American Ancestors intern Kim Taylor uncovers surprising facts about her family history on a journey through the records and genealogical resources of Scotland, and learns valuable research skills from our experts. Read More
Upcoming Online Seminar
Law and Order: Using Court Records in Your Family History Research
Learn how to locate, interpret, and navigate civil and criminal cases, probate, pre-1906 naturalizations, divorce cases, and more. September 6–27 (Wednesdays). Register Now
Share your thoughts about the survey! Please limit submissions to 150 words or fewer. Responses featured in a future newsletter may be edited for clarity and length.
Last Week's Survey:
Do You Use the First Name Listed on Your Birth Certificate?
Total: 4,861 Responses
77%, I use my first name exactly as it appears on my birth certificate.
3%, I have adopted a spelling variation of my first name.
4%, I have always used my middle name as my first name.
20%, I almost always use a nickname based on my first or middle name.
1%, I don’t use my first or middle names or a nickname based on those names—instead, I use a completely different name.
12%, I have a family/childhood nickname that only family members or close friends call me.
4%, I used to use a nickname, but now use my first name.
1%, I legally changed my first name.
4%, I have a different scenario than the options listed above.
Readers Respond
Shelly Cohen Dudley, Scottsdale, Arizona: My birth name, Michele, was not popular in the 1950s and '60s. People often mistakenly called me Michael. In the early 1960s when I lived in southern California, I continually got calls for the gangster Mickey Cohen. By 1967, I decided to change my first name legally. When I went before the judge, he initially called me Michael. After that, he had no qualms about approving my name change to Shelly.
Jacqueline Greenwalt, Midlothian, Virginia: My first name, Jacqueline, was not common when I started school in the early 1950s. My mom said the name came from a book she read, Jacqueline of the Pigeons. Once Amazon came along, I found the old book online. I now have it on my bookshelf.
Carol Hart, Bolivia, North Carolina: I was named Dorothy after my mother. However, I was always called Carol, my middle name. My mother didn’t want us to be “Big Dot and Little Dot.”
Madeleine Fischer, Metairie, Louisiana: My first name on my birth certificate is Madeleine. I was born on Pohnpei (formerly known as Ponape or Ascension), one of the Senyavin Islands in the South Pacific. My parents were conducting anthropological research on the island, which was at the time part of the U.S. Pacific Islands Trust Territory. The native inhabitants of Pohnpei gave me the nickname “Nikko.” At age 73 I am still called Nikko.
Dick Yeomans, Greensboro, North Carolina: My birth certificate says “Richard,” but I was actually named after my father's foxhole buddy, Dick Gundlach. Although my mother insisted that “Dick” not be on the official records, to this day (she is 95 years old and still active!) she calls me Dick. The only people who call me Richard are telemarketers. That makes it easy to hang up on scam calls!
Jeanne Baldwin, Sacramento, California: My grandmother went by many different first names. Her baptism record, multiple census records, and her marriage record all list different names. Her sisters called her three different nicknames, and I called her by another nickname entirely. When she died, we didn’t know which name to put on her headstone. Her son chose one from the mix. I learned from her confusing example—my children are known by their legal names and do not use nicknames.
What We’re Reading
Revealing the Smithsonian’s “Racial Brain Collection” Two hundred and fifty-five brains, amassed mostly in the first half of the 20th century, are stored in a museum facility in Maryland. Almost all of them were gathered at the behest of Ales Hrdlicka, curator of the division of physical anthropology at the Smithsonian’s U.S. National Museum and a prominent anthropologist.
Spotlight: Catholic Cemeteries, Clearwater County, Minnesota
by Valerie Beaudrault
Clearwater County, seated in the city of Bagley, is located in northwestern Minnesota. The website of St Joseph’s Catholic Church in Bagley provides two cemetery databases: St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Bagley, and Our Lady of Victory Cemetery in nearby Shevlin. The databases can be downloaded as PDFs and provide only the full name of the deceased. Both cemeteries have searchable profiles on FindAGrave.com which include more detailed information about individuals buried in the cemeteries. Search Now
Now is the perfect time to trace your family history. Get started today with $25 off a new American Ancestors membership and gain access to more than a billion searchable names, family tree software, award-winning publications, hundreds of online educational tools, and advice and guidance from our experts. Enter code August823 at checkout. Offer ends August 31, 2023.
Whether your Scottish ancestors emigrated from the Highlands of Scotland or the Ulster province of Ireland, you will find an abundance of genealogical and reference material within our collections. Learn More
Planning for the Future?
Name Beneficiaries for Your Non-Probate Assets Today
Non-probate assets such as an IRA, 401(k), or life-insurance policy are not covered in your will or trust—you must name beneficiaries separately. Our friends at FreeWill.com have provided a free and secure online tool to guide you through naming beneficiaries for your assets in one easy place. Preserve your legacy, make sure your loved ones are provided for, and support the causes most important to you—get started today! Learn More
