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Display only given names of men & women with unknown birth surname when "display birth surname instead of last name" selected

June Barnes

February 02, 2013 08:24

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If the birth surname of some one (most frequently a woman) is not known, and that field is left blank, (in preference to adding Unknown, not known, NN ?? or any other alternative), the name in the surname field is displayed on the tree as the last name, even when preferences are set to display "birth surname instead of last name."

Please could the display reflect the blank birth surname field. The only way to have only her given names displayed presently is to leave BOTH surname and birth surname fields blank.

2 comments

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  June Barnes February 03, 2013 08:12

  In the absence of a birth name all display names default to the surname. After further thought I can see enormous problems if only first names are displayed if no birth name is entered - because there are still MANY male's who have no birth names filled in - imagine if they all started appears as John on the tree!!!  There would have to be a way around this - perhaps we need a check box where we want to use the blank field?

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  Dan Cornett February 05, 2013 01:41

  Since I only  use the preference to display the birth name in parentheses, this doesn't make a difference to me ... in the case where a woman's married name is the same as her birth name (i.e.: husband's surname is the same as her birth name) I have often been explicit about the display name.

  Maybe what is really needed is a -- separate from those two name display preferences -- are two check boxes that says "always display display birth name, even when same as sur name": TWO of them: one one for male (& unknown gender?) and one for female.  I, for example, would only use the female checkbox, preferring not to see males with same birth and surname shown as "First Surname (Birthname)" ... but in other parts of the world tree, some might like to know that (e.g. in matriarchal lineage traditions).