Minor name change in family name. Appointment next week.

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psantenello
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Minor name change in family name. Appointment next week.

Post by psantenello »

Hello,

I have my appointment at the L.A. consulate next week. I have all of my paperwork together but I still have one hang up. My grandfather changed our last name from Santaniello to Santenello; so on his birth certificate it is former and on this death certificate the later.

I called the state of NJ and there is no documented evidence of this name change taking place and the lady told me at this time it was quite common to make minor changes in family names.

I'm hoping that the consulate will see all of the evidence that matches i.e. same birth date on both birth certificate and death certificate, same name of parents, etc.

Does anyone have any information about this matter?

Thanks for your time.

Best,
Pete
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johnnyonthespot
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Re: Minor name change in family name. Appointment next week.

Post by johnnyonthespot »

Did he naturalize?

If so, then sometimes the Declaration of Intent can clear this up - with one spelling (the anglicized spelling) up top and the Italian spelling in the section where it tells when and how he arrived in the US.

Beyond that, a big question will be whether the two spellings are both valid Italian surnames; if so, then the consulate may insist that you have documents pertaining to two different persons. In this case, Santenello does not appear to be in use anywhere in modern Italy, so that point is in your favor.
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Rodio
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Re: Minor name change in family name. Appointment next week.

Post by Rodio »

I successfully applied in LA last year, and had a similar discrepancy with last names. My GGF's surname gained a letter sometime during his lifetime. Because he is deceased, the docs were accepted by the consulate as-is. Hope this helps.

Buona fortuna.
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corrado
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Re: Minor name change in family name. Appointment next week.

Post by corrado »

Bring this with you if they don't want it, it doesn't cost you anything....
that is change the names addresses and such, don't just bring mine.

http://italiangenealogy.tardio.com/Foru ... 99778.html
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psantenello
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Re: Minor name change in family name. Appointment next week.

Post by psantenello »

Thank you guys for all of your help!
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johnnyonthespot
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Re: Minor name change in family name. Appointment next week.

Post by johnnyonthespot »

Anglicizations of nomi such as Giuseppe/Joseph, Antonio/Anthony, and Maria/Mary, have generally been given a pass by all but the most persnickety consulates.

Cognomi, on the other hand, are a different matter - and, as I pointed out earlier, consulates can be especially tough when the "new" cognome is a valid Italian name. In English terms, Smith/Smeth would probably be given a pass, whereas Smith/Smyth would be very troublesome ( http://www.gens-us.net/map/genera.html ).

Again, much depends on the individual consulate. I would imagine that people who apply for citizenship jure sanguinis in Italy would find this even more difficult. The consulates are used to seeing all manner of Anglicizations; the officials in small and mid-size Italian comuni are apt to be more concerned.
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Rodio
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Re: Minor name change in family name. Appointment next week.

Post by Rodio »

In my case my GGF's cognome gained a letter on his death cert. My GF's bc had a misspelling, and his mc and dc had the same "ëxtra letter" as my GGF's death cert. My father and my cognome are the same as my GF--all of which were accepted by LA, even though both variants are Italian and are listed in the pagini bianche. The consulate said I didnt need to amend things, as my GGF and GF are deceased.
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Re: Minor name change in family name. Appointment next week.

Post by johnnyonthespot »

You are very lucky. I can tell you that the New York City consulate would have been much less forgiving...
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Rodio
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Re: Minor name change in family name. Appointment next week.

Post by Rodio »

Johnny--

I know I am very fortunate, as I have read all the nit-picking NY has put people through. I am still waiting for my approval letter-- I hope noone's changed their mind at the consulate!
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Re: Minor name change in family name. Appointment next week.

Post by johnnyonthespot »

Carmine

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Re: Minor name change in family name. Appointment next week.

Post by psantenello »

Guys, thanks again for all of your help!

Pete
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