So what's my real name??

[phorsenuf]

I've been doing my genealogy and today I was searching the records on me. My birth record showed up in my search and all was fine. Then right under that was another birth record with all the exact same info except for the first name.
My copy of my birth certificate says Cathy. That's what I've always known. My whole life I've been saying Cathy, nope, just Cathy. The one listed under that was a Katherine. Same date, same location, same middle initial and same mothers maiden name (not a common one).
So what's up with that? Who am I really????

I tried calling my dad but no answer. How odd.

 

[clh2]

Is it possible that one of the birth certificates is a "corrected" one?

My name was misspelled on my certificate...so my correct one has my name spelled "cheryl" and the first one has the type cherly. That was in the days of typewriters, not as easy to "correct" it with a couple of keystrokes.

Maybe something similar happened with yours.

 

[freckles and boo]

You are still you. And at least it is just your first name! My mother thought her maiden name was Brown for fifty-odd years until she finally saw her birth certificate. She learned from an elderly aunt that she walked down the aisle between her parents when she was three years old. On her birth certificate she had my grandmother's last name, not my grandfather's. My grandfather was undoubtedly her dad, but my grandmother was apparently still married to someone else when mom was born. Oops.

 

[Briarmom]

Your name is Phors.

We don't know what my Great Grandfathers 'real' name was either. Matt, Matthew, Matthias, we don't know.

 

[phorsenuf]

This is the second time I've had some head scratchers with the first names. My grandmothers first name was Geraldine. Well, not according to the 1920 census. Apparently her real name was Goldie.

I know I'm still me. Just interesting is all. Maybe I'll switch it up a little and start going by Katerina.

 

[Maridw]

Is it possible that one of the birth certificates is a "corrected" one?

My name was misspelled on my certificate...so my correct one has my name spelled "cheryl" and the first one has the type cherly. That was in the days of typewriters, not as easy to "correct" it with a couple of keystrokes.

Maybe something similar happened with yours.

I agree with this. My DD's birth certificate originally said she was born on Jan 28, but she was actually born on Jan 29th.

With my dad, the doctor filed all the births for the week on the same day, so his birth certificate says he was born on Sept 25th but we celebrate his birthday on Sept 23rd as that was the date he was actually born.

 

[phorsenuf]

I can understand it being corrected for spelling but this seems like a big difference. Katherine to Cathy.
We'll see what my dad says. If he has no idea about it maybe I'll send for the official copy.
Maybe I had a twin or something. Us Italians recycled names all the time ya know. Wasn't uncommon to have 2 kids in the same family with the same name.

 

[ncmickeyluvr]

My grandmother thought her name was Mary until she got married. Her birth certificate said Marie so she insisted everyone call her Marie for the rest of her life. When my grandfather passed away we found a birth certificate with a different year on it..then one with a different day..then his army papers with a different year and day!!! My friend Kim always spelled her name Kimberly, then she went to get her drivers license and her birth certificate said Kimberley....I'm sure she still spells it Kimberly, but I'm not sure what her license says.

 

[Imzadi]

Your name is Phors.

I'm suprised that made it through the DIS censor.



OP, maybe you were a twin? Like George Foreman named all his sons variations of George Foreman I, II, III, etc. You were named Cathy & your twin was named Katherine.

Or it could be your doppleganger...

 

[MAKmom]

My Birth Certificate says Kathleen. My father when getting my Social Security Card told them Kathy I never changed my SS card when I got married so I did not know this until a few years ago when I decided to do this. Well you need photo idea saying the old name...which I never had.

 

[sorcerormickey]

Hmmm.....interesting!

Maybe the hospital *assumed* it was Katherine when your mom was calling you Cathy. Then it had to be changed because she really wanted Cathy.

 

[Minnie_me]

Hmmm.....interesting!

Maybe the hospital *assumed* it was Katherine when your mom was calling you Cathy. Then it had to be changed because she really wanted Cathy.

this is very possible.

