FamilySearch Family Tree Rules for Entering Names

What "rules" or "guidelines" or "conventions" do you use to enter names into your genealogical program or your online family tree?

As many of us know, different cultures have different naming patterns - some with a family name first, or a family name last.  Here in the English speaking United States, we have a first-middle-last name system that usually takes the father's last name as ta child's last name, but not always.  Some children are being named with a mother's - father's last name system, like Smith-Jones.  In historical times, persons may have changed their names to Anglicize them, or to reflect adoption, or for other reasons.  How do we deal with this in our research?

I decided I wanted to see if my naming "rules" were as consistent as possible with the FamilySearch Family Tree.  When I looked at my RootsMagic file, I see first names like "male" or "child" or "unknown," and last names like "Unknown" or "_____" or LNU."

1)  FamilySearch has created a set of Family Tree tutorials at  http://broadcast.lds.org/elearning/fhd/Community/en/FamilyTreeCurriculum/index.html that has a Level One section titled "Reading Tutorial, Rules for Entering Names."

These rules seem pretty reasonable, but I have some problems with them.

2)  I am in the process of eliminating all of the "unknown" first and last names, especially for married females, that have popped up over the years in my database.  What should I replace them with?  There are some choices:

**  The rules above say to name a married female "Mrs. Mary Last" when you know her first name but not her maiden last name,
**  The rules above say to name a married female "Mrs. First Last" when you don't know either name, and her husband's name is "First Last."
**  If the married female's given name is unknown, then name her "Mrs. Last" if her husband's last name is "Last."

**  When the parent's names are known, but a daughter's given name is not known, just use the last name.
**  When the parent's names are known, but a son's given name is not known, just use the last name.

3)  Some questions are raised by these "rules" including:

** What about if I know only the husband's first name, like a Scandinavian patronymic?  Do I just use that?
**  I guess a husband whose first name is unknown is entered just as "Last."
**  It feels funny to list a second wife as "Mrs. First Last" when I don't know her maiden name.

4)  I'm not satisfied with the Family Tree naming rules, but I don't have a clear set of rules for my own family tree.  

When I encounter a record with a different name for a person in my database, I enter that name as an "Alternate Name" and source it to the record.  That includes name vairations like Randall Jeffrey Seaver, Randall J. Seaver, R.J. Seaver, R. Jeffrey Seaver, Randy Seaver, Randy Jeff Seaver, etc.  Everything but "hey, you" it seems!  I try to make the preferred name the most complete name, or the name with the most authoritative source.

But then there are the immigrant names that have been Anglicized -- like Philip Jacob Konig (I know, I need the diacriticals too!) with the German name in some records and the surname King in other records because he was called that name. I have entered that as "Konig/King."  Then there is my Richman family in England who quickly adopted Richmond in America after immigrating in 1855.  I have ancestors in England with Latin names in the baptism records, but they were the English equivalent in other records and in common use.   I'm not consistent, it seems!

5)  What other naming conventions are there?  How do you handle these variations?  There must be reference books with recommendations for names.  I think the software programs have naming conventions also.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2015/08/familysearch-family-tree-rules-for.html

Copyright (c) 2015, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.