*The Irish practice of changing surname prior to world war 1* WHY?

*The Irish practice of changing surname prior to world war 1*
I REALLY need some help on this! From the little research I have done, it appears that it was not uncommon for Irish men (late 19th century / early 20th century) to change their surname when they were being transferred from the Royal Irish Regiment to a Regiment in England. In my maternal grandfather's case, at some point after signing up to the Royal Irish Regiment in 1896 as 'James RECK', he changed his surname from 'RECK' (an old Co Wexford surname) to 'RAY'. His 2 brothers did the same, but they (the brothers), reverted to RECK when they returned to Ireland after WW1. MY grandfather's WW1 medical papers in 1915 and his WW1 de-mob papers show him as RAY and when he settled in south Wales and married a Welsh girl in 1924 his marriage certificate shows him as 'James RAY'. How did they change their name like this? Was it to 'fit in' and to stand out less in WW1? Was there the practice of a legal 'Change of name deed' then? This is highly unlikely in my grandfather's case. I have NO papers to chart his change from RECK to RAY. He lived the rest of his life in Wales as 'James RAY'. and his daughter's surname (my mother) was 'RAY'. His birth certificate and his marriage certificate show TWO different surnames: as I am applying to the 'Foreign Births Register', and in that respect, I can see a problem here: my grandfather's birth and marriage certificates show two different surnames! Help!  Thank you in advance.

Hi Laura,

Thanks for your question. It's a tricky one, for sure.

It may be that your grandfather and his brother changed their surnames from Reck to Ray as a way to "fit in", but I'm not so sure about this from an Irish standpoint. Reck, rather than being a surname of Irish origin, is of German origin. Perhaps, given the British Empire fought on the side of the Allied Powers and Germany fought on the side of the Central Powers, this may be the reason behind the name change.

The reality is that Irish surnames feature prominently on World War I memorials in many towns and cities across Great Britain itself. I am unable to see much evidence that Irish soldiers who fought with an English regiment changed their name, but certainly it is possible in some cases, as it seems to be with your family members. Perhaps someone else in this Community has a firmer answer.

Are you currently researching your family ancestry? If so, I would encourage you to check out this page for some useful information and advice.

Regards,
Eoin

Hi Laura

Sean de Bhulbh in his book 'All Ireland Surnames' (published 2002) raises the possibility that both Reck and Ray are anglicisations of Gaelic Riabhach. In  his comprehensive survey of Irish surnames Sean records:

"Reck,-s: moderate numbers: Wexford, Offaly, Galway etc. This name exists in England but here it may be Irish Riabhach which is usually Reagh. Only a genealogical investigation can resolve this."