This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Hewey, Robbins Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/EQC.2ACI/830.1 Message Board Post: Hi The census taker would use whatever name he was given. The problem is that it was a very common practice to actually use the middle name. Certain groups in NS were expecially prone to this such as the German settlers in Lunenburg. My first generation in 1760's were named Johann Gottlieb, Johanne Gasper, Johanne Heinrich and Johann Isaac. Their father was Johanne Wihelm. If you have five brothers living in one community all naming one of their sons perhaps after their father you can understand why some of them went by their middle name. Happy Hunting Burdette