# What purpose does Date serve on Names? Questions and Ideas **URL:** \ **Category:** Ideas\ **Created:** [August 24, 2024, 9:28pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/what-purpose-does-date-serve-on-names-questions-and-ideas/5929 "2024-08-24T21:28:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ML8991](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@ML8991](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/ML8991)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2024, 9:28pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/what-purpose-does-date-serve-on-names-questions-and-ideas/5929/1 "2024-08-24T21:28:38Z")
Windows 11 Gramps 5.2.3 Hi guys, just noticed that on the Wiki, for Names, there is not any info on what purpose “Date” serves on names. Like, I can see the utility as a data record keeping. However, I don’t see where this is employed by Gramps. What could be cool is events showing (in Primary e.g.) that the name changes if dates are added for names, for example an individual becoming a Prince/Princess upon marrying one e.g., or otherwise becomes King/Queen. Also, seeing these date spans for names in the names tab would be great to see also, currently this is hidden until you click the name for more info/adjustments. Can detail on the functionality that Date provides be added to the wiki, as would be good to see what this can be used for. Thanks ML8991 ---
**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:** [August 24, 2024, 11:43pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/what-purpose-does-date-serve-on-names-questions-and-ideas/5929/2 "2024-08-24T23:43:49Z")
Dates for names and places are applied in Reports, Gramplets and elsewhere. You need to make certain that the Preferred Name also have a Date range. If that date field is left blank, Gramps doesn’t know when to override with an Alternative name, even though that _ **does** _ have a date, see - [Middle name, religious name and various last names used by a person](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/middle-name-religious-name-and-various-last-names-used-by-a-person/5712) In the the following posting, a dated “Reign Name” with an override “display as” (Title Given SUFFIX) format was applied along with the different Given and Surname. > [@Names formatting (alias supporting)](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/names-formatting-alias-supporting/3055/2): > > There are quite a lot of options for achieving this: In Display preferences, you can create custom display formats for Names. And you can switch between using those various formats. In the Names tab of the Edit Person dialogs, you can create multiple alternate forms for a person. And, although “Birth Name” is the default, you can can make any of those alternate forms the ‘preferred’ format for a particular person. (Because of the couverture custom of the bride taking the groom’s surname in t… ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/gramps/original/2X/0/0f2163c971dc042c251557ee275f48f5312471b5.png) ---
**Author:** ![ML8991](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@ML8991](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/ML8991)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2024, 12:11pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/what-purpose-does-date-serve-on-names-questions-and-ideas/5929/3 "2024-08-25T12:11:24Z")
Thank you for replying. I saw that formatting, and indeed have applied the logic used in, as that is how my project is going to be going forward. I was more wondering to the display of names. As I suggested, though, would be cool if events, if name span given, does override. As you can see in the below image, Edward has name spans for both birth and an alias, yet the marriage even, which fits in the alias’s usage span, still notes his birth name as the name used at the time ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/gramps/original/2X/9/9c03b22113f1b7c3100d7d31fc40521e422b5caa.png) How exactly does then the appearing in reports and elsewhere operate then, outside of appearing as “also known as” or “Reign Name” from x date to y date? Can I have some clarification there please 🙂 . Was suggesting, if possible, that events could take the date from the names (if there, if not, it will just fall back to preferred name), and display (so in my example the family would become HM King Philip and HM Queen Eliveta e.g., rather than simply the preferred name of each. Thanks ---
**Author:** ![ML8991](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@ML8991](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/ML8991)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2024, 12:26am UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/what-purpose-does-date-serve-on-names-questions-and-ideas/5929/4 "2024-08-28T00:26:40Z")
@emyoulation any further information,in light of what I mentioned above, would be welcome :). ---
**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:** [August 28, 2024, 7:26pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/what-purpose-does-date-serve-on-names-questions-and-ideas/5929/5 "2024-08-28T19:26:08Z")
My understanding is that the Names for specific date ranges ARE what is used. Provided that the Preferred name has been set and doesn’t overlap. (This profile an “after” date originally … which had a +50 year range … which only covered to 6 Feb 2002. Then 5.2 added open-ended “From” and I needed to update the profile. ) ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/gramps/original/2X/d/db494c9b6c666daa7aaf7cb567440513149c9da8.png) Hopefully Dave will jump into the conversation. He’s used Name variations far more. The 5.3 deadlines are looming and time available for experimenting is very limited. ---
