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General => The Common Room => The Lighter Side => Topic started by: Just Kia on Tuesday 29 July 08 18:03 BST (UK)
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What is the most unusual first names (real, not mistranscriptions) you have come across in your trees?
I've got the following - some of these are not direct lineage but from marriages of siblings as well.
Delyth (F)
Deveraux (M)
Enoch (M)
Greenwood (M)
Israel (M)
Jabez (M)
Japhet/Japhot (M)
Kerenhappuch (F)
Peridreau (M)
Salome (F)
Temperence (F)
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Enoch, Israel, Jabez, Japhet/Japhot and Kerenhappuch are Jewish names and not that unusual.
Salome - poor lass! One of those "it sounded nice" but the original was not that nice.
I have in my tree sisters Temperence, Prudence, Chastity and Charity. One does not like to ask, but Chastity had 7 children... ;)
meles
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Enoch, Israel, Jabez, Japhet/Japhot and Kerenhappuch are Jewish names and not that unusual.
I'm fairly certain that they weren't Jewish people (not that that means anything, I know), is it likely that they heard the names and liked them?
Edited to add:
Salome - poor lass! One of those "it sounded nice" but the original was not that nice.
Interestingly - "In Christian mythology, Salome was the daughter of Herodias and stepdaughter of Herod Antipas, ruler of Galilee in Palestine." Is Salome possibly also a Jewish name?
That said they aren't all from the same branch by any shot of the imagination.
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Oh, yes! I have all those names in my tree (except Israel), but no Jewish connections that I've found. Indeed, they are all non-conformists - and therefore likely to choose names from the Old Testament.
meles
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The names were probably taken from the Bible and doesn't mean that the family would have been Jewish. My grandfather's family were German- his father was Elias (German form of Elijah) and siblings were Israel, Rebekah (the Hebrew spelling of Rebecca), Abraham, Susannah, Mariah.
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Salome was a Bad Girl who came to a Bad End. ;) Not a Jewish name, but in the NT.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salome
meles
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One English family in my ancestry has some lovely old names:
Bethiah, Charity, Experience, Susannah, Elizabeth, Sarah, Hannah, Lillis, Patience, Lettis, Penelope, Roby (not Ruby), Hopestill, Abigail, Christian, Philana, Sibyl, Phebe, Ruhama, Lydia...
Jonathan, Noah, Samuel, John, Levi, Isaac, Nathan, Seth, Peleg, Barnabus, Caleb, Simeon, Benjamin, Perry, Israel, Amos, Benanuel, Zephaniah, Jara...
Most of the names have a Biblical connection, some are popular at the moment.
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As already said a lot of those names are Biblical. And yes Salome was a bad girl - think 7 veils and the head of John The Baptist.
Delyth is of Welsh origin
In my own tree I have a Temperance(f)
as middle names I have Cannon(f) Mercy(f) Fulfore(m)
Just noticed ahgadowey's post
My son is called Jonathan John Isaac - all biblical and 'translates' as The Gift of a Gracious God has made us laugh.
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Hamutal (female) and Marmaduke (male)
Knee-deep in Williams, Elizabeths, Georges............
Nanny Jan
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Interestingly - "In Christian mythology, Salome was the daughter of Herodias and stepdaughter of Herod Antipas, ruler of Galilee in Palestine." Is Salome possibly also a Jewish name?
That said they aren't all from the same branch by any shot of the imagination.
It is not Christian Mythology. The Jewish Historian Josephus in Ant. 18. 136f. states that she was the daughter of Herodias, by her first husband Herod Philip. She is NOT named in the Gospels, although she is usually identified with the girl who danced before Herod. She married her father's half-brother Philip the tetrach.
Stan
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The name could be from the Salome in the New Testament, who is the woman who followed Christ to Jerusalem. Matthew appears to identify her with the mother of St. James and St. John. She is also sometimes identified with the sister of the Virgin Mary.
Stan
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Between me and my other half we have quite a few good names.
On my side - Ainger, Golding, Lancelot, Euphemia, Cornelius, Urbane, Railton, Thirza (as well as lots of Alexanders, Williams, Johns, etc)
On his side - Lemon, Obadiah, Phineas, Major (definitely name, not rank), Skinner, Jabez, Lettice, Keziah, Hyrum, Lorenzo (and no Italian connection whatsoever)
I have wondered where some of these came from, although when you hear some of the names given today, they seem quite tame in comprison
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Apologies, Stan. I read that on victorianweb.org, I'm not familiar with a lot of the books (new or old) of the Bible
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Just noticed that JustKia has Kerenhappuch in her list and calirandsi has Keziah. These were two of Job's (Bible OT) daughters after his tribulation. The third was Jemimah:
Job 42:14 And he called the name of the first, Jemima; and the name of the second, Kezia; and the name of the third, Kerenhappuch.
Job 42:15 And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren.
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Euphemia was quite common a name in Scotland. I've got a number of them in one of my lines.
Some of the unusual ones I've got are Arrinda Bellzora, Hulda, Pyreus and Tychicus.
I've also got a number of ancestors who were named after famous people: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and William Madison (twins), Lafayette, Horatio Nelson, Ulysess S. Grant and the list goes on.
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I have 5 Jemimia's, 3 Kezia's, 2 Keziah's (all different families - ie not passed on) and there's two Kerenhappuch's (mother and daughter).
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Just been given the family tree for the french side of my family (my mother's) and found the name Scolastique VOLANT (1766 - 1812).
All the other christian names are names I've come across before (even Philibert), but this one I've never seen before! ???
Paulene :)
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The French form of Scholastica (a saint's name):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Scholastica
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Wonderful, aghadowey - thank you so much for that :D
Paulene :)
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As many Kerenhappuch's were called Happy as a short form, I always feel for these poor women who may not have been able to live up to their name :-\
Pat ...
wife of John Fruer .......
mother of Susannah Mary and Robert John Fruer .......
Grandmother of Henry Thurston Fruer ........
At least the family name of Fruer has helped track the family back many centuries.
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Have also seen Keren as a nickname for Kerenhappuch.
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Iv,e got a Lucretia in my tree..
Mary.
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Hi
Mine
Caleb Harold Love this name
Isreal Temple
Wilson Kenworthy
And i think my Own
Iria Louise Dyson (Nee Slater ) God Knows where me mum and dad got my name from
Regards
Iria
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Nice name though, Iria :)
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Have also seen Keren as a nickname for Kerenhappuch.
Keren-Happuch (Hebrew queren happúk) 'paint-horn' i.e. beautifier or child of beauty.
Stan
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Hi,
What wonderful unusual names some of you have in your families :D
The most unusual first name I have come across so far in my tree is Virtue.
FEK 33
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I have a Neri and an Enos on my tree,and have just come across True(f) and Comfort(f) linked to my tree.
Many years ago, when transcribing the 1881 census, I came across quite a few children with the Christian names Captain and Major in the Black Country.
Margaret
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My mom,s name was Evadne.
Grandma
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Was she named after the character Dr. Evadne Hinge in the TV comedy series Hinge and Bracket :)
Stan
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No she was born in 1897. Always thought it was a wierd name till I grew up and found the meaning.
She named me Flora which I loathed ,but now I think it,s rather a great name.
Mary
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Apparently Evadne comes from a minor figure in classical legend who threw herself on to the funeral pyre of her husband. :o
Stan
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Googled Evadne and came up with another version from Greek mythology, quite interesting whichever one is correct.
Mary.
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From Greek Ευαδνη (Euadne), which is of unknown meaning, though the first element is derived from Greek ευ "good". In Greek legend Evadne was the wife of Capaneus. After Capaneus was killed by a lightning bolt sent from Zeus she committed suicide by throwing herself onto his burning body.
http://www.behindthename.com/name/evadne
Stan
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My Gr.Grandmothers name was Syrena. It was a dream to trace on the Census on Ancestry, just popped up straight away. More that can be said of the Wood side of the family! Just try tracing your Wood ancestors around Leeds.
Woody.
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Oooo ,this one is a goodie.Just found it in my husbands tree.Just wait till he comes home from work tonight ,I'll give him laugh at my 5 with the name Fanny Buggs.
His Gt Gt Grandmother had a brother with the name John Smith .Perhaps he didn't like having such a common name so ,he and his wife Mary decided to name the youngest daughter ...........Boadicea Aphrodite Diana C Smith :o :o :o.....now ,one day ,I may just order that birth certificate to see what the C stands for. Any guesses ??????
Poor lass
Lin
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How about Cleopatra.
Mary
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I've got Albert Stratford Guildford George Bonmon Canning McLeod born 1868- most of the names from the local landlord, Lord Garvagh.
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I forgot about "Thurstan" my 3great grand aunt-in-law.
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Funnily enough Mary ,that name did creep into my thoughts and I discounted it as it would mean her parents were being TOTALLY frivolous ;D ,no ,surely they wouldn't have ....would they .....?
Can't think of anything else ,they were not from the most learned background ,all other siblings had relatively normal names ,though on one census her father is down as John Hershall Smith ,but just the once ,strange.
Hubbie is still laughing about it .
Poor girl ,I did notice that she never married and is plain Boadicea Diana on her death cert ,bless her heart.
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Actually the first Boadicea was quite the gal, led her people in an uprising against the Romans though in the end was defeated. But that,s poor consolation when you have to go through life with a name like that. Wonder what they called her for short? Boady?
Mary.
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Only the second outing on Rootschat for this name - Ricky found one a couple of weeks ago
Euphrosyne
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphrosyne
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I've got a couple of names which do not appear to be the norm in my family lines, we have Euphemia (female), Uriah (Male), there's a few Temperances passed down through one particular line, There's an Elflada (female) - like to know where that one comes from, Maide (female), Othneil (i'm told that one's of welsh origin).
I think the strangest one though is on my hubby's side. His great grandfather was one of 8 children, all of which had what i would say were normal names (by that I mean you know roughly the origin). His great grandfather's christian names were Mescach Edward, which I thought was odd but I've since discovered that Meschach was a common biblical name around the 1860s, he dropped the use of Meschach and called himslef Edward from the age of 20. His siblings all had names like Robert, Rosa, William, Charles etc. apart from one poor soul who they called Europe Euphrates. I can only assume their parents saw or read something about travel and were inspired!!
Nad
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There's an Elflada (female) - like to know where that one comes from, Nad
It should be Elfleda, which is the Latinised form of the Old English female personal name Æðelflæd copmposed of the elements æðel noble + flæd beauty.
It was revived briefly in the 19th Century.
"The Oxford Names Companion"
Stan
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Thanks Stan
Interesting - I wonder if she was a noble beauty, unfortunately I have no pictures of her.
Nad
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There are 60 Elfleda on FreeBmd between 1840-1921.
Stan
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I love these weird off topic posts.
Here's a great one from the U.S. branch - Perehena.
I've found that one meaning is 'traditional procession' in Sri Lankan. The family must have spent time in or read about Ceylon in the 19th century.
I guess she could have used Hena instead of that heavy handle.
J.A.M.
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Stan,
That fits, my Elflada was born 1895. I guess her parents weren't sure how to spell it though as she's definitely registered Elflada on both her birth and marriage entries.
I wonder what made her parents choose the name, because all her other siblings had pretty run of the mill names like, Henry, Alice, William, Edward etc. Guess I'll never know - I wish these ancestors of mine would have written down a bit more information about themselves!!
Nad
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I have a strange one ...Woodbine :D
Now, was that brand around in 1858 ???
Some other strange middle names in this Mariners family..Ferinda (4), and Manship ;D
Ambers
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Stan,
That fits, my Elflada was born 1895. I guess her parents weren't sure how to spell it though as she's definitely registered Elflada on both her birth and marriage entries.
Nad
If it is Elflada Brooks, Dec ¼ 1895, she is the only Elflada in FreeBmd :)
Stan
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That's the one Stan. This is my family on my maternal side - they are from Somerset. I have her birth and marriage BMD index references and a reasonable amount of census info on the family to enable me to get going. I need to do a bit more digging around when I get more time. I'm sure I'll be on the boards here asking for help at some time.
Thanks anyway
Nad
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Just found in the 1841 census Onion Onions 50 Miner in Wolverhampton Staffordshire HO107 999 14 fo 10 p13
Ouch it makes me cry.....with laughter
trees
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Makes my Ephraim's, possible Hepzibah (choose a spelling) and Georgiana look tame.
Heather
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How about .....
Upion Lane b 1862 q4 Whitby who I came acrooss for another Rootschatters earlier today.
Tazzie
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I have a strange one ...Woodbine :D
Now, was that brand around in 1858 ???
Ambers
It predates the ciggies! Woodbine is the common name for the European honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum). It’s even referred to by Shakespeare: "Beatrice, who even now Is couched in the woodbine coverture."
