Quote:
Originally posted by Rudey
The wonderful government workers that work in immigration still do this. Half of my family ended up with a different spelling of the name. And my favorite part? The fact that they messed up on my birthday. When anyone figures out how to correct your birthday, let me know.
-Rudey
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I can help you here!
1) Most names were NOT bastardized at Ellis Island; families would try to Americanize them on their own. That's how you get several spellings of the same family's last name.
2) Other times, mothers with illegitimate children would take the chance to change their name & status of their babies.
3) To change your own, it would depend on which state you live in. There's a depository for every birth certificate in each state (for births after 1900); contact them and tell your situation. You'll probably need at least one other person to prove what do you truly were born, and possibly a document such as a religious one, your rabbi, or whomever.