Over the last 200 years it has become a widespread practice for the use of one, two or even three and four given names for a newborn baby. The naming of a baby is not taken lightly, but rather is a matter of tradition, heritage and respect to another person, relative, virtue, religion or institution.
Family names centuries ago generally were based on the family occupation. To distinguish one person from another within the family, an additional name was needed. If a blacksmith was called ‘Smith’ and to help differentiate his three sons, each one needed another name. So developed Joseph Smith, Matthew Smith and John Smith; with those given names from an ancient pool of names.
Besides an occupation, family names could originate from a location, a physical attribute or skill. Again, another name would become necessary to designate one offspring of the family from another.
When it came to selecting a name for a baby it became a popular tradition to choose an ancestor’s name and the baby would be a namesake. A son was named for a father, a daughter for the mother, a son for a great uncle, etc.
In the 15th and 16th centuries, given names related to virtues or worthy merits were extremely popular. Especially for female babies, names like; Charity, Mercy, Hope and Thankful were very commonplace throughout the United Kingdom. That same practice of virtuous or unusual given names was repeated during the 1960s and 1970s in many countries with names like ‘Butterfly‘, ’Love’ or ‘Chastity.’
Using a family surname as a given name was very popular during the 18th, 19th and most of the 20th centuries. This tradition greatly assists a genealogy researcher with possible clues to more distance ancestors. If your grandmother’s full name was Harriett Wesley Brown, that middle name of ’Wesley’ just might be a relative’s last name. The possibilities are worth investigating.
Inspirational heroes and rulers during the year of a child’s birth could have the parents select that as a given name. Many sons were named for members of the royal courts. This bit of historical information can help narrow in when an individual was born. One of the English heroes of the Napoleonic Wars by 1805 was Admiral Horatio Nelson. Truly, many baby sons received one or both of the admiral’s names in that time period.
When gathering of information on ancestors, look if the same given names are repeated within the same family. It was a common practice in the 18th and 19th centuries to give the same given names to a newborn of an earlier sibling after that child died young.
Variations in the spelling for given names exist for countless reasons. Sometimes the parents had their own preferred way of spelling a name. Then, there is the possibility a birth registration clerk could have mistakenly misspelled the names. Plus an ancestor might have legally changed their name when they were an adult. All of these can make a difference in locating the right ancestor.
Even with legal given names, some ancestors were always known by nicknames. This can make the research problematical. If you thought your grandmother’s name was Gertrude and the only individual you find has the name Trudy, they could one and the same person.
Other typically English nicknames include: Albert being Bert or Bertie; Andrew being Drew or Andy; Broderick being Rick, Brody, or Brady; Edwin being Ned, Ted, Eddie or Eddy; and Laurence being Lorence, Lauren, Loren or Lars.
Become familiar with variations in the name and the different ways a given name can be spelled is essential. Adelaide can also be spelled Adelayde and Mackenzie might be spelled Mckenzie, Makenzie, or Makenzi. Spellings years ago changed because people lacked a complete education and did not know how to spell various names. Realizing the possibilities can aid in one’s family research.