# How to deal with "birth name" and "married Name" of a person **URL:** \ **Category:** Help\ **Created:** [April 22, 2026, 3:18am UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/how-to-deal-with-birth-name-and-married-name-of-a-person/9375 "2026-04-22T03:18:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dbyy](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/dbyy/32/8400_2.png) [@dbyy](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/dbyy)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2026, 3:18am UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/how-to-deal-with-birth-name-and-married-name-of-a-person/9375/1 "2026-04-22T03:18:47Z")
I’m looking for some advice. What is the best (or right approach) entering `birth name` and `married name` of a person? Should the `birth name` entered in the main window of a person (type=Birth Name) and the married name under the tab “`Names`” as “`Alternate Name`” or vice versa? Or doesn’t it matter at the end? Would love to hear your opinion. Thanks Runnning Gramps v 6.0.7 on Linux ---
**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:** [April 22, 2026, 6:50am UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/how-to-deal-with-birth-name-and-married-name-of-a-person/9375/2 "2026-04-22T06:50:31Z")
This can be complex. The setting of Name type (Birth/Married) and surname origins (Patrilineal/Taken) via automation using SuperTool was one of the first SuperTool Tutorials posted. > [@Tree vivisection experiments with the Isotammi SuperTool](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/tree-vivisection-experiments-with-the-isotammi-supertool/1621): > > This is a start of a “[How do I…?](https://gramps-project.org/wiki/index.php/Category:How_do_I...)” article for the wiki on Approaching Automated Data Harmonization. Manually cleaning data to make it consistent and fill in omissions is purely a misery. There are excellent tools to clean messy data outside of Gramps. You could use [OpenRefine](http://openrefine.org/) or manipulate CSV data in a spreadsheet like Excel. That means taking the data out of the Tree structure of Gramps, losing the benefit of Gramps understanding how the data element interrelate, and risking data loss during … ---
**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:** [April 22, 2026, 11:36am UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/how-to-deal-with-birth-name-and-married-name-of-a-person/9375/3 "2026-04-22T11:36:37Z")
I leave the Birth name record in the Preferred name slot and other names, including married name, in the alternative name list. And I add alternative names often leaving the birth name as just that, the birth name. A person is not born with a title (royalty is an exception) nor do they get born with a list of degrees in their suffix field. A son may be born with Jr appended to his name but the father doesn’t get Sr appended until junior is born. But as always, each of us handles things in a way that makes sense to ourselves. ---
**Author:** ![comeng](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/2acd7d/32.png) [@comeng](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/comeng)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2026, 12:03pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/how-to-deal-with-birth-name-and-married-name-of-a-person/9375/4 "2026-04-22T12:03:40Z")
In general everyone male or female has one surname at birth as far as I am concerned that stays with them for life. So that is how I keep people throughout my database. This is in part based on the Scottish tradition of married women being buried under their maiden surname not married surname. Because the Alternative Names are not generally visible if needed I will put a note in the Birth Event Description such as “Stage Name Shirley Temple” phil ---
**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:** [April 22, 2026, 1:49pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/how-to-deal-with-birth-name-and-married-name-of-a-person/9375/5 "2026-04-22T13:49:45Z")
> [@comeng](#): > > Because the Alternative Names are not generally visible Very important to consider. Not every report will utilize any alternative names. My main go to reports are the Complete Individual and the Narrative Web which I send to cousins when they ask for their branch. Both reports add the alternative names. ---
**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:** [April 22, 2026, 2:11pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/how-to-deal-with-birth-name-and-married-name-of-a-person/9375/6 "2026-04-22T14:11:46Z")
> [@dbyy](#): > > What is the best (or right approach) entering `birth name` and `married name` of a person? > > […] > > Or doesn’t it matter at the end? The name you enter in the edit person dialog is the primary name which is used in all reports while the alternative names are only supported in some reports. What always matters is consistency: If you enter the `birth name` as preferred name and add `marriage names` as alternative names then do it for all persons. Don’t mix `birth names` and `marriage names` as the primary name. There are many naming conventions in different cultures and Gramps is flexible and allows many ways to record names, so you have to make sure yourself that you stay consistent within your database. ---
**Author:** ![dbyy](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/dbyy/32/8400_2.png) [@dbyy](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/dbyy)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 2:07pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/how-to-deal-with-birth-name-and-married-name-of-a-person/9375/7 "2026-04-23T14:07:29Z")
Thanks to all contributors for their reply. I like the idea to have the Birth name as a primary surname and the married name as alternative name. My only concern was that through-out all the reports of Gramps were surnames appearing, the `alternate name` might be being lost. But I think that’s an issue of the report then. I will also look at the super tool mentioned by @emyoulation . I think this post can be considered as resolved. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/gramps/original/1X/2ac1e712b7adf612e31ca08a55419f4cf37c0158.png) [@system](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/system)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2026, 2:07pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/how-to-deal-with-birth-name-and-married-name-of-a-person/9375/8 "2026-05-23T14:07:38Z")
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