Not an unusual name – but one I like is my Dad’s Mother’s second name: Sabina (she died when my Dad was 8 years old).
John
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the most unusual name i have is the one which started me off on this never ending hunt-is Dorcas - which is not that unusual in itself but my mum kept telling me that she had another more unusual name and so it turned out when i found her birth - she was Dorcas Geneva - thing is her sibling s were Florence, Elizabeth, Samuel and George - so why did she have such a name - my daughters are glad they weren't babies when i found it as they have unusual name and the eldest second name is Dorcas , i would definitely have used Geneva but i d never heard of it as a name . i love unusual names.
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I've got an Ellen Roughsedge with the surname Mercer in the tree. I thought it may have been her Mother's maiden name but haven't sorted this out yet.
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One of my ancestors had the Christian name Sebarah
I have wondered whether this was a mis spelling of Deborah or suchlike.
Regards Alf
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Shebarah was possibly a form of the Biblical name Sheba which means promise
Trees
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ONe of my whatever-gt-grannies (too lazy to work it out at the moment) was a Tryphaena (but there are lots of ways to spell it).
I thought "well - that's really odd" but it was really popular in the Lincolnshire village where she lived.
Carole
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Several Philadelphia's, a couple of Charity's, a Hope, an Esau, a Staning, one or two Barbary's, quite a few Lettice's, a Grace Contalmaison (named after a WW1 battle), a Hamelton, a Goddard, and a Pierce are the most unusual first names in my tree.
I still like the name Philadelphia Pennyfold from my tree the most. Sounds Dickension to me
Glen
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I have a Lettice (ca. 1575) and a Silance(1775)in my tree.
Viv
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Hi All
Iv'e a Sparky in my tree,i don't know how that came about.
Peter
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I saw a Lettice Person on the Derbyshire Parish Record Marriages.
Heather
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My most unusual are Penninah (Biblical I believe and, according to a Googled link - Hebrew, meaning coral; pearl), Milliken, Orchard, Thaddeus, Lancelot, Damaris, Clementina, Kezia.
(Quite a tame bunch when compared to some of these others on this thread ;D )
Most males in my tree appear to be called William, irrespective of surname!
Nell
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Hi,
My grandmother was Verenda, actually her grandmother's maiden name (Verender). I also found a child called Federal born in Western Australia in 1901 the year of Australia's Federation, he was one of my great grandfther's cousins.
Robyn in Wodonga Australia
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Perhaps not so unusual,... but in my case, used ad nauseum, was Marmaduke. This family also re-used Christopher, Elizabeth, Phoebe and Duncan over and over, in each generation.
Family get-togethers must have been a real hoot. Call out for Marmaduke, and upwards of eight people were likely to yell "What?" ;D
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My cousin called her daughter Lisalotta ??? and I've just found a cousin of OH called his daughter Ffion.
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Just been reading a paper from 1776 and came across Clotworthy Upton Esq., ;D Otherwise known as Baron Templetown.
Rewcastle.
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Liselotte (pronounced as Lisalotta) is a German name. Originates from a contraction of Elizabeth Charlotte.
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Just been reading a paper from 1776 and came across Clotworthy Upton Esq., ;D Otherwise known as Baron Templetown.
Rewcastle.
You get all kinds of odd names when surnames are used as Christian names - my favourite is Pynson Wilmot Longdill ... there were several of them.
It's very useful tracing people. Our family has produced John Bonus Child and Stephen Tutt Hodd - it narrows the search down wonderfully!
Carole
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Liselotte (pronounced as Lisalotta) is a German name. Originates from a contraction of Elizabeth Charlotte.
I doubt my cousin would have that kind of knowledge.
I'm more surprised that she didn't pick random letters out of a hat :o
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I doubt my cousin would have that kind of knowledge.
I meant she has probably heard it somewhere, rather than made it up herself.
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Here's gravestone with some unusual names on. It seems odd that some of their children have 'traditional' English names and some are more unusual.
"In Loving Memory of
Joseph
The beloved husband of
Betty Chadwick
Who died August 20th 1906 Aged 61 years
Also Betty
Beloved wife of the above
Who died October 9th 1934 Aged 86 years
Also Jehosheba their daughter
Who died February 2nd 1875 Aged 2 years
And 3 months
Also Jane their daughter
Who died February 13th 1875 Aged 3 years
And 6 months
Also William their son
Who died February 13th 1878 Aged 8 years
Also Keziah their daughter
Who died February 21st 1878 Aged 3 years
Also Meshach their son
Who died April 13th 1879 Aged 8 months
Also Abednego their son and beloved
Husband of Ann Jane Chadwick
Who died August 8th 1933 Aged 53 years
At rest"
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Here's gravestone with some unusual names on. It seems odd that some of their children have 'traditional' English names and some are more unusual.
"In Loving Memory of
Joseph
The beloved husband of
Betty Chadwick
Who died August 20th 1906 Aged 61 years
Also Betty
Beloved wife of the above
Who died October 9th 1934 Aged 86 years
Also Jehosheba their daughter
Who died February 2nd 1875 Aged 2 years
And 3 months
Also Jane their daughter
Who died February 13th 1875 Aged 3 years
And 6 months
Also William their son
Who died February 13th 1878 Aged 8 years
Also Keziah their daughter
Who died February 21st 1878 Aged 3 years
Also Meshach their son
Who died April 13th 1879 Aged 8 months
Also Abednego their son and beloved
Husband of Ann Jane Chadwick
Who died August 8th 1933 Aged 53 years
At rest"
Very Biblical (apart from Betty!). Either they just opened it a random, or they were very religious.
I would assume they also had another son named Shadrach, since Meshach and Abednego are also mentioned (The Three Young Men from the Book of Daniel)
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Isn't there a 'Liselotte' in The Sound of Music?
OH has a 'Silence' in his tree, and I had a great-aunt named Florian
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I bet you all thought that Allison was a girl's name - wrong! I have four males called Allison in my tree. Two are cousins in the same family (one of them being my great grandfather), and the others are nephew and uncle (one being the brother of gg father's bride). Quite logical really - "son of Alice"!
I've also got a few surnames as forenames - Sutcliffe, Wadsworth, Fairbank and Jennings. And I came across a Beaujolais when transcribing for FreeBMD.
In more recent times (well, last century) I went out with a guy whose middle names were Shakespeare Ruskin!!
BumbleB
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I recently found a distant rellie of my OH married a Zipperina Mary Thompson but mostly it's just surnames used as forenames including: Wardell, Crosby, Ferry, Johnson, Lumb, Heppell and Liddell.
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And I forgot the other side - Archbell, Tempest, Edmondson - one poor boy, who drowned in the Howick Falls in South Africa was Tempest Edmondson Archbell!! It's all good stuff. ::)
BumbleB
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ONe of my whatever-gt-grannies (too lazy to work it out at the moment) was a Tryphaena (but there are lots of ways to spell it).
I thought "well - that's really odd" but it was really popular in the Lincolnshire village where she lived.
I came across Tryphena and Tryphosa in a Lincolnshire village (Billingorough) - in fact there were 4 Tryphena TYLERs there 1803-40.
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My son in law's gt gt gr parents were Octavius and Fedora.
Octavius' mother was Valeria.
Kooky
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ONe of my whatever-gt-grannies (too lazy to work it out at the moment) was a Tryphaena (but there are lots of ways to spell it).
I thought "well - that's really odd" but it was really popular in the Lincolnshire village where she lived.
I came across Tryphena and Tryphosa in a Lincolnshire village (Billingorough) - in fact there were 4 Tryphena TYLERs there 1803-40.
I wonder why it seems to have been so popular in that area?
Carole
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Maybe it was a name the Tyler family liked and 'passed down' the family.
In the marriages I'm currently transcribing, Ekins is used as a forename. presumably by members of one family, so when it crops up, you know which family they're related to. 'Ekins' is also an old Raunds surname.
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In Lincolnshire marriages ---- A girl with surname Whisker had christian name of Fanny
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Hi Justkia,
Delyth is a Welsh name meaning pretty. My name is welsh and means fair phantom and is derived from Guinevere.
Regards
Gaynor
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ONe of my whatever-gt-grannies (too lazy to work it out at the moment) was a Tryphaena (but there are lots of ways to spell it).
I thought "well - that's really odd" but it was really popular in the Lincolnshire village where she lived.
I came across Tryphena and Tryphosa in a Lincolnshire village (Billingorough) - in fact there were 4 Tryphena TYLERs there 1803-40.
According to an online Bible encyclopedia, Tryphena and Tryphosa are mentioned in Romans 16:12 as being saluted by Paul in his epistle as two "who labour in the Lord".
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Not in my tree, but in my research:
St. Nicholas. Gloucester, Incumbents.
1645. Help-on-high Fox, M.A.
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In my family ancestry I have Aminadab Spivey with brothers Theophilus, Barzallai and Hezekiel. poor things! :o
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Does anyone else have a "Hope Ramsay"? It's for a boy born in 1865, not sure if I'm using freebmd correct but there appears to be only one other.
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I have no HOPE but I do have a COMFORT she was a Hakesley
Has anyone else got Britton Froud?
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Do you mean with Hope as a first name? There are numerous people with Hope as a forename on FreeBMD from 1837 to1957, too many to count :)
Or do you mean "Hope Ramsay" ? There is only one, Hope Ramsay Robertson
Stan
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Hi Stan,
Thanks for replying. No it was the boy's forename (i thought Hope would be a girl's name). I presume now that the Ramsay was perhaps a family friend, I can't find it as a surname within the family (so far).
Yes that was the same BMD one I found, mine one does not have the same family surname and not in Liverpool either.
Cheers,
Grothenwell
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I bet you all thought that Allison was a girl's name - wrong! I have four males called Allison in my tree. Two are cousins in the same family (one of them being my great grandfather), and the others are nephew and uncle (one being the brother of gg father's bride). Quite logical really - "son of Alice"!
I've also got a few surnames as forenames - Sutcliffe, Wadsworth, Fairbank and Jennings. And I came across a Beaujolais when transcribing for FreeBMD.
In more recent times (well, last century) I went out with a guy whose middle names were Shakespeare Ruskin!!
BumbleB
That makes sense and I've also seen it prevalent as a male/family name, although it has been used as a female name in the past, eg the female character of 'Alison' in Chaucer's 'The Miller's Tale' written in the late 1300s!
It is bizarre to see the 'Carol' used frequently as a male name the further back you go. Apparently it's a European version of Carl, so Carl/Carla corresponds with Carol/Carola/Caroline. The male director of the film Oliver!, as well as Pope John Paul II, were both Carols. :o
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It is bizarre to see the 'Carol' used frequently as a male name the further back you go. Apparently it's a European version of Carl, so Carl/Carla corresponds with Carol/Carola/Caroline. The male director of the film Oliver!, as well as Pope John Paul II, were both Carols. :o
Carolus is the Latin form of Charles, so not so odd when you think about it. Charles, Karl, Carl, Karel etc, all forms of the same name.
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The unusual names in my tree are Kesannah,Fanny Duff(not surname) and Slaneyann
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The most unusual name I've come across so far is Manasseh Brumbill. It's biblical, but I had to google it to find that out.
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I have just come across a female name of Fridiswide. Has anyone heard of that?
Rishile
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St Frideswide: Oxford's patron saint
St. Frideswide - more properly Fritheswith - was born in the Southern border regions of the Kingdom of Mercia, traditionally at Oxford, http://www.berkshirehistory.com/bios/frideswide.html
Stan
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Thank you Stan. How strange that they all came from Kent.
Never mind - it has answered my question.
Rishile
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My favourite first name in my family tree is Newyear. Guess when he was born? ;)
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I have -
Girls: Calpurnia, Emblem and Florence Nightingale
Boys: Titus, Cornelius, Clark, and Beckwith.
Unusual names really are fantastic - makes research easier.
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Back in the 16th & 17th C, Uriah and Samson wre popular in our family.
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a male ancestor was named Reginald Clare B.C. GIBBS
not particularly unusual names, apart perhaps from Clare? Only this instance of it in the family tree so googled it and a famous military person General Sir Reginald Clare HART was awarded the VC in1879.
My ancestor was born in 1897 so am wondering if he was named after the General even though he was born 20 years after the event. A sibling born 3 years earlier, but died in infancy, was also named Reginald Clare GIBBS. So 'Reginald Clare' had some meaning to the family I guess?
Just wondering if it was common to name children in this way, or was Clare a common name for boys in the Victorian
era ?
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a male ancestor was named Reginald Clare B.C. GIBBS
not particularly unusual names, apart perhaps from Clare? Only this instance of it in the family tree so googled it and a famous military person General Sir Reginald Clare HART was awarded the VC in1879.
