What does it mean when the first name on birth records is just a gender?

Question

I am trying to track down a relative working with only a birth date and their gender. I've been looking through the birth records from the late 40's for NYC. I have narrowed the list down to 210 names out of an original 300,000+.

Now I am wondering what it means when there is only a gender listed for the first name, i.e. Smith, Female/Male.

Does it mean they were just not yet named before the birth certificate was issued? Or perhaps that they died at birth/were stillborn? Or were to be sent to an adoption agency? Or could it be something else altogether?

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Working in a hospital business office I know there are newborns that are discharged and the parents haven't decided on a name. So no doubt this was the reason.

Answer 2

The parents didn't have a name yet of the most likely, but your other two choices were possible too. If the child was stillborn there is sometimes a note to that effect on the "birth" certificate. If the mom knew from the start that she was going to give the child up for adoption, she might not name it.

Answer 3

It just means that the child had not been named yet. It was pretty common for parents to wait a few hours, days, or even longer, to name their children; a carryover from when infant mortality rates were high, and they wanted to make sure the child would survive.

Answer 4

http://blogs.babycenter.com/mom_stories/boy-with-no-name-finally-names-himself/



Just a few other stories about children given no first name.



Until you find other informatio/records it is hard to say why. it may save you time if you look into the laws of the state at that time to see if it was legal or not to not name your child and/or what circumstances that names were not required ie still birth..........................................



In the UK birth certificates are historical documents and they don't change, you can't add to them you have to use another document with the birth cert if you change your name, in some very limited circumstances and within a strict time limit things can be added/altered but they are not historical documents in some other countries

Answer 5

Maybe that is his/her name........