Family names?

Question:

Family names?

i am trying to trace my family history and i had a great aunt who was only ever known as Etta, i am presuming that this was not her real name and probably a shorting of a longer name (such as Henrietta). I am looking for any suggestions as to what that name might be. She would have been born in the early 1900's .

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Find her death certificate, marriage license, baptismal records, etc. All of them will give her real name. You can also check the census records from 1910, 1920 and 1930 to see what you find. They did allow nicknames but generally the younger the person, the more likely you'll get their given name. It's possible she had a birth certificate, but it's just as likely that she didn't. Most states didn't mandate them until 1935-40. For people who don't have them, baptismal records and census records are used for legal purposes to establish identity and age.