Understanding British and American Naming
Patterns – Class Outline
Craig L. Foster
NOTE: This is a rough general outline with more to be added and some points changed.
While I have researched and taught about Welsh and American naming patterns, I still
need to add them and online sources to this outline.
Introduction
There is significance to names and naming patterns as a way of
identifying people.
Names identify race, ethnicity, religious persuasion, social class,
etc.
“Names did act as indicators of social status.” Smith-Bannister, p. 129
Names were/are used to:
Define the named as human
Class someone according to his or her gender
A means of defining the named as a Christian
Classified people to their geographical origins
Classified people to their social status
Classified people to the time in which they were born
A symbol or symbolic of some deeper meaning, etc.
Scott Smith-Bannister, p. 16-17
England
Romano-Britain and Anglo-Saxon
A number of early Romano-British names had Celtic influence
because those of Celtic heritage continued to reside throughout
Britain and there was an intermingling of these cultures, including
with naming patterns.
Latin Naming Formulae – the tendency to regard the tri nomina as
the “standard,” fully Romanized form and was used by the higherclassed or privileged people. There was also the duo nomina used
by Romans and Romano-British. Alex Mullen, “Linguistic Evidence for
‘Romanization’…” p. 39.
Celtic Naming Formulae – a single name, occasionally with the
patronymic genitive, seems to have been the standard naming
method under Celts living in Romano-Britain. Quite often, Celtic
names were accompanied by Latin names. Alex Mullen, “Linguistic Evidence for
‘Romanization’…” p. 40.
The Anglo-Saxons’ language influenced Old English and by the
tenth century, Old English, Germanic, and even Old Norse strongly
influenced early British naming patterns. Heather Rose Jones, “The Names: Given
Names, Old English (and other Germanic) Names,”
Realistically though, most of us are not going to be able to get our
genealogy back to pre-conquest Britain.
Post-Conquest and Medieval
“Names particularly, but not exclusively, in the medieval period
thus belonged partly to the symbolic field (the cultural world) and
partly to the social order (through their meanings for kinship and
spiritual kinship).” Dave Postles, Naming the People of England, 5.
It has been suggested that during the twelfth century a general
transformation in English naming processes and patterns occurred.
The pool of names was enlarged and England experienced more
variety of names. This transformation in naming was more with
male names than female names. Dave Postles, Naming the People of England, 10.
Early Modern
By the sixteenth and later centuries, names and naming followed
certain patterns.
Classifications of given names:
Old Testament
New Testament
Calvinist or Puritan (ie. Martin, Luther, Calvin, Prudence,
Mercy, Desire and Thankful)
Neo-Classical (post 1750)
Family Surnames
Non-Religious “English” Names Richard Woodruff Price, “Child-Naming
Patterns, p. 83.
There was a definite English naming pattern and “English society
was strongly patriarchal as older children were named most
frequently for their father’s kin.” This was especially the case prior
to 1750. Richard Woodruff Price, “Child-Naming Patterns, p. 140. & 137.
Of first sons, a plurality were named for paternal grandfathers,
followed by fathers and finally maternal grandfathers. Richard Woodruff
Price, “Child-Naming Patterns, p. 57.
“First daughters most frequently shared names with their father’s
mother.” Richard Woodruff Price, “Child-Naming Patterns, p. 74.
Patriarchy was evident as second sons were named most frequently
for father’s father, and first daughters for the paternal mother. The
maternal side was not forgotten, however; a slightly lower
percentage of first daughters received the name of the mother’s
mother and mother’s sisters. Richard Woodruff Price, “Child-Naming Patterns, p. 89.
In medieval England and in subsequent centuries, brothers
sometimes had the same first name and were identified by birth
rank or nickname. Sisters also shared names but to a lesser degree.
Richard Woodruff Price, “Child-Naming Patterns, p. 107.
The English had a tendency to give more than one living child the
same name, probably to ensure the carrying of an important name
through the generations. Such a proclivity suggests the importance
of the linear family in the society, being bonded by alternate
generations in many instances. Richard Woodruff Price, “Child-Naming Patterns, p. 139.
