Changing Names

[Bob Emnett]

One Susie Mary Garcia married John James Smith in the Phillipines. I am told that "When women marry in the Phillipines, their maiden name becomes their middle name." So her current name (she takes her husband's surname) is Susie Garcia Smith. My problem with this is how to enter it in a way that it will show up properly on lists that incorporate married name. Normally I would enter her First and Middle Name as "Susie Mary" whence she shows up as Susie Mary Smith if a list concatenates her F/M name and married name. If I enter her F/M name as Susie Garcia, she WILL show up as Susie Garcia Smith in a list, but her 'given' middle name of Mary is lost. This last option - along with a note in file that her given name was Susie Mary - is the best solution I have been conceived.

If someone on this list has encountered this, how have you handled it? Are there other suggestions?

TIA

[Dennis J. Cunniff]

Re: Changing Names

One Susie Mary Garcia married John James Smith in the Phillipines. I am told that "When women marry in the Phillipines, their maiden name becomes their middle name." So her current name (she takes her husband's surname) is Susie Garcia Smith.

First thing is that I'd explain all this in a note. But I might also do the following:
First name: Susie Mary
Last name: Garcia
Married name: Garcia Smith

But that doesn't work out as well as your plan in terms of alphabetization.

You could also do:
First name: Susie Mary, later Susie Garcia
Last name: Garcia

[sgtbob]

Re: Changing Names

First thing is that I'd explain all this in a note. But I might also do the following:
First name: Susie Mary
Last name: Garcia
Married name: Garcia Smith

But that doesn't work out as well as your plan in terms of alphabetization.

You could also do:
First name: Susie Mary, later Susie Garcia
Last name: Garcia

The surname could be entered as Garcia-Smith, which would place the name in the letter G of the listing.

[Dennis J. Cunniff]

Re: Changing Names

The surname could be entered as Garcia-Smith, which would place the name in the letter G of the listing.

Yes, but my impression is we wanted her married name to be Smith and alphabetized under "S" (if Garcia truly becomes a middle name and not a double barrelled surname, like in Spanish-speaking countries).

[genealogist.lily]

Re: Changing Names

Yes, but my impression is we wanted her married name to be Smith and alphabetized under "S" (if Garcia truly becomes a middle name and not a double barrelled surname, like in Spanish-speaking countries).

Sorry if this appears twice. I hit a wrong key.
I have set Reunion to show all surnames in Capital letters. So
First name: Susie Mary GARCIA
Last name: SMITH
The name in reports will show as Susie Mary GARCIA SMITH and will be indexed on Smith. Her parent's surname will show as GARCIA and her husband as SMITH.
There is only so much hand-holding we can do for report readers. If this doesn't seem clear enough then explain in the notes field.

[Martha Lyle]

Re: Changing Names

I have set Reunion to show all surnames in Capital letters. So
First name: Susie Mary GARCIA
Last name: SMITH
The name in reports will show as Susie Mary GARCIA SMITH and will be indexed on Smith. Her parent's surname will show as GARCIA and her husband as SMITH.
There is only so much hand-holding we can do for report readers. If this doesn't seem clear enough then explain in the notes field.

I like this solution! Can you tell me how to set my Reunion to do that? And will it change all the surnames already entered, or just new names?