My ancestor was born in 1897 so am wondering if he was named after the General even though he was born 20 years after the event. A sibling born 3 years earlier, but died in infancy, was also named Reginald Clare GIBBS. So 'Reginald Clare' had some meaning to the family I guess?
Just wondering if it was common to name children in this way, or was Clare a common name for boys in the Victorian
era ?
Clare wasn't a common name for boys, but Clair was not unknown as a male name. As it happens I met a male Clair in the US a couple of years ago (born probably 1960s in Nebraska).
Added: Sir Reginald Clare HART seems to have been born in Co. Clare, so that might explain the name in his case (and then as you say his famed gallantry led to instances of boys being named after him).
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We have a Milborough , female and Silvanus, male
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Yes, my family has used the name Tempest for at least two hundred years, and it is still being given to the lastest arrivals today. :o
The Millers who emigrated to America in 1635 used the names Mehitabel and Thankful, among others.
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My grandmother gave her five daughters (including my mother) the same first name: Maria :P. Perhaps in the hope they would all come when she called them??? ::)
It was rather confusing, so they used to call each other by their second name.
In Limburg, a province in Belgium, a lot of children had the same second name: Ghislain. It was believed that this would protect the child against illnesses.
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My grandmother gave her five daughters (including my mother) the same first name: Maria :P. Perhaps in the hope they would all come when she called them??? ::)
It was rather confusing, so they used to call each other by their second name.
I've heard of that being done before. Boxing great George Foreman has 10 kids and all 5 of his sons are named George (George Jr, George III, etc). He also has a daughter named Georgetta and another one whose middle name is George.
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emjaybee i have a millborough wot area is your research
also got hezekiah fab ;D
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My husband's 4x great grandmother was the delightfully named Hopestill Roots.
I have two chaps in my tree with the first names of Quick and Steeprock.
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I've got a Cinderella, a Dorrit (female) and a Tysilio (who had two daughters called Witta - isnt that something to do with witchcraft?? - and Helida)
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I've got girls' names Zannah, Pleasant, Affra and Lucretia.
(Two girls with the first name Pleasant were called Pleasant Fright and Pleasant Johncock :o :o - I bet they were pleased to get married!)
Boys' names - I have two in the same family, one called Pierce Nimrod and the other Stamp ???
My grandfather's middle name was Simla, he was named after an Edinburgh missionary doctor, George Simla Patterson, who seems to have been a family benefactor and possibly Granddad's godfather. Dr. Patterson had strong links with India, hence the name.
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In 1749 my 6x Gt Grandfather married Susan Pearl.
This led to one of their sons being named Pearl and over the next 150 years a total of 5 males that I'm aware of were saddled with that name. I've been in touch with the grandaughter of the last, he only died about 40 or 50 years ago, and he was known to all as Paul.
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In my tree, I have Philadelphia,Pierce,Horatio, a Jubal (variant of Jubilee) and Hephzibah, also seen but not in my tree: Christmas Day!
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If it wasn't for my husband....my son would have been named Brooke..
I wanted a girl sooo bad and was suffering Post Natal Depression,,,,so named my son Brooke....
Now he is Daniel,,,,,which my hubby chose,,,,,and later I found out hubby chose it because that song was playing on the radio on the way to hospital...
Bored
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The two girls named Pleasant were the same girl. Pleasant Johncock married John Fright ( my 7x Gt Grandfather ) in 1707. So really the name change was a bit of a mixed blessing.
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The two girls named Pleasant were the same girl. Pleasant Johncock married John Fright ( my 7x Gt Grandfather ) in 1707. So really the name change was a bit of a mixed blessing.
True, but there were at least three other Pleasant Frights besides Pleasant Fright née Johncock ;D
(They are my 7 x great grandparents too!)
Bev
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Hi Bev
Wonder what relation that makes us.
I have a fairly comprehensive tree on Genes Reunited. Do you have one on there too ? If not then I could send you a private message on here with a .ged file if you like.
David
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Not a first name from me, but a middle name! My grandmother's middle name was Dreghorn. Whilst also being a Scottish surname, it's also the name of a village in Ayrshire, near Kilmarnock where she was born!
I have found no other Dreghorns in her tree, although her brothers and sister all carry the other ancestor's surnames as middle names. A puzzle?
When I once read about the traditional Scottish naming patterns, the usual ones were named, but then it said a child could even be named for the Minister that baptised them, or maybe a place name!
I'll guess I'll never know where that one came from, but who knows, perhaps one day!
Jeanne 😄
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I have a Hercules in my grandfathers tree.
His surname was Prisk-which was embarrassingly mis transcribed on the 1841 census !!!
I had researched the tree for my Auntie in Australia who was coming over to visit -as she was 82 I thought it best not to show her the 1841 census.
Maureen
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Not enough time to read all but doing a tree for a relative (in-law) I found the forename "Ezskiel".....another biblical name.
At least most of those names have an origin to look back...............unlike some of the more unusual names of today ;D
Annie
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My two most unusual are Providence Butt and Thankful Anthony.
Carol
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I have just come across a very odd name in the Scottish branch of my tree.
I have a girl baptised Jamsie in 1807 in Cummertrees, Dumfries.
For a long time I thought it was a boy mis-transcribed as James but I have now seen the original record and it is definitely Jamsie, daughter.
There is actually a baptism for another girl called Jamsie on the same page of the parish record.
Would this just be a female version of James?
Bev
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I have one that I've never heard an explanation for. My father's aunt was known during her entire life (not as Ann, but) as 'Kizdore'. In one letter, she signed her name as 'Kiz' for short. (Australians have a habit of abbreviating Christian names.)
If anyone has ever heard of 'Kizdore' I'd be delighted to hear, but I'm not expecting a rush!
Doug (Melbourne, Australia)
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Few unusual ones from my tree ....
Salome
Israel
Richardus
William Esau (Middle name)
Elias
Jabez
Mickaiell
Reynald
King Fisher
Queen Fisher
* Brother & Sister
Augosten
Johanis
Levi
Jemmice
Wheatley
Rehobaon
Druscilla
Tobias
Wakefield
Hepizabah
Arabella
Barnet
A motley collection of non conformist agricultural labourers.
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Interesting blog entry by Alex Cox at Find My Past about Puritan names:
http://www.rootschat.com/links/01f3l/ (http://www.rootschat.com/links/01f3l/)
Jacquie
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Very interesting! But what a "mission" calling them all inside for tea!!
Jeanne 😄
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Interesting blog entry by Alex Cox at Find My Past about Puritan names:
http://www.rootschat.com/links/01f3l/ (http://www.rootschat.com/links/01f3l/)
Jacquie
Love it :D
Carol
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Interesting blog entry by Alex Cox at Find My Past about Puritan names:
http://www.rootschat.com/links/01f3l/ (http://www.rootschat.com/links/01f3l/)
My 3xgtgrandmother was called Silence :-X
Why do some people laugh when I tell them that ???
Carol
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A near neighbour's first given name is "Finito" and he always adds, "Innocence" is my younger sister.
Love "Silence" for Carol's Gran
Cheers, JM
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I have a Manessah Hollowell, that's my most unusual and a couple of surnames for first names, Thompson and Featherstone.
My brick wall always gets me though: William Williams! Why?!
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A few Christian names from me.
Mungo
Whitefield
Hew
Donia
Banfre
Magdalena
Madenna
Anasta
Lavannah
*************
Jeanne
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"My 3xgtgrandmother was called Silence"
There is an actual reference to that old saying "children should be seen and not heard".
Regards
Malky
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One of my ancestors is called Joseph Ann (NOT Josephine) after both her parents and her sister was called Salome Asenath if anyone has any ideas about their backgrounds or beliefs I would love to know as they were both born in the early 1800's when Salome didn't seem to be used much!
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I have an Azariah..in my tree, not heard this name before.
Carol
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One of my ancestors is called Joseph Ann (NOT Josephine) after both her parents and her sister was called Salome Asenath if anyone has any ideas about their backgrounds or beliefs I would love to know as they were both born in the early 1800's when Salome didn't seem to be used much!
Burto, I expect the Salome may have been named after a follower of Jesus who was present at the crucifixion and not the more famous Salome.
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While researching my paternal line I came by the name Sloin MacKinnon b1863 (I have the cert.) which is also on familysearch but whether it's what the name was meant to be is questionable as he was registered by his mother who "made her mark" ???
I think it's a "1 off" ???
Sadly he died 1881
Annie
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I have an Azariah..in my tree, not heard this name before.
Carol
Very famous name in Australia as Azaria
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Azaria_Chamberlain
Maybe look at Seventh Day Adventist/Latter day Saints in your background
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Oh that's a surprise....mine is from Newfoundland....and a man...thanks for the link.
Carol
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While researching my paternal line I came by the name Sloin MacKinnon b1863 (I have the cert.) which is also on familysearch but whether it's what the name was meant to be is questionable as he was registered by his mother who "made her mark" ???
I think it's a "1 off" ???
Sadly he died 1881
Annie
Perhaps supposed to be Sloan?
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Perhaps supposed to be Sloan?
Hi Aghadowey,
I did wonder that but................... I would doubt it as there is no record on South Uist of any Sloans but.....it may be gaelic however I have never found it anywhere to compare ;D
I am still unsure having looked at it many times as to whether that name is correct ???
Anne Marie
Update................ERROR she's Female !!!
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I think it's a "1 off" ???
Sadly he died 1881
I'm confused. Do you mean Sloin died in 1881 or Mary MacKinnon. I see you have Sloin's death registration attached to one of your posts and it's from 1863 and indicates she died at the age of 7 days.
There is a death for another Sloin MacKinnon who died 22 Sep 1861 at the age of 50. She had been married to Malcolm MacKinnon and her parents were listed as John Ferguson and Mary Macquin. The informant was listed as Mary MacKinnon, daughter.
The strange thing is that on baby Sloin's birth registration and Sloin Ferguson MacKinnon's death registration they give the informant as Mary MacKinnon but with no mark.
Jacquie
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The most unusual forename I have found in my tree is Redvers pronounced "Reevers".
Apparently it was briefly popular in the late 19th century inspired by General Rt. Hon. Sir Redvers Henry Buller, V.C., a distinguished soldier who had a fall from grace late in his career during the Boer War. I'm not sure who/what the name inspiration was for this "original" Redvers.
My own Redvers had his own military infamy - he enlisted with the Gordon Highlanders aged about 14 1/2, and was discharged as being underage just short of his 16th birthday.
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Bathsheba.
Yes, I know... Not too unusual, but when she married she went from Bathsheba Frost to Bathsheba Pedortha.
Quite a mouthfull!
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I've got a Hector Redvers born around the same time.
But my Granddad is unique (as far as I've found so far) and his first name is Runnert. Absolutely no idea where it came from.
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Just found a Parthenia Clayfield
I would suggest she was named after The Parthenon
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Looking for a family on Ancestry just now...I found a lady named English Mead b. 1859 in Cornwall....never heard of that one before ;D ;D
Carol
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Just found a Parthenia Clayfield
I would suggest she was named after The Parthenon
It's one of the names of the Greek goddess Athena. Hence the Parthenon was a temple to Athena.
I did a little research into a friend's family, and we found this name running through one branch.
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We had two Tacy's in the 18th Century. Apparently it had been popular in the 17th Century and meant 'silent one', but went out of fashion and was later usually only found amongst Quakers. Not that we were Quakers.
The name threw the parish scribes and spellings were diverse. Evidently the Bishop's men knew the correct form and so Tacy in BT's. In that respect, the church could be quite strict on names. Susannah was a lovely name and very popular in UK and US at least in late 18th and well into the 19th Century. In the BT's I've seen, it's recorded as Susan. My ggreatgrandmother was Susannah Carpenter.
Tacy seems to throw modern transcribers, seem to be Tracy. Essex Girl in white heels?
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I went to school with a girl named Atherine. From memory I think her mother made it up by taking the 'c' off Catherine but teachers constantly called her Catherine. ::)
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Admonition Drew
baptized 9 Oct 1768, Stoke Damerel, Devon
died 15 Mar 1846, Camelford, Cornwall parents
William Drew and Joyce GAY
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I thought there was an Orson Cart. Remembered him when I was a schoolboy but found no evidence that he existed. However I did find an Orson Karte on Electoral Rolls, Southwark.
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I was looking for some of my "Laws", & noticed an 1834 birth for Grizzle Frizzel Law. I thought it was an Ancestry mistake, but it was the same on Familysearch.
I ended up having to spend the Credits on Scotlandspeople to see the original - sure enough it is Grizzel Frizzel!
