# Distinguishing display names across generations **URL:** \ **Category:** Help\ **Tags:** name-display\ **Created:** [October 23, 2022, 9:57am UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/distinguishing-display-names-across-generations/2923 "2022-10-23T09:57:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tim](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/tim/32/2243_2.png) [@Tim](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/Tim)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2022, 9:57am UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/distinguishing-display-names-across-generations/2923/1 "2022-10-23T09:57:02Z")
Very much a newbie here. I want to use GRAMPS to hold information for a local history project, with people and relations between them. However, there are vary many with the same names, passed from generation to generation. So when I want to enter which Thomas married which Sarah, it would be helpful to have a name display option which included a date, which could be when they were born, died, or just known to have been alive. Does anything like this exist already in GRAMPS? I guess the simplest would be if there was a manually editable suffix to be added to display names. It’s a bit like how in (US) family history people will give a number to different generations, or add Jnr / Snr, but I’m probably going to need dates OS, Windows 11, Gramps Version AIO64-5.1.5-1 ---
**Author:** ![Mattkmmr](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/mattkmmr/32/410_2.png) [@Mattkmmr](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/Mattkmmr)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2022, 10:35am UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/distinguishing-display-names-across-generations/2923/2 "2022-10-23T10:35:59Z")
I’m not entirely sure what you are looking for, but there are two area which might help you: 1. Gramps has [name display settings](https://gramps-project.org/wiki/index.php/Gramps_5.1_Wiki_Manual_-_Settings#Display_Name_Editor) where you can change the name display format or create your own. Names have a suffix field which can be changed manually and also displayed. 2. Each person can hold one preferred name (which is displayed) and several [alternative names](https://gramps-project.org/wiki/index.php/Gramps_5.1_Wiki_Manual_-_Entering_and_editing_data:_detailed_-_part_3#Name_Editor) with name types like “name at birth”, “name after marriage” or “also known as” and a date or date range. ---
**Author:** ![emyoulation](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/emyoulation/32/67_2.png) [@emyoulation](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/emyoulation)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2022, 11:24am UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/distinguishing-display-names-across-generations/2923/3 "2022-10-23T11:24:27Z")
How would Gramps decide what to display for ambiguous dates? The [Pedigree Gramplet](https://gramps-project.org/wiki/index.php/Gramps_5.1_Wiki_Manual_-_Gramplets#Pedigree) displays a lifespan to clearly discriminate between possible namesakes: ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/gramps/original/2X/f/f5324f6e2a8e2a9b3a5f28ee0f916bd6a6c1f953.png) But it is very long when dates have ranges or quality modifiers. Another example where the GUI shows lifespan to disambiguate between people who might have similar names: ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/gramps/original/2X/a/a56e978d28eb54310d3f67f6dcb1cf0457e7d61c.png) ---
**Author:** ![Tim](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/tim/32/2243_2.png) [@Tim](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/Tim)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2022, 11:27am UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/distinguishing-display-names-across-generations/2923/4 "2022-10-23T11:27:28Z")
Thanks. I’ll be able to use the standard Suffix field, edited manually, either before or after a bulk import! ---
**Author:** ![Tim](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/tim/32/2243_2.png) [@Tim](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/Tim)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2022, 11:28am UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/distinguishing-display-names-across-generations/2923/5 "2022-10-23T11:28:49Z")
Thanks. See reply to @emyoulation below ---
**Author:** ![DaveSch](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/davesch/32/40_2.png) [@DaveSch](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/DaveSch)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2022, 11:50am UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/distinguishing-display-names-across-generations/2923/6 "2022-10-23T11:50:04Z")
I am sure you will find that it will not be difficult to add the correct person when making a family. When adding a new Family and selecting the people to add to the family, the list of existing people will include Name, Birth, Death, existing Spouses. ![newfam](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/gramps/original/2X/2/231aff1ba3e8c6e8ef42550718084b376b3a270d.jpeg) ![SelectFather-selector-example-50](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/gramps/original/2X/9/9dedeebd95677a619387aeb8c17e9b3fb979ea23.png) But if you select the correct person from one of the people lists and then navigate to the Relationships view, that person will be the Active Person. From the tool bar you can select to add that person to a family. ![Gramps-spouse](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/gramps/original/2X/a/aff6f37ab6aa343fae03fe3b94807e3d78c0af25.png) Half of the parents of the new family will already be set. And to make it easy, you can drag-n-drop a person record into either of the parent (or child) slot. Open the Clipboard from any view. ![48px-Gnome-edit-paste.svg](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/gramps/original/2X/1/1e0d1ed4c904a4ce5cefb281d25c20bb4527993d.png) From the people views you can select the two people for the family and drag-n-drop them to the Clipboard. Then when you add a new family the people can be dragged from the clipboard into the parent slots. ---
**Author:** ![emyoulation](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/emyoulation/32/67_2.png) [@emyoulation](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/emyoulation)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2022, 12:09pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/distinguishing-display-names-across-generations/2923/7 "2022-10-23T12:09:35Z")
This sounds like it could be useful. I think you may want to request an enhancement to the [Display Name Editor](https://gramps-project.org/wiki/index.php/Gramps_4.2_Wiki_Manual_-_Settings#Display_Name_Editor). ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/gramps/original/2X/9/9e9ee86283ab90d72055094cc10569ab95aa9840.png) A new ‘lifespan’ part could be very interesting. Let us say that: - it had default layout of “(b. birthyear, d. deathyear)” - Used symbols for birth (“b.”) & death (“d.”) - Had italicized fallback birth-like & death-like event year &symbols - Had an alternative right-to-left layout As a display name “part”, a user might temporarily change change the global name display format for a session. Then change it back if the session did not involve editing such ambiguous lineages. Extending a pre-formatted ‘lifespan’ to be a report field would be useful too. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/gramps/original/1X/2ac1e712b7adf612e31ca08a55419f4cf37c0158.png) [@system](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/system)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2022, 12:09pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/distinguishing-display-names-across-generations/2923/8 "2022-11-22T12:09:40Z")
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