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General => The Common Room => Topic started by: lancs.fox on Thursday 16 March 06 16:37 GMT (UK)
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Hi,
Does anybody know whether Minnie is a corruption of some other name?
I have someone called Minnie on a census but cannot find any birth or marriage reference for them, leading me to think that it was actually a 'pet' name.
Your help would be appreciated.
Thanks.
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Hi,
I would think it was either Minerva or Ermintrude, but I think it was also a name in its own right.
Jill
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I alo have a Minnie and her name is "Minnie". it's used several times in my family.
Kim
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Minnie is the shortened version for Minerva and also for Wilhelmina.........Trudie is the shortened version for Ermintrude.........however since a mouse wearing a skirt and big ears came on the scene Minnie seems to be a name in its own right.
old rowley
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According to my faithful book of names, Minnie was originally a Scottish pet form of Mary, as well as a short form of Wilhelmina.
Rambler
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My grandmother had a sister Minnie who was just a Minnie in her own right - long before Minnie Mouse appeared!!!
I guess it could be a pet name for many names
Tell us about your Minnie from the census (approx d-o-b, surname and place of birth) and we'll see what possibilities we can come up with for her)
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Just to complicate things, my grandmother was an Emma and called Minnie or Min all her life :)
Heather
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My Great grandmother was baptised Mary Lowry (1881 Belfast Northern Ireland)
she married a Patrick McCann and on the 1901 census she is down as Minnie McCann, Wife.
Colette
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My Mum was sometimes called Minnie, but more often Mina. Her full name was Williamina (not Wilhelmina), lots of Ina's on to male names were quite common at one point.
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Hi all,
Thanks to everyone for your views - most helpful.
I'll start a fresh search for my relative's birth and marriage references using the various options mentioned (Minnie has produced no results so in this case 'Minnie' does appear to be a pet name).
Again - thanks for all your trouble.
Regards,
Richard
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Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary in the section, Some personal names,gives Minna, May or Wilhelmina.
Isles
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Hi Isles,
Thanks for that - May is a new one for me to look at.
Regards,
Richard
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My g.aunt Minnie was Emmeline.
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Hi ozlady,
Thanks for that - another possible name to add to my research list.
Regards,
Richard
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There was a Min' on the goonshow!
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Hi
My mum's name is Minnie and it is not short for anything. Also my dad's mum was called Minnie as well.
Anne
Canada
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Hi
Another to add to the list. I have a Minnie which was short for Ameila.
Tara
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Hi Lancs fox
I asked that quesion when I first started. I looked for Wilhelmina's and variants. It turned out my Minnie born 1874 BTM (Before the Mouse)was indeed Minnie.
Siouxzie
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lancs fox
Here is another one for you! My ggrandmother was christened Camilla Denham. I searched everywhere in the 1871 census for her, and then in some family reminiscences I found a clue that she may have been known as Minnie. There she was, on the census, as Minnie Denham! A pet name which made its way to the census instead of her proper one!
My mother was christened Minnie - I suppose, after her grandmother!
MarieC
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And....I knew a Minnie who was in fact Melinda!
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Hi all,
Thanks for all your comments and suggestions.
Plenty of food for thought for me.
Regards,
Richard
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Richard,
After all these suggestions, please let us all know if you do find your 'Minnie's' birth under another name.
Jill
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Hi,
My Grandmother was a Beatrice Minnie, - & she used to tell us that it was after Minnie Haha, - from the Hiawatha poem...(I can't remember who wrote it though, - Longfellow possibly?).
Romilly.
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I have a Mary Ann who was called Minnie.
My great-grandfather was called Tot because he was small: it had nothing to do with his name!
Regards,
Josephine
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could also be Minette ,French influence.
Gazza
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I still swear Minnie is short for mary :)
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Hi,
My Grandmother was a Beatrice Minnie, - & she used to tell us that it was after Minnie Haha, - from the Hiawatha poem...(I can't remember who wrote it though, - Longfellow possibly?).
Romilly.
Yes, I'm sure it was Longfellow, Romilly!
MarieC
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My Mum was sometimes called Minnie, but more often Mina. Her full name was Williamina (not Wilhelmina), lots of Ina's on to male names were quite common at one point.
Suddenly a light went on in my head when I read this topic!
On the 1871, I've got a Minnie, then on the following census's she changes to Mina. I thought it was a spelling or transcription error but it all makes sense now....I didn't even think about the fact that it could be a shortened name!!
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Hi,
My Grandmother was a Beatrice Minnie, - & she used to tell us that it was after Minnie Haha, - from the Hiawatha poem...(I can't remember who wrote it though, - Longfellow possibly?).
Romilly.
Yes, I'm sure it was Longfellow, Romilly!
MarieC
Thanks for that Marie! (I was sort of 90% sure that it was Longfellow:-)
Btw...names like Millie/Minnie/Maisie seem to be having a bit of a resurgence in popularity at the moment... ;D
Romilly.
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Hi all,
Lots of interesting replies there.
I started off this thread because I could not locate a birth or marriage reference for one of my family's ancestors, a Minnie, and wondered whether the reason was that it was no more than a 'pet' name.
It now transpires that the reason that the marriage reference was eluding me was because the Minnie in question died before marriageable age! Her death is registered as 'Minnie'. I have now also found a birth reference, which given the death information which is to hand, I feel confident about (also a 'Minnie').
Minnie does seem to have been a popular name of the period, whether as a 'proper' name or as a 'pet' name.
Regards,
Richard