Handeling Alternate names better

Jarkko1

Idea for change the way how to handel names in FamilySearch

What we get from this?

1. After that we will have less duplicates
2. You can choose ”best name for ordinaces” before when you print names
3. You can chage some names better for familymeetings or for sharing tree to realtives.

Background

The persons name is the most important data in Familytree and in world history it alwasy had very much power.

There have been already longer time quite largerly discussion (using even unkind words) about which name and how we should to use names in FamilySearch for each person.

When we got possibility for Alternate Name this was helping little bit…

Stll problems

Aleternative name is quite hidden there and quite few are using this possibility.

Relatives have differnet opinion which name should be visible. (Simeone want Birth Name from children book and someon want it as it have been in local language etc.

Problem is that it is complicated to cahnge and cahnge again back.

Solution

1.

We should to have window where we can write all alternate names and where we can choose which of them is shown in the persons page,

2.

Already in the beginning when you add new person to your tree you add first the name then there should be possibility or it even supports to add all alternate names which you know. And there should be hint ”Please add all alternate names”.

3. Near of the main name in persons page should be possibility to open alternatename window where to coose”display name”

Steps for user

• Add person to your tree and at the same time those alternate names which you know.
• Choose which name will be as ”visble name” in the persons page
• You can easily add more alternate names
• You can easily cahnge name for ”visible name”
• You can easily edit names, when it is needed.

Whats then

1. After that we will have less duplicates

1. You can choose ”best name for ordinaces” before when you print names

1. You can chage some names better for familymeetings or for sharing tree to realtives.

EllsworthBryanW

Excellent idea. Today I found a big problem. In the Netherlands apparently their naming traditions have changed over time. And when doing a search you don’t know which form of the name to use. “van Heusen” is or is not the same as “Heusen van”? Finnish records are written Swedish (which is easier to read) or in Finnish. Which should you use? SUGGESTION : Since Family Tree is all about names for a precise person then HOW that person is referred to is vital. We need under “Vitals” and not hidden under “Other” the name both as it appears in various records: Finnish, Swedish and modernizations. That way we can know exactly who we are talking about as we look at Persons Page or in doing Research searches

genthusiast

One limitation - I think Alternate Names in Search - which pulls from Other Information - is limited to searching 4 names total (or is it 5)? It might be nice to have the drop-down in Vitals (especially for cultures maybe needing it more). 👍 Also not sure if language templates might handle it...

Gordon Collett

I would support this 100%. I tried to find my post suggesting something similar a while back but couldn't, not even using Google.

To summarized what I requested in that old post, it was to:

• Eliminate the Name field from the Vitals pod.
• Split Alternate Names off from the Other Information pod into a separate pod called Name and put it above Vitals.
• Have a "Set Preferred" link to choose the name that would show in the banner, on all charts, or anywhere else there is room for just one name. This should be a user preference, just like for spouse or parents, so that each user can see the name in the banner that user wants to see.

Find, Hints, and Possible Duplicates already use all alternate names. We can now tag sources to each alternate name. Currently each alternate name has its own language template. Search does only take four names but we could assume that more names than that would be minor spelling variants or the number of names in Search could be increased by a couple.

Basically it would look like this Photoshop mock up:

This format reinforces that every name a person ever used is just as valid as every other and would eliminate arguments about what a person's "real" name was. It might be good to still have the preferred name show, but not be editable, in the Vitals section so that if there was no need to see all the names, a user could collapse the Name pod and save some room. Any editing of the preferred name should still occur in the Name box so that someone does not change the preferred name into an already existing name instead of just changing the preference.

Julia Szent-Györgyi

@s10297588641, Find makes no distinction between the name in the Vitals box and names in the Other box. In the results list, it'll show the match with whichever name you searched for.

I looked for and got three completely different names, but with exactly the same ID, events, and relationships. You can't tell from the results lists which of those three names is in the Vitals box and which ones are entered as alternate names. In other words, part of this suggestion -- treating all names as equally valid -- is already implemented. It's just the presentation in Tree that can be interpreted as giving one of them priority.

Cheryl Viering

The one change I'd like to see is to make it possible to select one of the alternative names as the primary name.

If I come across a better name/spelling for a person, it's a real pain to have to type in the new name. And then type in the original name as an alternate.

Also, it would be nice if merge had an option to include the discarded name as an alternate name. Often I don't want to lose the other name, I just want to change the primary. It's a bother to have to do this by hand.

While I'm wishing, how about making it obvious which part of the name is the given, and which part is the family name. The name is entered as two entries, but you can't see how it is divided without opening the edit window.

Gordon Collett

@Cheryl Viering This current need to retype the main name as an alternate is something else that would be solved if all names were treated equally and treated as they are in currently in Alternate Names. When merging Other Information, including Alternate Names, you can choose to carry over everything or nothing but you are never replacing one piece of information with another.