Looking up on the 1841 & '51 Census', she seems to be called Grace,
cheers, Anne :D
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Grizzel is a Scottish form of Grace ;)
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Thanks Aghadowey! I learn something every day on Rootschat! What about Frizzel? ::)
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Here's what I've come across in my tree and people I've helped, all found in the United Kingdom:
Freelove
Mahala
Israel
Jasper
Smith (as a first name!)
Zephaniah
Zilpha
Zillah
Zachariah
Dinah
Jemima
Noah
ATG
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Thanks Aghadowey! I learn something every day on Rootschat! What about Frizzel? ::)
Frizzel/Frizel/Frizzle, etc. is a surname :)
www.frizellefamilytree.com/index.php/origin-of-the-name-frizelle
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we have a Christiana, Letitia and Helek. I know Christiana was popular many years ago but Helek?
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I have one family with sons Henry, George, Charles....
.....and Azariah :o
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Spanisher. My ancestors brother married a Spanisher Robson.
Kerrenhappuch. I also found an ancestor sibling from Suffolk who wed a Kerrenhappuch.
Lorken Wallaker, I think Lorken is a local surname in the area also used for a forename.
Christiana.
Pity there are not more instances of first names with a common surname such as Kerrenhappuch Smith. lol.
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Jabez is mentioned in the Bible, in the book of Leviticus. It means 'born in my pain (or grief)' . Jabez Whitaker is an ancestor of mine. He was born 3 days after the death of his father.
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How do you describe a middle name which is someone elses surname?
For example: My dads middle name was "Nursall"
I should think his name in total was pretty close to being unique.
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I have a Lucilla and a very odd Vena-Dora...often mis-transcribed as Vence-Dora.
Carol
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I have a Butterworth Butterworth in one tree - very Lancashire. Also have a Scottish gentleman in my husband's tree who was Elphinstone Sorrie. At least they are easier to find on censuses - rather than sorting out the 6 Euphemia Cravens that I have in Scotland in 1881...
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I have Karenhappuk in one tree as a Christian name, wonder if that's where Karen came from. ;D
Yvonne
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One of my 5th great grandfathers was named Abednego, but I can't leave out his brothers Shadrach and Meshack.
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I have Karenhappuk in one tree as a Christian name, wonder if that's where Karen came from. ;D
Yvonne
It's of Jewish origin, Yvonne - Kerenhappuch. You can imagine it would be a bit of a struggle for an enumerator!
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I have Karenhappuk in one tree as a Christian name, wonder if that's where Karen came from. ;D
Yvonne
It's of Jewish origin, Yvonne - Kerenhappuch. You can imagine it would be a bit of a struggle for an enumerator!
Thanks for that Lisajb, ;D
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Mine seem to be quite boring on the whole, but one branch of the Green family stands out:
Andrew and Jane called their first child Mary McLaughlan Suttie, their second Janet Anderson, then obviously got bored and called the 3rd girl Andrina Jane, then capped it off with a boy called Denmiln (mother's surname).
Of all of those the one I've not yet been able to track down properly is Mary
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Neptune, male, I am glad to say it died out ::)
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Greenwell Jude (M)
Philadelphia Duff (F)
Annie
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Not in my own family but just came across it in a baptism record dated 1830
Avarina .. mother of the child being baptized
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One I've just found while searching Menzies (not in my own tree)
Sylvanus Braes Menzies (Male)
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XT87-KSS
Annie
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Tryphena on a Cornish branch, Melina on a London branch. My 3xgt grandparents had 11 children - 1 to 7's names all began with W then there was Ann, then another W and then Henry & John.
Another sideways branch had 8 sons - the 7th was Septimus and the 8th had Octavius as his middle name. Sadly 4 were lost in WWI - three during November 1918.
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Tabitha from Surrey branch
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I have 2 ladies named Ebbet. Both are from Devon.
On was baptised Ebbit married as Abigail had 4 children as Ebet or Ebbet then 2 as Abigail and was buried as Abigail. The other was married as Ebbot had children as either Ebbot or Emblin named a daughter Emlyn was buried as Ilbert.
The daughter married twice as Emlyn and had her children as emlyn but appeared on cencuses as Emma and was burried as Amy.
Has anyone else come across an Ebbot and does anyone know if it is a form of Emma, Emblin, Emlyn, Amy or Abigail?
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Unusual first names can be very handy if they sound like a surname. In Suffolk and Essex I have found many cases such as this. Such as a Bush Stock, brother of Thomas Stock from Little Bardfield, my ancestor. Their parents was Samuel and Ann Stock. Cannot find a marriage but Bush could be Ann's maiden name or a family name further back.
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My recently deceased Mum was named Peace Alexandra.Where did it come from? Well she was born on the very day that the Treaty of Versailles was signed & her father whose name was Alexander thought it would be quite significant to add the female variant of his name.No-one else in the family was given the name until quite recently when one of her Gt.Gt Grandchildren had it included in her names.
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I've been looking at newly found Yeo ancestors in Devon and Cornwall today, and one marriage was this
William Yeo to GARTHERED GAY in 1673
I thought what an unusual name, however when googling the forename it came back with lots of hits
Wasn't that unusual back then :-\
Peace Alexandra - that's a lovely name
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Don't we have a wonderfully rich heritage with all these fabulous names. And let's not forget the surnames too: Strongitharm, Pitchfork and many others, all coming down from our Anglo-Saxon heritage. I'm so disappointed I was a plain Taylor before marrying a Scot and becoming a MacGillivray!! :( :( :(
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Thank you Claire yes Peace Alexandra is a lovely name.When I was younger I was so glad I wasn't named after Mum,they called me Betty instead & I have never liked it.Funnily enough my Mum was known as Betty not Peace as Grandma added it at her Christening.
Now with the world in the mess it is in I think that Peace as a name should become more popular it may help people to live with each other instead of fighting.
I have Egidia c.1300s & Malise 1200s,Euphaemia in my tree.
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I have quite a few ladies in my tree with the name Loveday - I really like it :)
Totally agree with what you say about the name Peace, all we seem to read about recently is people fighting/murdering each other :-\
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Loveday yes that is nice,but I have seen that also as a surname.
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That's what I thought when I saw the name Garthered, I thought that was the surname and Gay was the forename.
I wonder if as Coombs suggests that Loveday and Garthered started off as surnames.
Egidia and Malise are unusual names too, but I rather like Euphaemia - it sounds right posh ;D
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That's what I thought when I saw the name Garthered, I thought that was the surname and Gay was the forename.
I wonder if as Coombs suggests that Loveday and Garthered started off as surnames.
Egidia and Malise are unusual names too, but I rather like Euphaemia - it sounds right posh ;D
Euphaemia was mistress of James of Scotland & she gave birth to his son.
Malise Forteith was from Orkney (my 17th Gt Grandfather) & was given the title Earl of Caithness & Ross.Egidia was his daughter.
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That's what I thought when I saw the name Garthered, I thought that was the surname and Gay was the forename.
I wonder if as Coombs suggests that Loveday and Garthered started off as surnames.
Egidia and Malise are unusual names too, but I rather like Euphaemia - it sounds right posh ;D
Euphaemia was mistress of James of Scotland & she gave birth to his son.
Malise Forteith was from Orkney (my 17th Gt Grandfather) & was given the title Earl of Caithness & Ross.Egidia was his daughter.
Correction Egidia was'nt Malise' daughter she was further down the line married to Henry St Clare(Sinclair) his 2nd wife.Sinclairs carried the Caithness title on.
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you can't get much posher than that ;D
One of my lines were quite well to do and from Orkney ~ the Traills of Westness and Woodwick, married into the Balfour family
I have a very convoluted link to James V of Scotland via his illegitimate daughter Jean/Jane who married Archibald 5th Earl of Argyll
We both have posh genes ;D
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My Douglas grandmother's middle name was Dreghorn. She was born in Kilmarnock, so not named after the Ayrshire town of Dreghorn.
However, in a census with her and her parents, there is also a wee grandson named William Dreghorn, which says to me that one of her sisters possibly married into the Dreghorn family, but never been able to pin it down! Oh well, one day!!
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Compared to today the population was quite sparse so I suppose we all have some connection somewhere in the past to one another.As for being posh well I don't think so because some of the lords & ladies of the land way back then were not very nice to the ordinary people who worked for them.Just landowners really who probably obtained that land by foul means rather than fair.
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Euphemia (without the diphthong) was a very popular name in the latter half of the 19th century...it's a common family name through my (Scottish) side, with 6 in one census in the Banchory area (3 generations - granny, 1 daughter, 4 granddaughters). Thank goodness my dad put his foot down when mum suggested that for me....
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My Douglas grandmother's middle name was Dreghorn. She was born in Kilmarnock, so not named after the Ayrshire town of Dreghorn.
However, in a census with her and her parents, there is also a wee grandson named William Dreghorn, which says to me that one of her sisters possibly married into the Dreghorn family, but never been able to pin it down! Oh well, one day!!
Have you seen that Mary Dreghorn, other surname Walker, died aged 25 in Kilmarnock in 1881?
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Thanks for your interest avm. I've not done any work on this family for some time, I'll have to go back to my tree and look up the info that I have? I know that my grandmother's mother's maiden name was Walker, perhaps this Mary could have been her sister, and after she died, could have taken in the child William Dreghorn, hence him being in the census. Very interesting! My grandmother didn't have a sister named Mary, but her mother Elizabeth Walker, my GGmother, who married Robert Douglas, may well have.
Now you've got me going, I need a new focus, and this Dreghorn one has puzzled me for a good few years! That'll keep me quiet on a cold winter's day!
Thank You! I'll let you know how it goes!
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I've been looking at newly found Yeo ancestors in Devon and Cornwall today, and one marriage was this
William Yeo to GARTHERED GAY in 1673
I thought what an unusual name, however when googling the forename it came back with lots of hits
Wasn't that unusual back then :-\
Peace Alexandra - that's a lovely name
I have a Garthuried Ferres marriage in St Allen, Cornwall in 1703. I had supposed it was a variation of Gertrude (Hamlet's mother).
My all-time favourite ancestor's name is STRANGE BARKER who married Thomas Michell 23 Sep 1610 Great Snoring, Norfolk.
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My all time favourite name is another Cornish ancestor
GAVERIGAN TIPPET :D
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you can't get much posher than that ;D
One of my lines were quite well to do and from Orkney ~ the Traills of Westness and Woodwick, married into the Balfour family
I have a very convoluted link to James V of Scotland via his illegitimate daughter Jean/Jane who married Archibald 5th Earl of Argyll
We both have posh genes ;D
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you can't get much posher than that ;D
One of my lines were quite well to do and from Orkney ~ the Traills of Westness and Woodwick, married into the Balfour family
I have a very convoluted link to James V of Scotland via his illegitimate daughter Jean/Jane who married Archibald 5th Earl of Argyll
We both have posh genes ;D
Hi Claire,
Looking at my tree on GR which I no longer subscribe to I noticed a familiarity with our connection to James V of Scotland.You noted that there is a connection via an illegitimate daughter Jean/Jane.
Mine is a illegitimate son via James V mistress Euphamie Elphinstone.The son was known as "Bad" Lord Robert Stewart 1533-1593 who was married to a Janet Kennedy c.1558-1596.Robert was the Prior of Holyrood & is known to have fathered at least 7 children.Apparently he also had many mistresses.
betty
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My tree is chock full of Margarets, Marys, Anns, Williams, Roberts and Alexanders. I do however have an Okeover and an Ainey.
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Hi Betty
Jean/Jane was the daughter of Elizabeth Bethune ( or Beaton) another of his mistresses.
Jane is buried alongside her father in the Royal vault at Holyrood Palace.
I rather like the name Okeover, is Ainey a variant of Annie, PharmaT?
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Hi Betty
Jean/Jane was the daughter of Elizabeth Bethune ( or Beaton) another of his mistresses.
Jane is buried alongside her father in the Royal vault at Holyrood Palace.
I rather like the name Okeover, is Ainey a variant of Annie, PharmaT?
Ainey is a boy, I have no idea where the name came from.
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Ooh crikey ;D sorry PharmaT :)
I didn't expect that :)
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I have a Zion......quite unusual.
Annie
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I've got a Zion in one my families, who later becomes Esais, with a brother Simeon and a sister Annis.
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I have enjoyed reading peoples unusual names. If I had been interested in family history before my children were born, my daughter would have been Kezia as I like this name and have two on my family tree born in the 1800s.
My second cousin is called Zeke. Like others I have Redvers but as a first name, Metford Uriah, Adolphus. Two ladies called Tressie, Aquila, Hagar, Mercy and Fortune.
In Somerset I have come across several girls called Lettuce, no doubt not pronounced like the green salad plant. There were several girls born into the travelling families, Penfold and Orchard named Defiance.
