I think this was fairly common, I've come across it a number of times. In many cases it's where the father and son share a name (e.g. I have a John Brock whose son was baptised John Joseph Brock but appears on censuses as Joseph John Brock or Joseph J Brock in several cases until his father's death). In other cases it's clearly where the second forename is the one that was used day-to-day (so for example F Scott Fitzgerald might have appeared on a census as Scott F Fitzgerald - if he'd been English!). Bob > > I have looked at the 1911 census for Joseph Holland who lived in Lambeth > at the time he completed the census and found that the order of the > Christian names he gives for his 5 sons on the census, is reversed on > Free BDM. I searched Free BDM under both Lambeth or Surrey and found the > same reversal exists in both Lambeth and Surrey.

Bob, The reversal of the Christian names on the FreeBDM and the 1911 census creates a practical problem when I want to order, say a marriage certificate on line. For example, there are Free BDM, marriage , entries for a Charles John Holland in Lambeth in 1933 and an entry for a Charles J Holland in Marylebone in 1930. Which one should I order ? Free BDM for Births has an entry under, London ( 1889- 1965), for a , Charles John Holland , born in Lambeth in March 1910 , but no entry for a John C Holland which is the name the father, Joseph Holland, put on the 1911 census. There is BDM entry for a marriage of a John C Holland in Lambeth in Sept 1933. and an entry for a Charles J Holland in Marylebone in Sept 1930. The question is which marriage is the correct one ? As I see it, the only way that I can be sure is to order both marriage certificates. The name of the groom's father, Joseph Holland, will be on the correct one. It 's a pity that I can 't ask the GRO to look at both certificates and only send me the one where the father 's name of the groom, is given as Joseph Holland. Do think that they would do that ? Patrick. Bob Brock wrote: > I think this was fairly common, I've come across it a number of times. In > many cases it's where the father and son share a name (e.g. I have a John > Brock whose son was baptised John Joseph Brock but appears on censuses as > Joseph John Brock or Joseph J Brock in several cases until his father's > death). In other cases it's clearly where the second forename is the one > that was used day-to-day (so for example F Scott Fitzgerald might have > appeared on a census as Scott F Fitzgerald - if he'd been English!). >