“…shared names are highly suggestive of a familial rather than
individual view of children.” Richard Woodruff Price, “Child-Naming Patterns, p. 107.
This tendency to give children the same names as siblings or, more
importantly, “names of parents or grandparents stressed the
continuity between generations, rather than distinctive personal
identities.” Richard Woodruff Price, “Child-Naming Patterns, p. 107.
Child-parent name sharing increased from the middle of the 16th
century to the end of the 17th century. Scott Smith-Bannister, p. 59.
Like today, names gained and lost popularity depending upon
events, attitudes and other factors.
Between 1500 and at least 1700, for practically all social groups,
“the five most common names in the majority of the decades were
(usually in this order) John, William, Thomas, Richard, and
Robert.” Scott Smith-Bannister, p. 83.
While there was some variation to the order of these five names,
these “five most common names were fixed in a pattern which
stayed largely unchanged.” Scott Smith-Bannister, p. 83.
“The most common name for a member of the male poor between
1570 and 1699 was John. In general, between one-quarter and onefifth of the male poor were so named.” Scott Smith-Bannister, p. 99.
“Certain names such as George, Edward, and Henry were typically
among the less common names in the majority of decades between
1500 and 1700.” Scott Smith-Bannister, p. 84.
The use and popularity of names also depended upon the region of
England. For example, among the poorer classes, the names Ralph
and Randall were more common in the north of England while
Nicholas and Henry were more common in the south and
southwest. Scott Smith-Bannister, p. 109.
Again, geography played an important role in name preferences.
An interesting example is found in a study of three villages, with
one being in the middle of England with another somewhat close
to the Scottish border and the third situated in Devon. Wickham, in
the north, showed Scottish bias in naming selections and trends
while Hartland residents, in Devon, were influenced by Irish,
Welsh and Cornish cultures. Richard Woodruff Price, “Child-Naming Patterns, p. 53.
Furthermore, the Scottish naming pattern was frequently used in
Wickham, with Cornish and Welsh nomenclature influencing the
naming of Hartland children. Hartland parents tended to follow the
English naming pattern by naming the first son for the father’s
father. A patriarchal society was clearly evident. Richard Woodruff Price,
“Child-Naming Patterns, p. 65.
Time, like place, played an important role on what was popular or
not. An example of names coming into and falling out of favor are
some of the ancient Norman names like Arthur, Charles and
Leonard which were revived by the gentry in the fifteenth century
after having been almost unknown in the 1300s. George Redmonds, Names
and History: People, Places and Things, p. 116.
A significant example of the popularity of names changing with
time and events, and, I might add, also an excellent clue about your
ancestor’s religious leanings, were the Puritan names.
Puritan names were most common within a limited geographical
area “with the heartland being in east Sussex and the Kentish
border.” Scott Smith-Bannister, p. 5.
It was hoped a child would possess qualities of the characteristic
stated in the child’s name. “Puritans used names such as PraiseGod or Benevolence, hoping the offspring would demonstrate
traits of Diety.” Richard Woodruff Price, “Child-Naming Patterns, p. 136.
The Puritans tended to place more emphasis on the nuclear family
rather than the extended family and their names reflected that
emphasis by “recognizing the individuality of the child, and a
desire to sever ties with previous generations.” Richard Woodruff Price,
“Child-Naming Patterns, p. 83-85.
Previous to this, the “Naming for kin stressed continuity between
generations, implying children were elements of an ongoing chain,
and seen less as individuals.” Richard Woodruff Price, “Child-Naming Patterns, p. 136.
The popularity of Puritan names reflected the growing use of
religious names from the last quarter of the sixteenth century
forward. Religious names increased over time in all parishes, thus
indicating a tendency away from standard English, Norman, and
Anglo-Saxon forenames.
Between 1570-1700, the Bible became an increasingly common
source of girls’ names during this period. The most common
biblical name for a woman was Elizabeth. Scott Smith-Bannister, p. 105.
