>> I generally leave the unknown portion blank, as I said. I do so >> because it unambiguously "records" the lack of information, unlike >> acronyms or the various punctuation options - IMO, it's kinda hard >> to misinterpret a blank. >> >> (p)Sychotic Ol' Bob <amia9018@mypacks.net> > > Where does the name wind up in an alpha listing? > > J. Hugh Sullivan (Eagle@bellsouth.net) In the two programs I'm most familiar with - gramps and phpGedView - blank surnames end up in either (gramps) an unlabeled "name" or in an "unknown", umm, collector. The only time a blank surname becomes a problem is when there's insufficient information to distinguish between Mary and Mary and that's not usually a problem because they're married to/partnered with a different man or their kids' names are different or they're from different places. That's to say, there's some point of discrimination. As well, each has received a different "I" number at the time of entry. Admittedly, it ain't perfect but it works without recourse to brackets, braces, em dashes, multiple question marks or acronyms. And this, I think, is the crux of the problem/discussion. There IS NO standard in this area, no consensus, as even Joan's cited article indicates. What works for me might not work for you and vice versa and what WE find useful might not be for the OP. While I believe leaving the unknown part or parts of the name blank is less prone to error or misinterpretation, I don't feel strongly enough about the matter to want to fall on my sword in its defense. And a final observation. If there WERE a standard for this particular question, don't you think the multiple genealogy programs out there would force its use as a default? Mary doesn't have a last name recorded? Insert [--??--]. No given name but a last name? Insert [--??--]. Neither given nor surname? Easy, [--??--][--??--]. As I said somewhere earlier in this discussion, standards are arrived at by consensus; so far as I can tell, th'ain't no sech animal in this case and I kinda hope that remains the case. Slippery Ol' Bob -- Robert G. Melson | Rio Grande MicroSolutions | El Paso, Texas ----- A government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take away everything you have. Thomas Jefferson Bob Melson <amia9018@mypacks.net>