When a surname changes over the centures how should it be recorded?

Question

Surnames change - Keys to Keyes.  Blomfield to Bloomfield etc.  Should one stay consistent or change the spelling?

Comments

Some people evolve the name into a new spelling. Have a Alanus Elfwold, of Bec, Northfolk, not England but Danish East Anglia, where the "wold" part is also spelled as "wald", so took the Elfwald spelling evolving it into his son's name from for the next 10 generations a Robert Elwald, my line went I figure 9 of them.  The name went into the Angus Scotland name of Ellot, 1550, then onto Dublin 1607 as a Dand Ellot becoming a Daniel Elliott, becoming Ellot when more Scots move into the region, indentured to the America Colonies c1650 as Ellot into a society of English which spelled it Eliot, like TS Eliot the name became Elliot, Scottish with the inserted English/French "i". After rebelling from England, it became how it is spelled today.

 

Elfwald, Elwald, Ellot, Elliot, then Elliott

1. Alan Elfwald of Bec, Norfolk, E Anglia ca 1250 (near Gresham)
2. Robert 1 Elwald of Norfolk/Rimington, Lancashire (W. Riding Yorkshier in 1305)
3. Robert 2
4. Robert 3
5. Robert 4
6. Robert 5    Robert Elwald 1-9
7. Robert 6
8. Robert 7
9. Robert 8
10. Robert 9
11. William Elwald of Gorrenberry, Liddesdale, Scotland
12. Robert Elwald (Archeis Hob) of Gorrenberry (adopted by uncle Archibald)
13. Andrew (Dand the Cowie) Elwald of Horsleyhill
14. Robert Elwald of Stobs/Gorrenberry (Clementis Hobs)
15. Dand-Daniel Ellott/Elliot/Elliott of Scotland/Tullykelter, Fermanagh, Ulster, Ireland
16. Robert Ellot Tullykelter, Fermanagh, Ulster Ireland
17. Daniel Ellot/Elliot of Tullykelter/Massachusetts, American Plantation
18. Daniel Elliot Salem Trials, Massachusetts, American Plantation
19. Johnathan Sr
20. Johnathan Jr
21. John Elliot/Elliott (The American Plantation, becomes the United States of America)
22. Comfort
23. SA (Sherburn Amando) Elliott of Iowa, USA
24. Amando Wilcox
25. Mark
26. Loren Spencer
27. Mark Stephen

Answer 1

WikiTree policy is to use the name(s) that the individual person was recorded with in their lifetime. See Help: Name Fields for more information.

Answer 2

Add additional last name spellings as Aka. Mary (Jenkins) Woodall,aka Woodell.. if it is a significant importance. Sme they have the same name as one of they're children. But a slightly different spelling that is consistently different in the same 3-5 year time range. Take that as one oppurtunity to differentiate them =)

Comments

It is fascinating how these change over time and through different paths- Here we use the born with date (LNAB) to name the profile to go with the policy of do it how they did it - so we are thinking of how it was to them in that time and place - now many family books standardize the name so everyone's will look the same but this is a travesty - denies the history and travel and  struggles our forebearers went through to get us onto this world so keep the name the person was born with and if their children changed it then evolve as time comes forward - I have some that totally changed the surname then the next generation went back to the way the grandfather had it - you never know - one cousin said her Sinclair changed his to St. Clair because he did not like "sin" in his name!