Heather
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Marrying into my family was an Agathos, who named his son Augustus. The latter is not so unusual but whence came papa's name?
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Not my own (I don't think)...well not yet but came across this;
Easter Mcclusky
24 Jul 1846
Campsie, Stirling
Just glad the surname wasn't McCluckey ;D
Annie
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Marrying into my family was an Agathos, who named his son Augustus. The latter is not so unusual but whence came papa's name?
Definitely looks Greek, and may be their version of Augustus. Ag- meaning Saint or saintly.
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Here are a few names in my tree
Thirza,
Mahala,
Ishmael,
Glass,
Cadwaladr,
Ritson
Burslem
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I have a Zion......quite unusual.
Annie
I have a Zion......quite unusual.
Annie
My friend's son has recently named his baby boy Zion. Named after an adult friend. I think it started to be more popular in the 1970's.
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Marrying into my family was an Agathos, who named his son Augustus. The latter is not so unusual but whence came papa's name?
Definitely looks Greek, and may be their version of Augustus. Ag- meaning Saint or saintly.
It would be quite unusual. These were a family of lowly origins and were mainly domestic servants, agricultural labourers, gamekeepers, etc. Not to say that they weren't intelligent but looking at the censuses, none of the family went to school past the age of about 12 (until they had to stay until they were 14 in the 1800s). Interesting, though...
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Found this, in regard to Agathos...
" ...inherently (intrinsically) good; as to the believer, 18 (agathós) describes what originates from God and is empowered by Him in their life, through faith..."
The Greek word for saint is 'agios' (male) or 'agia' (female), so it's obviously the same root; however, the question still remains...I wonder where they got the idea for the name, as it's not actually a name but an adjective ??? ???
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...I wonder where they got the idea for the name, as it's not actually a name but an adjective ??? ???
So (I believe) is Augustus, or Benedict or Amanda. Most names will have been descriptive originally, those meanings have just faded away, or come from an unfamiliar language.
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Isn't it just the masculine form of 'Agatha'?
Carol
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Isn't it just the masculine form of 'Agatha'?
Yes, it will be; and as Agatha (according to my name book) means Good Woman (Greek) it will simply mean Good Man. Rather uninteresting really ... :-[
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Just found this while helping a RC'r;
Heiress Mcgillivray (1807) Aberdeen
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XB7K-5JD
Annie
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Bungate Bunney was not a Beatrix Potter character, but a child christened in Rothley, Leic, in May 1737 ;D
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I've just come across 'Onely'...
I thought it must of been transcribed incorrectly until I found her getting married!
bitzar.
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I've put this on another thread in the past, but came across this recently: Thomas and Mary Day had a son born 25 December 1762 and named him Christmas. ;D I even have proof in 1801 with his signature on a marriage document when he was one of the witnesses!
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You win Renatha.... love it, lol!
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Just checking for one of the ancestors and found...... Antrobus as a middle name, first name George :o :o
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Just came across Gabriel Money BOX in a parish document when looking for someone else! :)
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In my sister in laws tree, 4 brothers:-
Leonidas Polybius
Maximian Alphonso
Octavius Frederick
Julius
Their father was a R N Commander
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Seems like Redigon is faily unusual. ???
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Unusual first names I have come across: Archelaus, Jabez and Jacobin (at least I think that's the correct spelling).
Regards
Doddie
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From my German line I've been adding on Ancestry - Anonyma LEHR 1814-1814 and Anonymus LEHR 1820-1820 - I guess they were stillborn and not actually given names? :'(
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Having found one to hsng on our Australin branch I now keep finding others but where does Hurtle come from as a first name given to a son of a verydevote Methodist family/ ???
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I have a male ancestor with the name of Precilla or Pricilla Mead. Born 1548 in Watford, Herts. It was a male name that continued in the family for several generations. They were also known as Tilly, Prissly, Tillius, etc and lived in Ridge and Bishops Hatfield.
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I have come across a Christmas Johnston recently whilst searching the gro index!
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Antrobus as a middle name...
Pretty common as a surname, especially in the area around the place, just south of Warrington.
It even got used for a character in the Archers.
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Having found one to hsng on our Australin branch I now keep finding others but where does Hurtle come from as a first name given to a son of a verydevote Methodist family/ ???
I became curious about this too when I read your post Trees, not having heard the name here myself and did some Googling with little result - just confirmation it is a Christian name and no-one knows where it came from. I found the question asked and one answer which just adds to the mystery. ??? Anyway check it out...
http://newsfeed.rootsweb.com/th/read/GENANZ/2006-01/1138622915
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Thanks for that Andrew. I will have to do more checking of that branch.
I cannot remember right now which branch, but there is one which comes from the general Liverpool region.
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Just been doing research for someone else and found the Christian names, Major and Mahala which I haven't come across before.
Carol
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Many thanks Renatha I see someone on the link thought it Cornish my lot were all Cornish Australians so may be it has Celtic rootes
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Yes that could be it Trees, I hadn't read all the other responses. Another mystery which cannot simply be answered by google! ???
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Just been doing research for someone else and found the Christian names, Major and Mahala which I haven't come across before.
Carol
Mahala is in my Brighton family. Starts ( as far as I can tell ) 1806 and goes down a few generations.
Hurtle I have heard as a 1st name in Oz. Mainly from before the 2nd War
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Anybody found a Frisworth? Female name
Frisworth Floar married a John Gibbins in Rutland in 1748. Looking it seems it was a hand me down name as well. Did a quick search and not many Frisworths around
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Anybody found a Frisworth? Female name
Frisworth Floar married a John Gibbins in Rutland in 1748. Looking it seems it was a hand me down name as well. Did a quick search and not many Frisworths around
:o Never ever heard of Frisworth!! Perhaps it was a surname that became a first name?
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:o Never ever heard of Frisworth!! Perhaps it was a surname that became a first name?
Must admit I had a look at the image and it could be Grisworth on one but there is a clear marriage cert with Frisworth. Mostly around Whissendine as well
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I have an Abishai Wilde who had brothers Nicholas, Ignatious, Emmanuel and Zurishaddai along with a sister, Salomana. One of Nicholas' offspring married a Bathia Leech (female).
Abishai had twin sons who he named William Ewart Gladstone and John Milton Granville
My sister went to school with both a Pearl Buttons and a Pearl Barley.
But my favourite: Do you think it wise to call your son Orson, Mrs Carte?
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;D ;D ;D. - Took me a minute or two, but very good!!
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:o Never ever heard of Frisworth!! Perhaps it was a surname that became a first name?
Must admit I had a look at the image and it could be Grisworth on one but there is a clear marriage cert with Frisworth. Mostly around Whissendine as well
Serendipitious as I have just discovered Frisworth MASON is one of my maternal 7th great grandmothers.
Westy
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Has anyone had a 'Maretta'? My 3x Great Grandmother was called Maretta Ann Slater. She was commonly known as Annie.
Cheers, Tom
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Just come across the marriage between Waterhouse Crymble LINDSAY [Esq] and his lucky wife Elizabeth LEE on 12 Aug 1784.
I wonder if Waterhouse Crymble had a nick name or maybe he simply went by his surname? ;D
Was his naming prophetic ???
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How about Careless Guest who married in 1809 in Sedgley Staffordshire
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...and we all shake our heads at the awful names 'made up' by some famous celebrities for their new offspring!! ??? ???
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If my ancestor James Smith had the middle name of Brooklyn or Romeo then it surely would have helped me find his baptism lol. ;D
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My great Aunts daughter was called Cressie. Checked the birth registration expecting to find Cressida (rather exotic for the small village they lived in), but no, registered as Cressie. Poor girl she died very young from diabetes.
My mum in law thought for years that her name was Philomena. She had occasion to obtain her birth certificate to get a passport, only to find she’d been registered as Phyllis.
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How about Careless Guest who married in 1809 in Sedgley Staffordshire
Love it.....ever asked anyone the question..."Have you got a Careless Guest in your Family" ;D
It reminds of when I asked a fellow researcher of one of my lines if they had a Providence Butt ;D ;D
Carol
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I believe Careless is one of those words whose meaning has shifted over time. The modern equivalent would probably be Carefree, which sounds much more positive.
You'd want a Carefree Guest in your home - maybe even invite them to stay permanently ;D
Carol
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I believe Careless is one of those words whose meaning has shifted over time.
I had a friend who was a CARELESS. He seemed to think the name had derived from CARLOS.
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Interesting my Careless was a lady I thought it likely to be from a surname as there were several Careless families in the Sedgley area ::)
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If my ancestor James Smith had the middle name of Brooklyn or Romeo then it surely would have helped me find his baptism lol. ;D
Same here, apart from two Reubens. But where would the fun of the chase be in everyborther and cousin didn't seem to decide decide "this year all boy children in the family will be called William".
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If my ancestor James Smith had the middle name of Brooklyn or Romeo then it surely would have helped me find his baptism lol. ;D
Same here, apart from two Reubens. But where would the fun of the chase be in everyborther and cousin didn't seem to decide decide "this year all boy children in the family will be called William".
True. If our complete genealogy as far back as we could trace was handed to us on a silver platter with bells on it would be quite boring.
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If my ancestor James Smith had the middle name of Brooklyn or Romeo then it surely would have helped me find his baptism lol. ;D
Same here, apart from two Reubens. But where would the fun of the chase be in everyborther and cousin didn't seem to decide decide "this year all boy children in the family will be called William".
My problem is which Joseph Turnbull married which Mary in Cumberland about 1815-1820. :-X :-X
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http://lafcadiohearngardens.com/story-lafcadio-hearn/
Patrick Lafcadio Hearn
His father was Irish and his mother was Greek.
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Not strictly unusual a but taken all together quite a mouth full and the poor girl signed all her names in full at her marriage while her husband stuck to one initial and his surname!
Sarah Mitchell Winifred Leslie. Her next sister had a modest three names and her baby sister only had to contend with two...I if they had been blessed with yet another daughter she would have been down to a single name amd would a fifth simply have been K or B or somesuch ::)
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I have a family of mariners in my tree who named their son Ocean. I thought that was pretty cute :)
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I have a friend whose son's name is Ocean!
My Mum's full name was Jessie McMillan Mason McAughtrie! The two middle names were very helpful in my research, McMillan and Mason were both my great grandmother, and great great grandmother! Just love those Scottish Naming patterns!!
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A grandson of a lady i know is called Z..he was a last child for his parents
Yonks
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I have a family of mariners in my tree who named their son Ocean. I thought that was pretty cute :)
Among the relatives who were named in Matilda Sampson's will was one Septimus Ocean Lamb. In the census he is recorded as "born at sea" so fair enough. More than that, apparently he was born on HMS Ocean.
At least a relative with any of these unusual names is easier to track on the ancestry sites.
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I have come across "Original". Just now I saw a will for "Thankfull Sturdee" who gave his occupation as an assistant to the Master Shipwright in HM Yards at Portsmouth. I wonder if his workmates called him "Ta" (Tar).
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gazania, your name "Thankful Sturdie" reminds me of the names given to people in a "so called" Christian community in NZ, but in fact it's really a very dangerous cult!
APOLOGIES - Have modified to remove the name of the Cult and their people. Thanks for the heads up Carol!
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Are the people you've listed still living? Posts on this board can be viewed by anyone and will come up on internet searches.
Carol
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😱😱 Yes, didn't think it through, but I've now removed the names etc from my orginal post on the previous page! Thanks for the reminder!
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isnt delyth a welsh name Gaelic the otthers are very old fashioned names i thought long since defunct
what were the years noted against their names , if any.
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Two Williamson sisters - Vyotte Gwynline Sara (1904-1912) and Margaret Victoria Waihoura. Looking on Google, the only reference to Waihoura seems to be a book by William Henry Giles Kingston about a Maori girl, 1873.
I have only recently started looking at this line of my tree again and was astonished last night to find that Margaret Victoria Waihoura Williamson's name came up in the Google search - she was murdered in 1964 and no-one was ever prosecuted for the crime. There was an appeal in 2014 on the 50th anniversary of the murder which featured in the Huddersfield Examiner. Apparently she was known as Vicky. The article makes for very sad reading, two boys found her body on Christmas Day.
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Two Williamson sisters - Vyotte Gwynline Sara (1904-1912) and Margaret Victoria Waihoura. Looking on Google, the only reference to Waihoura seems to be a book by William Henry Giles Kingston about a Maori girl, 1873.
I have only recently started looking at this line of my tree again and was astonished last night to find that Margaret Victoria Waihoura Williamson's name came up in the Google search - she was murdered in 1964 and no-one was ever prosecuted for the crime. There was an appeal in 2014 on the 50th anniversary of the murder which featured in the Huddersfield Examiner. Apparently she was known as Vicky. The article makes for very sad reading, two boys found her body on Christmas Day.
