry, and a clerical error has retained both entries in the transcript by mistake.

I have never queried it but I have two birth registry entries as far as I can look up. I have only ever used one and don't really understand why the other exists. One is my mums maiden name and one is my dads name, I've asked before and they said they didn't re-register me when they married but I suppose it could be that, it was a couple years after I was born.

I only got one NI number card in the post though, never anything for the other name.

Far more likely the OP doesn’t quite understand how the indexes work.

You don’t see certificates or full entries on ancestry. Only index list.

There are numerous reasons to have two lists on the index. Unmarried parents are the most common one.

For example ever baby born to unmarried parents in Scotland is searchable in the indexes under either parents surname. Regardless of which name is on the BC. Two index listings - one birth registration and certificate

It is in the UK. I thought he was using an alias because of the drug dealing but wanted to know which of the two names was his real one. We are debating taking him to Court over the money and I wanted to use his real name to do so as it would likely make it easier.

I haven't seen the actual birth certificates because in order to do so I would have to pay to have copies sent to me.

There are definitely 2 entries in the birth records. Both for the same date. One has the name John Smith and the other John Jones (not the names he is using obviously). On both records his mother's name is Patricia Jones.

So not that the mum got married and re-registered him with her married name nor that his mum and dad registered him separately with their surnames.

I am just intrigued and puzzled as I don't see how a baby can be registered twice with 2 different surnames

Well I realise many women use 2 different surnames. When I worked in an office quite a few of the solicitors used their maiden names at work and their married names out of work.

My niece also uses her maiden name some of the time and her married one other times.

I assume though you don't have 2 birth entries under different surnames

It is in the UK.

The Uk doesn’t have a standard - records are done differently in different parts.

I haven't seen the actual birth certificates because in order to do so I would have to pay to have copies sent to me.

There are definitely 2 entries in the birth records. Both for the same date. One has the name John Smith and the other John Jones (not the names he is using obviously). On both records his mother's name is Patricia Jones.

There are not “definitely 2 entries in the birth records” - there are two entries in the index.

They’ll be the same page, record number, cert number. (Unless he’s incredibly incredibly old and registered in home district and hospital district).

I assume though you don't have 2 birth entries under different surnames

You can have two entries on the index if your parents are unmarried.

Ok so 2 entries in the index presumably because his parents were not married. I don't understand though why it says I can send for the birth certificate for John Smith AND the birth certificate for John Jones.

Because you can buy the certificate for any entry. It’ll be the same certificate.

similar to a marriage certificate - You can buy the cert attached to the index for Dave Smith who married a Mary Jones. You can also buy the very attached to the index for Dave Smith who married a Mary Miller. Doesn’t mean Dave smith married twice - he just married someone who has been known with two names, most likely someone who has been married previously.

look at the page, volume and extract numbers. They’ll be the same.

I guess I am being really thick but which is his real name? He can't have two surnames.

Is the birth certificate just in one of the names? If so I can't find out which is his real name unless I send for the certificate

I'd just stay well out of it. You don't know who he is

You can’t know without buying the cert.

However, you can call yourself whatever you want as long as you are not doing so to defraud. So he could use two names perfectly legally.

my birth certificate doesn’t have the name I’m known by on it. My passport, driving license etc all have that.

If it’s for something legal you’d just use both names surely?

I know you can call yourself whatever you want. I thought the name he originally told us was his name was his birth name. He then started using another surname which I thought he was doing for dodgy reasons.

Because I wanted to know which of the names was his real name, the one given at birth I looked online and that is when I found him under both surnames.

I still don't understand how the birth index has him twice under both surnames.

I get that he can, if he wants, use two surnames although it surely is not that usual for a man to do so. A woman does it when she marries.

I have known a few people who use different forenames but never a man to use different surnames.

I am tempted to send for both certificates to see what they say

Um..why? He's just your neighbour.

One might be his undercover alias but he's stupid and blown it.

@mydogisthebest "I just wanted to know how it is possible to register a birth twice with two different surnames."

I'm registered twice - my parents weren't married when I was born in the late 60's/ early 70's. I am on the register under my mother's maiden name and then again under my father's surname which they registered me with.

I've applied for my birth certificate under both entries, but both come back with my "officially registered" name on. However, I don't have a full birth certificate, just the short one that shows my name and DoB but omits parental details.

It’s been explained to you multiple times the most likely reason for the two surnames on the index. Shitloads of people have two index entries.😐

Have you even looked again at page/volume numbers to see if they’re the same? I’d bet they will be. Far better than wasting money on both.

It doesn’t matter if it’s not usual. It happens and it’s legal.

If its for the small claims court can you not just name him as "name" aka "name"? I used to work in the nhs and literally thousands of people have AKA's on their record.

There seems to be confusion over the difference between two birth registrations and two birth index list entries.

The index is just that - an index of where to find the birth entries. For the children of unmarried parents they’re listed on the index under both surnames so that it’s easy to find the child of Mary Smith as well as the child of Peter Jones. The index shows the location of the certificate - the index will show that Sarah Mary Jones’ cert will be in volume 6, page 95. The index will also show that Sarah Mary Smith’s cert is also volume 6 page 95 because they’re the same cert.

Birth entries (certifications) are not done twice in those situations.

only the index to make them easier to find.

You could get a job as a second rate crime novelist, with all the nosing around you're doing.
There is a real life you could be leading, instead of investing so much time in petty nosiness, which one day could come back to bite you, if the neighbour turns out to be dangerous.