Which is the 'correct' first name?

Question

A lady in my tree appears to have two different names - her baptism record notes her name as "Mary Helen Cora Frayne", but the Victoria birth registration notes "Cora Helen Frayne". I don't have a birth certificate. Which do you suppose I take to be the "correct" one?

Comments

Was she Roman Catholic?

Frequently between registering a birth, and baptising the child, the parents change their minds.  In this case, it's a minor change -- especially if it was her baptismal name (adding the Mary).
I've come across numerous cases where a child's birth is registered with one name (or even NO name), and then the baptismal register shows a different name nothing even close to the registered name at birth, then the child is known through life and until death by another name again.

I don't know that it matters what order the forenames are placed, so long as they're there, and there is an explanation in the biography regards the difference.

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Thanks Melanie

Answer 1

Yes I have seen this quite a lot too. And not only the child's name, but the parent's names change from the birth record to the death record. I guess this is either due to the descendants forgetting the parent name if they died a long time ago, or putting their 'family' name on the record instead of the official name. I know in my grandparents' families many of them had the birth name, then a whole string of baptism names, then the name that everyone knew them as, and then a nickname as well. As Melanie said, I think it is more important that you have the explanation in the profile so that anyone looking into it would soon find it.

Comments

Thanks Melanie!