Oh that is so sad. Good chance that the murderer is no longer with us and will never be caught.
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my nephew named his son wyatt.? poor soul. he woulf=d be about 3- maybe 4 now must be starting school soon. he has the blackest curly of hair and crystal blue eyes that are between Chinese and Japanese thick lashes that turn upward and eyes that are shaped like an almond as his mother is one or the other her name is sky.
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One I've just come across is Weeks Pincot.
He married Mary Stinchcombe in Hawkesbury, Gloucestershire in 1751. Ancestry have the register images which I have peered at, and it does look like Weeks, but....
An online tree has him b 1728, d 1812, but this also has Mary marrying someone else in 1759.
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On my wife's tree one of her ancestors had 14 children.
The twelfth was a girl and she was named Twelvetta
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Researching an WW1 Honour Roll there is listed a Hibiscus Musa Textilus Stephen - nicknamed
Hibie - born in Queensland, Australia, 1891.
His sister, born the next year, was named Passiflora Quadrangularis!!
Bonnie
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I once had a client called Sundance Wildfire.
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Just come across Tacchens Andrew in the 1861 census for Cornwall.
Where it came from I have no idea.
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A boy named Try born to Frederick & Mary Ann Lewis in 1841. He was their 6th child of 7 (4 males & 3 females) and died in 1844.
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Think my most unusual one is probably Ogle. Full name Ogle Russell Lafont, Ogle was the surname of his great grandmother
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Hi, I have an Enoch Bretherton, Charles Jabez Brooks, Noah Crapper, Shem, old testament names from non-conformist families (in my case, although these names can also be Jewish in origin). This is actually a good thing because non-conformist records seem to be more thorough than conformist. Funny how Church of Scotland is the usual church past the borders but non-conformist in Manchester. Makes it easier to find my relatives in Manchester though!
Ive also seen Grizel, Lilias and Nicholas for girls names. I guess they make a change from the usual suspects like the hated "Jean" that invariably became Janet or Jane or "Ann" that confusingly became the same!
Victoria Patterson
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For those who like all things porcelain was Noah any relation to the more famous Thomas?
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I know of a Crapper family who had sons called Noah and Shem - where were yours, Victoria?
There was a big Crapper clan in the villages to the northwest of Sheffield in the 19 century.
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I don't know what the content filter will make of this comment but a couple of years ago on here I was recommended a book, "Potty, Fartwell and Knob" : Extraordinary But True Names of British People.
It really is very funny.
Martin
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Well Barryd, Ive got to say no, my Crappers are Oxford Crappers and not related, apparently to the Yorkshire ones that have a "porcelain" involvement. I must say I was a touch disappointed... Victoria
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Annie65115, My Shem and Noah were from Oxford, St Peter le Bailey to be exact. Noah had a daughter Sarah Crapper who married John Brooks and had John Hadden, Sarah (my direct ancestor),Charles Jabez, Aaron and Hannah. I love that I have a Noah in my family. I think he 's maybe my 5 or 6 great-grandfather. My grand-dad Noah. Names could be really interesting in those days! And spelling didn't matter, names were usually written by other people and changed every time. Kind of makes the made up ones of today seem dull and quite usual. Victoria
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Think my most unusual one is probably Ogle. Full name Ogle Russell Lafont, Ogle was the surname of his great grandmother
Cristeen, I have just discovered that I have two ancestors who have Ogle as a first name. I'd be interested to hear more about your connection with the family as I am trying to work out how my ancestors, Watsons, ended up having the name Ogle.
Martin
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Hi Martin, The connection is way back in a branch of my husband's line. Ogle Russell Lafont was a descendant of Rev Thomas Ogle, vicar of Carham. He was apparently descended from the second son of the 4th Lord Ogle. This branch of the Ogle family were of Causey Park, Morpeth. The Rev Thomas was bondsman for my OH 5xG grandfather and probably married him at Carham in 1746. Thomas Ogle's daughter, Jane married a merchant from London called John Lafont. Their son, John married my OH's indirect descendant, Jane Steavenson (daughter of the man who married in Carham 1746)
There is a Google book 'A History of Northumberland by John Hodgson 1827, which contains a fair amount of information on the family. I haven't delved too deeply into this branch so have no corroboration. I do know the Ogle family were quite widespread in Northumberland, minor landed gentry. Here is a link to the book
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=lIuAejPVbEwC&pg=PA135&lpg=PA135&dq=ogle+family+history+cawsey+park&source=bl&ots=j4GRqQACDR&sig=vcT0zSQieLexY97NLhReIzaEvCw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwib3OOC08bcAhVnCcAKHUhxBIwQ6AEwCHoECAgQAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false
and a snippet from the family pedigree I am using as a guide only, slowly confirming/discounting various items!
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Not an unusual first name but an unusual combination.
On the Lincolnshire page there is a post about Louth records. There is an Adam Eve listed on the 1823 ratings list. Tickled my fancy
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Cor blimey, as one used to say..... ;) the other day I was "looking into" the family tree of a lady known as "Auntie" in my OH's family, but not actually related, as you do. ::) I was about to post on here then, that I'd found a person whose first name was Milestone. Didn't bother that day but today as I entered his name into my FTM tree, up popped the message saying I'd reached 2400 persons in my tree - quite a milestone. How's that for a coincidence? Milestone was the maiden name of the child's paternal grandmother. His full name was Milestone Thompson (mother's maiden name) Dobson. An earlier child was named William Milestone but he died in infancy.
Looking at FreeBMD entries there seems to be only one other person saddled with Milestone as a first name, or should that be Millstone... though there is a female Milistone.
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I have a Theodosia and daughter Philadelphia. Both born St Cyrus, Kincardineshire, Scotland. Both female.
Daughter Philadelphia was named after Theodosia's mother who was born Philadelphia Hodges, born London, England.
Theodosia's siblings had common names; Jane, William and James.
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Yesterday found we have a Zenas Dunn his name is really hashed about by census transcribers etc from Zenns to Fennus through Lenus and more
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I have a Martha Washington Centennial Liberty Price, born in July 1876.
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Hi, the most unusual names I have found in my family so far are:-
Amos (M)
Belah (M)
Moses (M)
Temperance (F)
Kerenhappuch (F)
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Apart from the usual categories of "rarely heard nowadays" and "obviously from a surname" names, I have a few oddities among ladies who married twigs on my tree.
Daucha and Darnigo, and the splendidly named Evangeline Emmeline Eugenie, who named her daughter Dulcibella Eugenie.
From my main line I can only offer Etheldra, a name I haven't encountered elsewhere.
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Looking through a newspaper for a WW1 casualty my eye was drawn to a first name in another article which made me wonder WHY?
I can understand naming a child after a biblical character, one of the seven Virtues, a town, a national hero, or a famous event, but why would anyone name their daughter Reservoir?
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"why would anyone name their daughter Reservoir?"
Dunno. Why would anyone name their daughter Circuncisión? But I did know a woman of that name in Iquitos, fondly know as Doña Circo [which in itself is a little odd since circo means circus].
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Looking through a newspaper for a WW1 casualty my eye was drawn to a first name in another article which made me wonder WHY?
I can understand naming a child after a biblical character, one of the seven Virtues, a town, a national hero, or a famous event, but why would anyone name their daughter Reservoir?
I have seen Reservoir in Gypsy families.
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"why would anyone name their daughter Reservoir?"
Dunno. Why would anyone name their daughter Circuncisión? But I did know a woman of that name in Iquitos, fondly know as Doña Circo [which in itself is a little odd since circo means circus].
It does seem bizarre, but there is a tradition of naming children after Catholic festivals. My Peruvian wife has ancestors (mostly with the first name Maria) named Asuncion, Circunsicion, Exaltacion, Natividad and others.
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I too have Garthuried Ferres of St.Allen, cornwall - she married my gggreatgrandfather - been trying to find out more about her but have hit a brick wall - many times - then came across your post
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gezzers
http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~blanchec/genealogy/StAllenMarriagePt1.htm
not sure if thats her but could be a family name
Yonks
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One of the most unusual ones I’ve come across is Deidamia. She was born in 1795 and her niece (also Deidamia) was born in 1819.
Prudence is also a rare one in my tree, along with Stirland and Freeman (which turned out to be maiden surnames of grandmothers ect.)
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Posts: 600
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Re: Unusual First Names
« Reply #294 on: Today at 11:14 »
Quote
gezzers
http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~blanchec/genealogy/StAllenMarriagePt1.htm
not sure if thats her but could be a family name
Yonks
yes I have that thank you - but as to her parents were... give in, as of now, even variants of her maiden name or surname come up with nothing certainly not in St.Allen parish or near-by parishes.
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I too have Garthuried Ferres of St.Allen, cornwall - she married my gggreatgrandfather - been trying to find out more about her but have hit a brick wall - many times - then came across your post
Greetings, cousin, and a warm welcome to Rootschat.
I have sent a personal message with all I know about Garthuried/Gartred/Gertrude.
All the best
Philip
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The christian name Banfree, on a census transcription! I recall thinking "What??? When I eventually found the original, her name was actually Winifred!
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I found a child named “tweezer” on Ancestry in the 1851 census - except she wasn’t called that, it was a transcribing error. Any guesses (without looking!)?
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Teresa?? I'm just thinking if someone who maybe has a speech impediment would say it that way to the census taker ;D
Jeanne
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Good guess, but it was actually Louisa!
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;D ;D ;D I was walking "awound" like Michael MacIntosh, telling myself it "weally was Teweasa"!!
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I've just discovered a 3rd cousin once removed called Ivo (on his birth and marriage record) I thought it was a mistake and it was really Ivor/Ifor as he was Welsh. However, I now find out that it is a real name
https://nameberry.com/babyname/Ivo
Have other heard of this ?
Gadget
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I've just discovered a 3rd cousin once removed called Ivo (on his birth and marriage record) I thought it was a mistake and it was really Ivor/Ifor as he was Welsh. However, I now find out that it is a real name
https://nameberry.com/babyname/Ivo
Have other heard of this ?
Gadget
Mainly for Vikings! Ivo does appear now and then in Scandinavian countries, but the only other Ivo I have heard of is a comedian called Ivo Graham.
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Corona.
She was born in 1922 and named after a rhododendron.
Link to Corona Norths obituary below.
https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-corona-north-1070446.html
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I've been doing a tree for a friend and have found Docytheus Twigg. That first name has been spelled in many different ways on various forms and on occasion I think he gave up trying to spell/explain it; he was "Thayus" on the baptismal record of one of his children, and "Daniel" in 1851 when either he or the enumerator called defeat entirely!
The only other similarly named person I can find lived in a different county well over a century beforehand. You'd think with such an unusual name, I'd be able to find Docytheous's baptism, but no; and neither can I find a link to the previous one.
He didn't hand the name down to any of his children --- I can't think why not ::)
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I've just discovered a 3rd cousin once removed called Ivo (on his birth and marriage record) I thought it was a mistake and it was really Ivor/Ifor as he was Welsh. However, I now find out that it is a real name
https://nameberry.com/babyname/Ivo
Have other heard of this ?
Mainly for Vikings! Ivo does appear now and then in Scandinavian countries, but the only other Ivo I have heard of is a comedian called Ivo Graham.
No, I think it's more Mittel-Europa. It's of Germanic origin, although the French Yves is a version of it. Uncommon in England but it does crop up, usually in upper-class families. The current Earl of Darnley is an Ivo.
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Ivo Peters (1915-1989) was a well-respected railway photographer. You will have seen his work used in numerous TV programmes.
He used to chase around the country in a 1950s Bentley, the registration of which is now attached to another Bentley in my part of the world.
Must look up where his ancestors were from!
Just checked - his father, Ivo Adolph Peters, was born in Germany.
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Local paper today, couple celebrating birth of new daughter, named Dolly, older brother named Teddy.
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I thought I better give name, rank and number(s).
Admonition Drew (female), (Mrs Jory), Bap. 9 October 1768, Stoke Damerel, Devon.
Buried 15 March 1846, Camelford, Cornwall.
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I come across someone with the first name of Humiliation in Suffolk.
While not a unusual name, I descend from Sampson King of Appleton, Berkshire who died in 1634. Could well be a family name. Berkshire is quite picturesque. Appleton is lovely.
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My grandmother had a friend called May Williams who married Sydney Christmas!
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I found someone the other day whose maiden name was Argument.
Also on GRO an entry for 'SMALL, Willie' which appealed to the juvenile in me.
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I found someone the other day whose maiden name was Argument.
Also on GRO an entry for 'SMALL, Willie' which appealed to the juvenile in me.
