Name Spelling Discrepancies for Citizenship

[goldenc]

Hi,

I'm researching applying for Italian citizenship through my great grandfather. I'm worried about various name spellings up my family line. For example, our last name changed from Renna to Renno in the US. Also, Raffaele became Ralph in some documents, but is Raffaele in others.

What should I do about these?


On another note, my grandfather legally changed his name when he was an adult -- any idea where to find this record? I need it to connect his birth certificate name with his death certificate name.

[jennabet]

The first name will not be a problem because Ralph is an English translation of Raffaele. The last name could be a problem depending on whether both spellings (Renna and Renno) exist as legitimate family names in Italy or in particular in your grand-father's town. If so, this would mean two, different families. To connect birth certificate to death certificate you would have to show that it's one and the same person.

[goldenc]

Thank you for your response! Only Renna is used in Italy and only Renno is used in the USA (for my family).