Three other girls’ names with Biblical origins that proved to be “an
exceptionally common choice” after 1620 were Susanna (which
included Susan), Martha, and especially Sarah. Richard Woodruff Price,
“Child-Naming Patterns, p. 144.
During this same time-period, the New Testament names of Peter,
Nicholas, Paul, Simon and Theophilus tended to be more popular
with men of lower social status than with those of the gentry and
peerage. Richard Woodruff Price, “Child-Naming Patterns, p. 129.
Ireland
Gaelic, Early Medieval, and Early Modern
There were different names and naming patterns in Ireland
depending upon the family’s heritage. The divisions were:
Gaelic
“Old English” (Anglo-Norman)
New English and Scots Clodagh Tait, “Namesakes and Nicknames, p. 314
“Despite the frequency with which English traditional names were
used in Ireland, alternative naming patterns with [early] medieval
origins can also be identified. Three main broad sets of naming
traditions were in use prior to the 1500s – the Gaelic, the Christian
(saints’ names), and those names introduced by Anglo and
Cambro-Norman settlers. As well as the core group of ‘English
traditional’ names [like John, Thomas, William, Robert, James and
Richard], other Norman names such as David, Edmund, Gerald
(Garrett), Piers, Maurice and so on, which seem to have declined in
importance in England and Wales themselves, retained some
popularity amongst the ‘Old English’ descendants of twelfth- and
thirteenth-century settlers. They had also infiltrated Gaelic naming
in certain areas. English Names that were
Top six native Irish names in Monaghan (traditionally more Gaelic
than other parts of Ireland) in the 1660s:
Patrick
Bryan
Hugh
Owen
Thorlogh
Shane
“Namesakes and Nicknames, p. 315-316.
The top names amongst the New English in the 1660s were:
John
Thomas
William
Robert
James
Richard
However, all of the names, except for Robert, were also common
among the native Irish.
“Namesakes and Nicknames, p. 315-316.
In 1664 in Co. Cavan, which was inhabited mostly by Irish, the top
names were:
Patrick
Hugh
John
Philip
Brian
Thomas
Conor
Edmund
Tirlogh
Daniel/Donal
“Namesakes and Nicknames, p. 315-316.
The top names in 1669 in Carrickfergus in Co. Antrim, which had
a greater representation of English, Welsh and Scots, were:
John (comprised 26% of all names)
Thomas
William
James
Robert (these first five names made up 59% of all names)
Patrick
George
Andrew
Richard
David
“Namesakes and Nicknames, p. 315-316.
Some English names were adopted by the native Irish because of
their similarities to Gaelic names:
Hugh ― Aodh
Daniel ― Dónal
Denis ― Donough
Morris ― Murtogh
Geoffrey ― Seathrún
“Namesakes and Nicknames, p. 334.
There was usually “symbolic significance of the names given to
children in early modern Ireland.” “Names reminded people of
other people. The naming of children at baptism, and their
renaming on other occasions, worked to create metaphorical, but
often strongly conceptualized, connections between individuals
and generations, between the saints and their dependents.
However, naming practices could also delineate differences in
background and belief. In early Ireland, more than in Britain,
names might identify the loyalties and concerns of particular
communities.”
“Namesakes and Nicknames, p. 314, 335.
Western Gaeltacht
In early Gaelic Ireland and among the Old English families,
nicknames or ‘by-names’ seem too have been especially important
(these were used to distinguish people with the same personal
name from one another). These names described physical and
personality traits like Owen Moyle (maol = bald) or Daniel Gorme
(gorm = blue) McSwyny. They could also describe clothing like
Risdéard ‘an Iarainn’ Burke (Iron Richard, a reference to his
armour) or Dubhaltach, son of Taghg-in-triudhais (Taghg of the
trews or trousers). They could also describe exploits in warfare like
the Earl of Desmond who was known as ‘Geróid-na-secaidhe’ or
Garrett/Gerald of the Excursions. “Namesakes and Nicknames, p. 329.
Another example is “og” which means “young.” Garrett Og, for
example meant Garrett the younger.