LOl I am still laughing at "Currie, Ruby Murray" that I came across.
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I've been researching a friend's family history and found an ancestor called Gould Grant (bap 1717 in Dorset), who had a brother called Vine Grant. Gould and his wife had nine children, one son was also called Vine and one daughter was called Unity.
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I saw this on a walk yesterday.
Neither of the first names in unusual, but what a bizarre/tongue twisting combination.
Richard
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Zilpah/Zilfer (F)
Mellicen/Milleson/Mellicent (M)
Mercy (F)
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In the RAF, I worked with a bloke called Prickhard. His was an only child and his loving parents gave him a single first name - Richard.
So, of course, he was universally known as Dick Prick Hard.
Regards
Chas
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Harry Horace Harris, a toungue twister ndeed.
A Sexcy Williams married in Somerset.
I have come across a Thomas Thomas. But also a Thomas Thomas Thomas baptised. Looking at the original PR's it is deffo Thomas Thomas Thomas baptised to a John and Eliz Thomas I think.
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In the RAF, I worked with a bloke called Prickhard. His was an only child and his loving parents gave him a single first name - Richard.
So, of course, he was universally known as Dick Prick Hard.
Regards
Chas
Nearly as good as a bloke I worked with years ago. His name was, I kid you not.. Richard Woodcock. Needless to say, there were several variations to it, mostly rude :P :P
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Ap9logies if I posted this 30+ pages ago! When I was at school I knew someone called Justin Quick ;D
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Zipporah is one of the more unusual ones in my own trees.
Thomas Thomas, and William Williams I have seen quite a bit. They remind me of Catch-22's Major Major, who was promoted to the rank of major.
Very disappointingly they renamed this character in the new television series I believe.
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They remind me of Catch-22's Major Major, who was promoted to the rank of major.
Very disappointingly they renamed this character in the new television series I believe.
Not in the series I am watching on a Thursday evening. He is building a model wooden ship in his office and hiding from everyone.
Regards
Chas
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FamilySearch has:
Onetimus Stockdale LEWIS born 4 Dec 1858, bapt 20 May 1860 St Mary, Chester
Assuming the spelling is correct (and I can't see a birth on FreeBMD!) I wonder if his parents ever got as far as Septimus or even Decimus.
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FamilySearch has:
Onetimus Stockdale LEWIS born 4 Dec 1858, bapt 20 May 1860 St Mary, Chester
Assuming the spelling is correct (and I can't see a birth on FreeBMD!) I wonder if his parents ever got as far as Septimus or even Decimus.
It's Onesimus.
https://www.behindthename.com/name/onesimus
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FamilySearch has:
Onetimus Stockdale LEWIS born 4 Dec 1858, bapt 20 May 1860 St Mary, Chester
Assuming the spelling is correct (and I can't see a birth on FreeBMD!) I wonder if his parents ever got as far as Septimus or even Decimus.
It's Onesimus.
https://www.behindthename.com/name/onesimus
Not quite as much fun as Onetimus - but still quite rare.
Maybe I should look out for Twosimus and Threesimus ;D ;D ;D
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I was thinking that's all it took to conceive. ::)
On a serious note, is Onesimus a variation on Onesiphorous?
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A long time ago (in the 1940s) I heard an old retired teacher telling my parents about a man who had decided to name his son Mahershalalhashbaz; he believed it was the longest name in the Bible.
The teacher had been appalled and had tried to talk him out of it - whether she succeeded or not I can't remember. She lived near Morpeth in Northumberland, and this might all have occurred many years before she told the story.
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I have come across a Thomas Thomas. But also a Thomas Thomas Thomas baptised. Looking at the original PR's it is deffo Thomas Thomas Thomas baptised to a John and Eliz Thomas I think.
Anyone with Welsh connections will not think T.Thomas or W.Williams at all unusual. Wales has relatively few 'standard' surnames, and many of them appear with similar or identical given names: Evans, Davies, Roberts, Jones, Rees, Morgan - to name a few more.
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I found a Mahershalalhashbaz TOBBELL (I think that was the surname) on the census once (probably Northumberland). I was looking for somebody else at the time and had to go find the original image to see if that was right. How do you shout that at a kid when he's done something wrong, or you want to call him in for dinner or something? Perhaps unsurprisingly on the next census he was "Mashek".
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Thanks, Ayashi. It looks as if his father really went ahead with his daft plan.
Surprised the name wasn't shortened to 'Marshall'; I had a second-cousin-once-removed (in Scotland) with Marshall as a first name, but he was always known as 'Mash'.
Harry.
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I was thinking that's all it took to conceive. ::)
On a serious note, is Onesimus a variation on Onesiphorous?
Looks like it; not the same guy though.
https://www.behindthename.com/name/onesiphorus
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My late father had Marshall for his second name and his brother had Giles for his second name Marall and Giles were the sirnames of his grandparents.
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I was thinking that's all it took to conceive. ::)
On a serious note, is Onesimus a variation on Onesiphorous?
i would not like that name it sounds like a disease!
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One of the first names in my wife's family line is a odd one.
They had 13 children and named the 12th Twelvetta.
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I have a Philadelphia and her daughter Theodosia in my tree.
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My most unusual name is my gr gr grandmother, Thomason Potten, named for her father Thomas. Believe Tamsin would be a variant. My mother always referred to her as Thomasina.
Also have Neri (male), Isaiah, Jabez, Elijah, and Trayton as direct ancestors.
I’ve always liked one of my kids’ ancestors’ name - born in New Hampshire in 1818 and given the name Sophronia Stickney Peabody.
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Admonition Drew baptized 9 October 1768 Stoke Damerel, Devon.
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I have a Philadelphia and her daughter Theodosia in my tree.
No Theodosia's but I have a few Philadelphia's in my tree, all in Sussex. Seemed to be a more common forename in Sussex.
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I have a Philadelphia and her daughter Theodosia in my tree.
No Theodosia's but I have a few Philadelphia's in my tree, all in Sussex. Seemed to be a more common forename in Sussex.
I also have a few Philadelphias in my tree, all in Sussex.
A distant cousin in the 1800s, was named Ansley, think this is rather pretty, but not sure of the exact pronunciation, long a or short? She had lots of siblings including a Tamar. Sussex folk.
Also have a Shelomith born ca 1830, Sussex again.
My Sussex people have more interesting names than my Lancs or Yorks families. I do have a Lord and Squire Tattersall in Burnley.
I saw a Norman Conquest in the FreeBMD. He must have been teased!
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Not mine but found these Bennison children whilst looking for some of my connections, all Whitby registrations and MMN Lawson.
Christianna Lidvina 1890
Linus Otto Wenceslaus 1896
Vitus Callibar 1897
Willibald Gualbert 1899
Zeta Winifreda 1901
Philippa Aileen Elvire 1902
In 1911 the family are at Egton Bridge. William Bennison is a gamekeeper. Mary Bennison had had 12 children, 11 living at time of census.
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2 comments on earlier posts and 1 new one:
1) I have a Philadelphia in my tree, she was born 1811, Withyham, Sussex. I'm told she was named after the wife of the local squire.
2) Mahershalalhashbaz was the name God told the prophet Isaiah to give to his son
3) My great x 3 grandmother, born 1783, Exton, Hampshire, was given the name Fortune
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I have a Philadelphia and her daughter Theodosia in my tree.
No Theodosia's but I have a few Philadelphia's in my tree, all in Sussex. Seemed to be a more common forename in Sussex.
I also have a few Philadelphias in my tree, all in Sussex.
A distant cousin in the 1800s, was named Ansley, think this is rather pretty, but not sure of the exact pronunciation, long a or short? She had lots of siblings including a Tamar. Sussex folk.
Also have a Shelomith born ca 1830, Sussex again.
My Sussex people have more interesting names than my Lancs or Yorks families. I do have a Lord and Squire Tattersall in Burnley.
I saw a Norman Conquest in the FreeBMD. He must have been teased!
I have a Philadelphia Dinnage born 1798 in my tree, born in Horsham, Sussex. She was known as Phyllis in some records.
I even found a Catherine Eltham Coombs, birth registered in Eltham. Unusual to have a birthplace as a middle name, wish that was more common though, make our quests a bit easier.
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I’ve recently come across someone in the 1800s with the first name of Farewell.
-oh, I should have looked on freebmd before I posted- it seems it’s not that unusual a name! Interestingly they were nearly all in the wider Sheffield area. Given the local accent, I wonder if it might have been pronounced more like “furrell”.
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Has anyone any idea where Friseweda originates please I have several also called Frisses, Frissis , Friciss in the 17 and early 18th century and am curious about its meaning and origin
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Possibly a corruption of this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frithuswith
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Yes, Frideswide. More about her here:
http://www.berkshirehistory.com/legends/frideswide01.html
http://www.berkshirehistory.com/legends/frideswide02.html
And here is the church dedicated to her at Frilsham
http://www.berkshirehistory.com/churches/frilsham.html
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Yes, Frideswide. More about her here:
http://www.berkshirehistory.com/legends/frideswide01.html
http://www.berkshirehistory.com/legends/frideswide02.html
And here is the church dedicated to her at Frilsham
http://www.berkshirehistory.com/churches/frilsham.html
We've got one in Oxford too..... ooh just googled, she's the patron saint of Oxford. Who knew?
https://www.osneybenefice.org.uk/church/st-frideswides
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Corona.
She was born in 1922 and named after a rhododendron.
Link to Corona Norths obituary below.
https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-corona-north-1070446.html
Timely
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Yes, Frideswide. More about her here:
http://www.berkshirehistory.com/legends/frideswide01.html
http://www.berkshirehistory.com/legends/frideswide02.html
And here is the church dedicated to her at Frilsham
http://www.berkshirehistory.com/churches/frilsham.html
We've got one in Oxford too..... ooh just googled, she's the patron saint of Oxford. Who knew?
https://www.osneybenefice.org.uk/church/st-frideswides
Me, I knew. Same one.
We learned about her in primary school because she is on a window in the parish church.
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Many thanks Igor and Sloe Gin (great to bump in to you both seems years since the olde Inne) , and Annie it makes a deal of sense my Frissis/Friscis etc are all from the Withey and Cassington districts
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I have just found a Cockcroft Crabtree. That seems unfortunate ;)
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I have probably already contributed my greatgrandmother's name to this or a similar thread. We have recently by chance solved the mystery of her unusual name, or so we believe
She was Hosetta Wimpenny, born Holmfirth West Yorks, mid 1800's. No named father, mother unm'd.
Hosetta is a so very unusual, even unique name that it had always puzzled us.
Until a relative on the female line, had a dna test, and found traces of Iberian/Spanish ancestry, in an otherwise entirely North European profile.
Lightbulb moment! Hosetta, the Spanish pronunciation of Josetta, little girl of Jose.
Still seeking our Spanish greatgrandfather, though. Jose, certainly, but who and why was he, apparently fleetingly, in the Holme Valley?
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I have probably already contributed my greatgrandmother's name to this or a similar thread. We have recently by chance solved the mystery of her unusual name, or so we believe
She was Hosetta Wimpenny, born Holmfirth West Yorks, mid 1800's. No named father, mother unm'd.
Hosetta is a so very unusual, even unique name that it had always puzzled us.
Until a relative on the female line, had a dna test, and found traces of Iberian/Spanish ancestry, in an otherwise entirely North European profile.
Lightbulb moment! Hosetta, the Spanish pronunciation of Josetta, little girl of Jose.
Still seeking our Spanish greatgrandfather, though. Jose, certainly, but who and why was he, apparently fleetingly, in the Holme Valley?
What a fascinating story - did you quarter the 1861 Census in Netherthong for anyone called Jose?
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Wold have bene great if they used more unusual names, then again if they did, it would be more instances of those with such names, and would still involve trying to work out which one is which. I did mention the wife of an ancestor's sibling called Spanisher Robson. If more used Spanisher as a forename it would be more Spanisher Smith's everywhere.
I have an ancestors cousin called Melbourne Auber.
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I recently came across a Smoker Andrews on 1881 census, he’s nothing to do with my tree but his name stuck in my memory.
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I have an Ughtred James Paul in my tree - he's a first cousin/3x removed. He was born in Jersey, Channel Islands. I looked up the origin:
The surname Ughtred was first found in Suffolk where the surname is descended from the tenant Uthret, recorded in 1066 and again in the Domesday Book census of 1086. However, some of the family were found at Towthorpe in the East Riding of Yorkshire in ancient times.
Also found a Hephzibah Lister. Looked that one up too and she was the daughter of King Hezekiah (Old Testament) and mother of Manasseh. In Hebrew, her name means 'my delight is in her'. In one census, she is recorded as Esphey which would seem to be a short form used by her family.
