first name changes

[kcscholar]

Hi! I have been researching my grandfather's genealogy (born in Cuzzago, Novarra, Piemonte) for several years and the more I learn, the more questions I have. In the last year, I have connected with a kind gentleman in Cuzzago who has provided me with the genealogy as far back as he can go. What's puzzling is, my bis-nonna exchanged her first name with her middle name when she arrived in Ellis Island (nee: Giovanna Luisa Piroli in Storti and reported Luisa Piroli in Storti in Ellis Island). This wouldn't strike me as a big deal, but in tracing the records I found my bis-nono, who arrived 2 years earlier. He completely changed his first name from Giovanni to Francesco (born with a completely different middle name). I continued to follow the trail. His report in Ellis Island is that he was staying with his brother-in-law....another person with a different birth name than what is civilly recorded. Each one maintained their last names, but have completely different first names. Does anyone know why this may have happened in the early 1900s? (They all came over in the first decade.) I shouldn't let this bother me, but it seems so odd that all 3 of them changed their first names.

[Anizio]

1) are SURE its the right person. When you say changed their name completely it makes me question.
and 2) For whatever reason a lot of Italians, especially those going to the US, changed their names. When you say they "changed" it to middle name, thats not entirely accurate. Italian don't have middle names.They have given names and family name and any of their given names is valid. But yes a lot of American Italians changed their names completely, not uncommon for immigrants to that country - but you need to be extra diligent to ensure its the right person. Coming from the same place wouldn't be enough proof.

[forospanad]

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