This style of nicknaming has continued to the present. Local
names” in western Ireland, in the Gaelic-speaking areas, known as
Gaeltachts, are names that identify or differentiate people based on
characteristics, relations, occupations, etc. These local names
“condense the social attributes of kinship, genealogy, social
intimacy, Irish-language use, and identify and make available a
sense of person and register that is personal and socially close.”
Veerenda Lele, “’It’s not Really a Nickname, it’s a Method’, p. 101.
Tá muid fite fuate le chéile – “we are all intertwined together”
stressing that most people in Gaeltach communities are “all related
to one another.”
“’It’s not Really a Nickname, it’s a Method’, p. 103.
Derbfine – A precise reckoning of kinship – “Muintir” could mean
your colceathrair up to colochtar – up to cousins eight removed.
Relationships with cousins, colceathrair, are an important aspect
of kinship reckoning. Colceathrair means a person is four times
removed from one’s own self (including one’s own self), or a
‘person to the fourth degree,’ that is, one’s ‘first cousin’ in
common Anglo-American kinship terminology: yourself (“Ego”),
your parent (either one), their sibling (of any gender), and that
siibling’s child. Colcúigear (five persons removed), colseisear (six
persons removed), all have a possible place in one’s kinship
cosmology and history. Colochtar means ‘eight-people-removed’
but also implicates four generations back.” “’It’s not Really a Nickname, it’s a
Method’, p. 109.
This concept of Derbfine slowly died away and has pretty much
disappeared, but not all aspects of it.
“In Ireland, clan affiliations began to be used to form bynames
from the 10th century and were often used to form bynames from
about the 11th century. Simple patronymic bynames and clan
affiliation bynames are the two most common types of Gaelic
byname found in medieval and early modern Ireland.” Sharon L. Krossa,
“Quick and easy Gaelic Names,” p. 2.
“A distinguishing feature of nomenclature in Ireland today is the
phenomenon of dual Irish and English language naming, with most
individuals accepting that there are two versions of their name.”
Liam Mac Mathúna, “What’s in an Irish name?” p. 64
Scotland
Ancestral and Parental Patterns
Two naming patterns – Ancestral Pattern and Parental Pattern.
John Barrett Robb, “The Scottish Onomastic Child-naming Pattern” p. 1
John Barrett Robb has suggested that the Ancestral Pattern was the
original Scottish naming pattern. John Barrett Robb, “The Scottish Onomastic Childnaming Pattern” p. 1
The Ancestral Scottish Onomastic Child-naming Pattern:
The 1st son was named for his father’s father
The 2nd son was named for his mother’s father
The 3rd son was named for his father’s father’s father
The 4th son was named for his mother’s mother’s father
The 5th son was named for his father’s mother’s father
The 6th son was named for his mother’s father’s father
The 7th through 10th sons were named for their father’s
4 great-grandfathers
The 11th through 14th sons were named for their mother’s
4 great-grandfathers
The 1st daughter was named for her mother’s mother
The 2nd daughter was named for her father’s mother
The 3rd daughter was named for her mother’s father’s mother
The 4th daughter was named for her father’s father’s mother
The 5th daughter was named for her mother’s mother’s
mother
The 6th daughter was named for her father’s mother’s mother
The 7th through 10th daughters were named for their mother’s
4 great-grandmothers
The 11th through 14th daughters were named for their father’s
4 great-grandmothers John Barrett Robb, “The Scottish Onomastic Childnaming Pattern” p. 2.
Where a given name has already been used, one slips down the list
to the next name. John Barrett Robb, “The Scottish Onomastic Child-naming Pattern” p. 2.
The Parental Scottish Onomastic Child-naming Pattern:
The 1st son was named for his father’s father
The 2nd son was named for his mother’s father
The 3rd son was named for his father
The 4th son was named for his father’s eldest brother
The 5th son was named for his father’s next eldest brother
The 1st daughter was named for her mother’s mother
The 2nd daughter was named for her father’s mother
The 3rd daughter was named for her mother
The 4th daughter was named for her mother’s eldest sister
The 5th daughter was named for her mother’s next eldest
sister John Barrett Robb, “The Scottish Onomastic Child-naming Pattern” p. 3.
