On 01/02/2015 14:07, hownhelcymru wrote: > "There are quite a few death's for Violet Geary listed on Ancestry. Most > of them have a middle name but as a Catholic (presumably) she may have > adopted her baptismal name" > > Could you explain this please? > > Is this an English practice? > > Helenor Jones > It's a Catholic practice but not necessarily widespread. When you are baptised you get a baptismal (saint's) name that may or may not be one of your existing names. In some cases that name may get adopted as part of the person's name in later life. I've no idea how common a practice it is but it may explain why someone with no middle name at birth acquires one in later life. -- Graeme Wall This account not read, substitute trains for rail. Railway Miscellany at <http://www.greywall.demon.co.uk/rail>

>On 01/02/2015 14:07, hownhelcymru wrote: >> "There are quite a few death's for Violet Geary listed on Ancestry. Most >> of them have a middle name but as a Catholic (presumably) she may have >> adopted her baptismal name" >>Could you explain this please? >> Is this an English practice? >> Helenor Jones Graeme Wall <[email protected]> wrote: >It's a Catholic practice but not necessarily widespread. When you are >baptised you get a baptismal (saint's) name that may or may not be one >of your existing names. In some cases that name may get adopted as part >of the person's name in later life. I've no idea how common a practice >it is but it may explain why someone with no middle name at birth >acquires one in later life. http://www.deedpoll.org.uk/CanABirthCertificateBeChanged.html explains whwn and how one can change the information that appears on a birth certificate in the different parts of the UK: England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland.

On 02/01/2015 09:52 AM, Graeme Wall wrote: >> "There are quite a few death's for Violet Geary listed on Ancestry. Most >> of them have a middle name but as a Catholic (presumably) she may have >> adopted her baptismal name" >> >> Could you explain this please? >> >> Is this an English practice? > It's a Catholic practice but not necessarily widespread. When you are > baptised you get a baptismal (saint's) name that may or may not be one > of your existing names. In some cases that name may get adopted as part > of the person's name in later life. I've no idea how common a practice > it is but it may explain why someone with no middle name at birth > acquires one in later life. Similar in Eastern Orthodox practice: children are usually given the name of a saint. Those received into the Orthodox church later in life (by chrismation/"Confirmation") *may* add the name of a saint to their original name(s). Perce