From: [email protected] > Many thanks Roy for this very informative tip. I did not know of > this and have spent a while finding various Burdekin's. > > Tricia> Now that is a very unusual and interesting name and yet I see there are quite a lot of entries at FreeBMD where BURDEKIN has been used as a middle name. Glad it's been of help to you. I would only add to my original message not to bother trying it with Smith, Brown, Jones or any other very common surname because you will be overwhelmed with the response! The usual explanation for a family surname being used as a middle forename is because they wished to commemorate a female surname - a mother, grandmother or great- grandmother - and keep it in the family. I am sure we all have copious examples of this and my purpose in pointing to how to find these entries at FreeBMD was to help listers unfamiliar with the technique. -- Roy Stockdill Genealogical researcher, writer & lecturer Famous family trees blog: http://blog.findmypast.co.uk/tag/roy-stockdill/ "There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about." OSCAR WILDE