First Names Can Hold Extra Clues
Given names have histories--just as surnames--and for genealogists the study of the given names selected by our ancestors are important clues to their ethnic origins, religions, educational and social backgrounds.
America is indeed a melting pot when it comes to our names. From the first immigrants to this country--mostly English, with a sprinkling of Dutch, French, Irish, Spanish, Jewish, Scandinavian, Polish and African ancestors--to today’s multiethnic families from around the world, our given names often reflect the rich heritage passed down through generations.
Popular given names in the 17th Century in this country were: John, William, Edward, Richard, Thomas, and Joseph for boys. Most girls were named Mary, Elizabeth, Sarah, Hannah, Abigail, Rebecca, Ruth, Lydia, Anne or Martha.
Toward the end of the 17th Century there was a heavy immigration of Germans into Pennsylvania. They were the first group to use two given names, providing what we call a middle name.
The Scots and Scotch Irish also were influential in shaping name patterns. Among their favorites for boys were: James, Andrew, Alexander and Archibald.
By the 18th Century there was usage of classical names for girls, such as Lucretia, Cynthia and Lavina, and more parents began to use middle names. Among female names, Nancy, Sally and Betsy became used as independent names--not as nicknames.
The influence of Romanticism in the latter part of the 18th Century probably sparked the revival of such old Anglo-Saxon names as: Alfred, Egbert, Harold, Edmund and Edith, Ethel and Audrey. Tennyson’s “Idylls of the King” no doubt was responsible for the given names of Guenevere, Enid, Elaine and Vivian. Sir Walter Scott’s writing influenced parents to name sons: Bruce, Douglas, Donald, Roy, Ronald and Kenneth.
The 19th Century was a colorful but restless period in American history. In addition to the Civil War, there was a heavy immigration of non-English-speaking people, great internal migration, new frontiers being explored and settled, and the economic chaos of the Industrial Revolution. There developed a tendency to “Americanize” foreign-sounding given names. Heinrich and Johann usually became Henry and John.
Parents still tended to name a son for the father and the use of “Junior” flourished. However, sons were often given their mother’s maiden name as a middle name, and in some localities this practice became fairly prevalent for the naming of daughters.
Many sons were named for well-known figures--local and national ones. Every genealogist whose families were in America by this time stumble across ancestors and relatives named George Washington Smith, Daniel Boone Williams or Abraham Lincoln Jones.
Civil War heroes provided many names for our ancestors--Robert E. Lee or a combination of his name--is borne by many of our Southern male ancestors. The names Stonewall Jackson and Jeb, for J.E.B. Stuart, also became popular. In the Northern states, Lincoln and Grant became common given names, while many parents named their daughters for states, such as Missouri, Tennessee or California.
Romantic minds took an interest in the foreign and exotic, probably accounting for the popularity of Charlotte, Maria and Henrietta. The 19th Century was highly literate, as the majority of people knew how to read and many inexpensive books became available. Shakespeare’s writing is credited with several names for girls, such as Juliet, Rosalind, and Viola.
Found a “strange” given name in your family? Check all the dictionaries of given names at your libraries. The histories of these names are fascinating, and may provide you with some clues about your families.