**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:** [August 28, 2024, 9:26pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/what-purpose-does-date-serve-on-names-questions-and-ideas/5929/6 "2024-08-28T21:26:37Z")
> [@emyoulation](#): > > Hopefully Dave will jump into the conversation > [@ML8991](#): > > Can detail on the functionality that Date provides be added to the wiki, as would be good to see what this can be used for. The date in the Name record is informational only. As one of the posts shows, Queen Elizabeth became Queen on 6 Feb 1952. It is a piece of information. No report that I know of displays an alternate name based upon the event’s date. It would have to be an Event report and I know for my work, that type of report would not assist me in my work. The other problem would be overlapping dates of alternate names overlapping each other. Using the Queen Elizabeth example, the Queen name record has a short version of her title. Her full title is much longer. > **[List of titles and honours of Elizabeth II](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_titles_and_honours_of_Elizabeth_II)** > > Elizabeth II held numerous titles and honours, both during and before her time as monarch of each of her Commonwealth realms. Each is listed below; where two dates are shown, the first indicates the date of receiving the title or award (the title as Princess Elizabeth of York being given as from her birth), and the second indicates the date of its loss or renunciation. > Upon Elizabeth's accession to the throne, she was asked by her Private Secretary what her regnal name would be, to which she... I just tested one of my main report options, the Complete Individual. It displays all alternative names with the Name type. It does not print any dates from those records. My other main report (for cousins) is the Narrative Web. The alternative names are displayed. I need to do a better test making sure a record with name dates is part of the report. I do have a [feature request](https://gramps-project.org/bugs/view.php?id=10318) in to have the date added to the tab’s Names list. My attempts to modify the code have not been successful. ---
**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:** [August 28, 2024, 9:37pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/what-purpose-does-date-serve-on-names-questions-and-ideas/5929/7 "2024-08-28T21:37:57Z")
> [@DaveSch](#): > > I do have a [feature request](https://gramps-project.org/bugs/view.php?id=10318) in to have the date added to the tab’s Names list. My attempts to modify the code have not been successful. Thanks Dave! Do you think that it would be a good idea to piggyback a request to add an **Age** column next to the **Date** column? (Perhaps with a reminder that the Age rounding preferences feature was added recently in [PR#1615](https://github.com/gramps-project/gramps/pull/1615). So there’s less chance of a 2nd round of rework.) ---
**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:** [August 28, 2024, 10:07pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/what-purpose-does-date-serve-on-names-questions-and-ideas/5929/8 "2024-08-28T22:07:15Z")
Never thought of it. My Feature Request has been in for a while, and it hasn’t generated a throng of users clamoring that it needs to get done. Adding an age request couldn’t hurt. ---
**Author:** ![ML8991](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@ML8991](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/ML8991)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2024, 12:46am UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/what-purpose-does-date-serve-on-names-questions-and-ideas/5929/9 "2024-08-29T00:46:29Z")
thank you both. Indeed I am familiar with the fact that Her late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II had many other titles, and these were Commonwealth Realm dependent. For that end, I would be simply adding it into a note. However, this addition of an age column would definitely be useful at least as a visual perspective. It is a shame no report does change names based upon event. An example outside of royalty could be a widowed woman retaining her partners name until remarriage (which I think currently, she would only be shown with her primary name), and then she takes on that surname. I presume then, as no report does it, no event will pick up that data also (so, to use the example of Elizabeth, her partner, Philip, born a dynast of the house of (Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-)Glücksburg, would be shown marrying Elizabeth with that surname as far as I can tell, not Mountbatten, and otherwise being shown as HRH Prince Philip, which was not his style on the day of his marriage (it was Lieutenant HRH Sir Philip Mountbatten). What I am saying/putting forward as an idea is, like places can take date data for events and change compared to that input, names could do the same for their events, such as marriage, ennoblement, divorce etc…