My friend's name is Beth, but they put "Elizabeth" on the birth certificate, and then had to have it changed to "Beth".

And my cousin's middle name is just the letter K. The hospital spelled it out "Kay", and it had to be corrected as well.

 

[MushyMushy]

It does sound like a correction.

I found out in my adulthood that I had a different first and middle name given to me at birth! Apparently my bio mother gave me a name that stayed with me for my first 3 months, then my adoptive parents changed the name and named me what they wanted.

I know it's silly, but I'm upset by that! I know it was their right and they were probably encouraged to do it, but it bothers me. I sort of want my first name back.

 

[MariDisney]

We have some similar name issues in our families. There's an unlce who always was Gary, but in the very old census records he was Gaetano. My grandmother is variously listed as Angela, Angelina, and Angie. We have an Annette who sometime comes up as Antoinietta. There are a few more I'm not remembering.

 

[Linzybrooke]

My poor grandpa's birth certificate says A.C., which he wound up always going by. His name was supposed to be Arthur Clemmons, but they were going to call him AC, well, when the hospital filled out the certificate they just put A.C. as the first name, and it was never fixed.

 

[bumbershoot]

If he has no idea about it maybe I'll send for the official copy.

What sort of copy do you have now? If it has the seal/stamp, it's official enough...

I sort of want my first name back.

So change it! Why not?



OP, someone probably made a mistake (either birth attendant or parents), or changed their mind. Sounds like it happened fast, though.

Friend of mine...her parents (especially mom) love Barry Manilow, and named their girl Mandy. They dealt with the wrath of family for several years, the pressure that that was a nickname, not a NAME...finally they caved in, and decided to legally change her name. She got to choose...Amanda or Miranda...she chose one, but has never gone by it. Such a silly thing for a family to go to war over... But then she married into a family that has a rule that all kids' names must start with a certain letter! So she named her kidlet a name with that letter, and gave the kid a middle name that the kid goes by...kid's only 2 and I can't remember kid's proper first name AT ALL! I know the first letter though... Names...

 

[rie'smom]

In our family, the mistake is on my godmother's baptismal certificate. When the priest asked for the baby's names, her godmother said "Greer and Cecilia". Her certificate reads, Greer Anne Cecilia.

 

[horseshowmom]

Hmmm.....interesting!

Maybe the hospital *assumed* it was Katherine when your mom was calling you Cathy. Then it had to be changed because she really wanted Cathy.

That's what my first thought too. I suspect that was the case.

 

[tonilea]

My Dad was taught by his mother to spell his name Tomas - pronounced like the traditional Thomas. He was told that the doctor misspelled it on his birth certificate. His Social Security card was Tomas - everything was Tomas. When I helped him file for Social Security we sent for a copy of his BC - it was spelled Thomas!

 

[CPT Tripss]

You are still you. And at least it is just your first name! My mother thought her maiden name was Brown for fifty-odd years until she finally saw her birth certificate. She learned from an elderly aunt that she walked down the aisle between her parents when she was three years old. On her birth certificate she had my grandmother's last name, not my grandfather's. My grandfather was undoubtedly her dad, but my grandmother was apparently still married to someone else when mom was born. Oops.

One has to be prepared for many skeletons when doing geneology.

This is the second time I've had some head scratchers with the first names. My grandmothers first name was Geraldine. Well, not according to the 1920 census. Apparently her real name was Goldie.

I know I'm still me. Just interesting is all. Maybe I'll switch it up a little and start going by Katerina.

Census takers write down what they are told . . . it isn't uncommon to find different names for the same person when tracking them from one census to another. While probably not the cause of Geraldine - Goldie, there are also a lot of messed up transcriptions in the census site. Go for her birth certificate to solve the dilemma.

As for your name, you used the term birth "record." Was it a geneology site or an on-line official state site that had birth "certificate" copies?