This pattern was followed quite rigorously and was, in fact, quite
predictable for at least the first three children of each sex. Around
95% of the Scotch-Irish families followed this pattern. John Barrett
Robb, “The Scottish Onomastic Child-naming Pattern” p. 4.
Gaelic
Both Irish and Scottish Gaels used only one given name (the first
name or Christian name). They do not seem to have started using
middle names in Ireland or Scotland until sometime after the 16th
century. Sharon L. Krossa, “Quick and easy Gaelic Names,” p. 1.
“The name pool from which names were chosen varied over time
and with the specific Gaelic naming culture (Irish or Scottish). In
the early part of the Middle Ages, the name pools in Gaelic
Scotland and Ireland were more or less the same, since the Gaels
came to Scotland from Ireland and brought their names with them
as they brought the Gaelic language. But over time the name pools
diverged. Some early Gaelic names that went out of fashion in one
culture remained in fashion in the other. Some new names came
into one’s culture name pool but not the other’s.” Sharon L. Krossa, “Quick
and easy Gaelic Names,” p. 2.
Highlands
Like Ireland, there is a significant prevalence of “by-names” in
Gaelic-speaking communities in northwest Scotland. Nancy C. Dorian, “A
Substitute Name System in the Scottish Highlands,” p. 305.
The by-names in use in East Sutherland fall into several distinct
groups: (1) basic genealogical; (2) descriptive; (3) derisive; (4)
nonsense; and (5) secondary genealogical patterns built on the
second, third, and fourth groups. Nancy C. Dorian, “A Substitute Name System in the
Scottish Highlands,” p. 306.
Forename Variants
Variations of forenames are very common in old as well as new
records. Names people were christened with might change over the
course of a lifetime.
Following are some examples of names changing or being
abbreviated:
Alexander:
Alec, Alex, Eck, Sandy, Sander, Xander
Elizabeth:
Elisabeth, Eliza, Betty, Betsy, Beth, Bessie, Elspeth,
Elsie, Lizzie
Euphemia:
Euphan, Eupham, Effy
George:
Dod
James:
Jamie, Jimmy, Jim
Katherine:
Kate, Katie, Kath, Kathy
“Forename Variants,” Scotland’s People,
http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/content/help/index.aspx?561
“It was very common for registrars in Gaelic-speaking areas of the
Highlands and Western Isles to anglicize common Gaelic
forenames, for instance recording Morag as Mary, Ian as John and
Hamish as James. Gaelic-speaking families themselves, who
migrated to urban areas, may also have anglicised their names.”
“Forename Variants,” Scotland’s People,
http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/content/help/index.aspx?561
There were also variations in spelling of forenames. Examples:
Jannet, Jhonet, Jonat, Jonnet or Jonet instead of Janet, Margrat or
Margret for Margaret, Henrie for Henry, Andro or Androw for
Andrew, Alisoun, Alesoune, Alisone for Alison.
Some names were ambiguous, particularly when they were abbreviated.
For example, Willm. Could be either William or Williamina. Names
like that were actually used. Many boys’ names were transformed into
girls’ names by adding “ina”, e.g. Thomasina, Georgina, Hughina,
Jamesina, Williamina. These names might be abbreviated to Ina in later
life. Williamina might become Mina.
“Forename Variants,” Scotland’s People,
http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/content/help/index.aspx?561
Conclusion
In conclusion, we need to remember:
There is significance to names and naming patterns as a way of
identifying people.
Names identify race, ethnicity, social standing, political leanings,
religious persuasion, etc.
Naming patterns were influenced by the cultures, as well as time and
place.
Naming patterns existed in England, Ireland and Scotland and were
carried to the Americas.
Analyze the names of the parents and children in each generation and
think about time, place, social standing, etc.
Look for clues that the family might have used naming patterns and
then look for the next generation.
Follow this research pattern with each generation.
Keep in mind that NOT EVERY FAMILY FOLLOWED NAMING
PATTERNS!