Cheers
Ms_C
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Uhtred is the fictional name of the hero of the Netflix series The Last Kingdom. About the invasion of the Vikings and the gradual creation of a united England.
It is meant to be a Viking name, I think, so rather appropriate rhat the name should appear in Suffolk.
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Uhtred is the fictional name of the hero of the Netflix series The Last Kingdom. About the invasion of the Vikings and the gradual creation of a united England.
It is meant to be a Viking name, I think, so rather appropriate rhat the name should appear in Suffolk.
He is apparently named after a real ancestor of Bernard Cornwell.
https://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-10-22/how-bernard-cornwell-sought-inspiration-from-his-own-family-history-for-viking-drama-the-last-kingdom/
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My grandmother's sister was called Miretta.
23 examples in the GRO Index 1843 - 1974.
I have no idea where my great grandmother came up with that name.
Known as Aunty Nettie.
Venelow
Canada
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Google might give you some clues - a character in a 1904 book for instance.
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In my family we had a Haddock - poor man. ::)
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Just came across this one today...Ruhamah
From Hebrew, meaning "the one who has been spared". In the Bible, Hosea is told by God to name his daughter Lo-Ruhamah; later, God tells Hosea to call his daughter Ruhamah, because she has been spared. The name is more commonly spelled without the final "h" in English, as well as in modern Israel.
Some were 'correcting' it to Rosannah, but clearly Ruhamah is right.
Ms_C
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I have an ancestors cousin called Melbourne Auber.
And I have one named Auckland.
No antipodean connection in that line though.
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I have an ancestors cousin called Melbourne Auber.
And I have one named Auckland.
No antipodean connection in that line though.
Durham connection though?
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I have a Beulah (female) born 1900s although a 'marry-in'
Annie
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I have an ancestors cousin called Melbourne Auber.
And I have one named Auckland.
No antipodean connection in that line though.
Cannot find any with my Melbourne Auber either. Wish there was some more occurrences of such first names in Essex as I find Essex research can be very hard due to the higher frequency of the same surnames. Even with the new records on Anc and FindMyPast, there still seems to be so many people with the surnames (on top of Smith and Brown) Wood, Hurrell, Mead, Moss, Warner, Cornwell, Taylor, somuch so that when I do find a maiden name of a spouse, it is often a name I have in my Essex line somewhere else. On top of the usual bog standard first names such as John, Thomas, Mary, Ann, Elizabeth, Sarah, James. Sufolk seems to be much easier to research.
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I have an ancestors cousin called Melbourne Auber.
And I have one named Auckland.
No antipodean connection in that line though.
Durham connection though?
Was he a Bishop?
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I've just come across the Medhurst family in Leicestershire in the mid 1800s.
The parents, Benjamin and Sarah, gave their first daughter the name Mary and a later one, Clara. One son was called Simeon. Then they went off piste with subsequent children called:
Shiloh; Hessuth(or Kossuth - even the registrar couldn't cope with this one); Messiah; and Cherubim (all boys)
and for their two other daughters, Angel, and Zipporah.
I'm imagining a particularly fiery preacher in their local chapel!
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I wonder if the neighbours ever said, "He's not the Messiah, he's a very naughty boy!"
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I've just found a Salisbury Whisker marrying in 1855 Ayr, Scotland.
I have Whisker (unusual surname in itself) in my tree, a marry-in of Irish descent.
Annie
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Oh I love that one. Salisbury Whisker conjours up an image of a very upright man with a thick full beard. 😀
Much better than the Posthumous Thomas I came across recently. ☹️
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I came across a prosperous New York grocer in 1870 named Westminister [sic] Abbey. He had one son named Westminister, Jr. but all the other kids had ordinary names.
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Oh I love that one. Salisbury Whisker conjours up an image of a very upright man with a thick full beard.
This was a female which was surprising.
Annie
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Oh goodness, that's a surprise! I'll need a completely different image. 😄
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I was doing my husband's tree today and came across a Butterworth Butterworth. His brother Thomas married on of my husband's relatives way back when.
I thought it was a mistake and looked on the Lancashire OPC and lo and behold there were others starting in 1813. On Free BMD there are five from 1845 to 1892.
mab :)
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I was doing my husband's tree today and came across a Butterworth Butterworth. His brother Thomas married on of my husband's relatives way back when.
I thought it was a mistake and looked on the Lancashire OPC and lo and behold there were others starting in 1813. On Free BMD there are five from 1845 to 1892.
mab :)
Was this in the Burnley area? I have come across quite a number of these “double names” there.
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Looked again....
Baptism on the Lancashire OPC: 1813 Haggate, 1822 Gambleside, 1823 Clap Gate
Birth regs on FreeBMD: 1845 Bury, 1877 Ashton, 1878 Bury, 1883 Bury, 1892 Salford
These are just the Butterworth Butterworth combo.
There are others such as William Butterworth Butterworth and Thomas Butterworth Butterworth.
They are all over and the father's have various types of occupations. It would be interesting to know if they are all related :)
I Googled the surname and it came up with this......"Butterworth Name Meaning:
English (Lancashire and Yorkshire): habitational name from places named Butterworth in Lancashire (near Rochdale) and in West Yorkshire. Both are so named with Old English butere 'butter' + worð 'enclosure'."
mab
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I Googled the surname and it came up with this......"Butterworth Name Meaning:
English (Lancashire and Yorkshire): habitational name from places named Butterworth in Lancashire (near Rochdale) and in West Yorkshire. Both are so named with Old English butere 'butter' + worð 'enclosure'."
Butter enclosure? Oh how I wish they had been named Dairy Dairy. ;D ;D
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I have a possible relative called Cordiel Gater of Lambourn, Berkshire.
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I have a possible relative called Cordiel Gater of Lambourn, Berkshire.
[/quot
One of my relatives married a Gater, but no funny name combinations.
Notice a few Alison Gaters in FreeBmd - no doubt shortened to Allie Gater!
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I've just been researching a family who went in for the unusual.
James and Mary had a Mary Ann and a James, but also Lazarus, Rhoda, Gaius, Mainley, Eunice, Justus John and Stephen Purim.
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One of the things I have tried to find out was why my father was named Eric Campbell Morgan. Campbell was not a family name. Both Grandma and Grandpa were people of faith, my grandma belonged to a non-conformist chapel and my grandpa to a high church, St Mary Redcliffe, in Bristol.
I have often wondered if the Campbell name was in honour of a famous preacher, and then I discovered that there was someone called George Campbell Morgan, “The Prince of Expositors” who lived and worked in the right time and area. I feel sure this is it. It's one of those things you wish you had asked your father or grandmother but too late now.
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I've just found a woman called Irving Kirharp. Doesn't roll off the tounge does it? Irving was her mother's maiden name.
She then married and became Irving Kirkpatrick.
It's all made her very easy to follow though, among all the Mary's and Elizabeth's so I'm not complaining!
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Some feminine version of masculine names sound quite nice and have become widespread. For example Roberta, Georgia, Stephanie. However one which always make we wince when I come across it is Thomasina - it's almost as though the baby was initially thought to be a boy and then after a few months its parents realized it was a girl and had to hastily modify her name.
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I have a Fridiswede Hooper born about 1704 in Somerset. She would have seemed to have been known as Friday. ( Frithuswith, commonly Frideswide (c. 650 – 19 October 727; Old English: Friðuswīþ), was an English princess and abbess. ). Interestingly, although I couldn't find the name in FreeBMD, there were over 50 births, male and female, for the name Friday.
Ray
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I have a family, surname of Martin, having children in the mid 19th century, whose politics can be known from the names they gave their children. Many were named after Chartist leaders, so there's
Fergus O'Connor Martin, Robert Frost Martin, William Frost Martin and Thomas Slingsby Duncombe Martin.
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These are all relatives of some sort, Alethea, Felix, Letitia. Caleb, Evangeline, Emmeline, Lucretia Willoughby Sabina and Vashti, I often wonder was there a reader in the family, where did these names come from?
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I have a Vashti and Caleb sister and brother in Berkshire born 1865 & 1870, I thing they are Biblical names.
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These are all relatives of some sort, Alethea, Felix, Letitia. Caleb, Evangeline, Emmeline, Lucretia Willoughby Sabina and Vashti, I often wonder was there a reader in the family, where did these names come from?
That reminds me, I have a felix toe on my tree. Also a Heath Roe
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Have just started on a friend's tree.
Her grandfather was William Himalaya West!
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Birth Certificate Registered in March Quarter 1883 of Alpha Pepper
Registered with 25 Christian Names each beginning with a Letter of every of the Alphabet except P
Because her Surname began with the Letter P
(https://i.postimg.cc/15S02jBc/20200529-113647.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
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Nickname Bett
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Nickname Bett
;D ;D ;D
Carol
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Straying a little from the unusual name theme, I had a schoolfriend whose father had named his four children by names with increasing number of syllables, so that he didn't forget the order in which they had been born - John, Philip, Monica and Elizabeth.
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Just out of sheer curiosity, there is a widely repeated story, which may just be an urban myth, that a couple somewhere, somewhen, bestowed on their unfortunate offspring the names 'Depressed Cupboard Cheesecake'.
Does anyone know if this is true? And if so where and when?
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I have an ancestral line with this surname but don’t know if this youngster, age 9, is related to me :
English French, 1911 census in Waldron, Sussex with parents Harry and Fanny.
Didn’t find a French English on FreeBMD!
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I have an ancestral line with this surname but don’t know if this youngster, age 9, is related to me :
English French, 1911 census in Waldron, Sussex with parents Harry and Fanny.
Didn’t find a French English on FreeBMD!
Brith registered Sept 1/4 1901
FRENCH English
Uckfield (Sussex)
2b 122
:)
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There was another English French registered in nearby Hailsham 9 years earlier.
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There was another English French registered in nearby Hailsham 9 years earlier.
Oh was there? I limited my searches for the one you mentioned. The families must have both had the same idea.
No matter how unusual the name there are often others. :)
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There was another English French registered in nearby Hailsham 9 years earlier.
Oh was there? I limited my searches for the one you mentioned. The families must have both had the same idea.
No matter how unusual the name there are often others. :)
Haven’t looked into it, but possibly they were related. The earlier English’s father was Samson, quite unusual in itself! And my mistake - he was born 19 years earlier, not 9.
The 1871 lists another English French, age 9, b. Bexhill, living in Heathfield, Sussex. He does not seem to be registered though.
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The most unusual for me:
Mehetabella
Brewer (first name!)
Tieleman
Quinrinus
Melchisedech
Good (first name from the Puritan era)
Atlas
Willia
Jone
Gratia
Mathurin (French Huguenot)
Dudley (first name)
Turlogh
Giolla
Deopham
Cardrutt
Anisia
Laurencia
Virtue
Urian
Mabelia
Jerman
Bezallel
Zerubbabel
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Beyond,
Some of yours sound like characters from Harry Potter. :)
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I came across this name yesterday - Mangeline, affectionately shortened to Mangy.
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I came across this name yesterday - Mangeline, affectionately shortened to Mangy.
;D
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The most unusual for me:
Mehetabella
Brewer (first name!)
Tieleman
Quinrinus
Melchisedech
Good (first name from the Puritan era)
Atlas
Willia
Jone
Gratia
Mathurin (French Huguenot)
Dudley (first name)
Turlogh
Giolla
Deopham
Cardrutt
Anisia
Laurencia
Virtue
Urian
Mabelia
Jerman
Bezallel
Zerubbabel
Dudley (first name) is not unusual at all. When Peter Cook and Dudley Moore came on the box, I doubt if people thought "what an odd name" as we did when the first Kylie appeared along with Jason Donovan.
Jone is perfectly common in old records as a spelling of Joan.
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Sapientia - what a wonderful name! She first appears at her marriage in 1688 and then goes on to have nine children. Because of the rarity of this name I have been able to trace forward many of her descendants and connected them back to the original family.
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Free BMD record 9421 births registered with the forename Dudley, so hardly unusual.
Virtue is also very common.
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Just out of sheer curiosity, there is a widely repeated story, which may just be an urban myth, that a couple somewhere, somewhen, bestowed on their unfortunate offspring the names 'Depressed Cupboard Cheesecake'.
Does anyone know if this is true? And if so where and when?
Apparently born in 1972, in Kent?
According to a book entitled "Do Ants Have Assholes?: And 106 of the World's Other Most Important Questions", page 21.
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All the given names in my trees are normal run of the mill, except maybe for Pemly in Norfolk, which I presume was a local dialect for Pamela. If my main Scottish line deviates from naming sons John, Robert and, William, I might suffer a cardiac arrest lol.
At the time my research was mainly in the northern parts of the UK, where I had the task of trying to untangle many William and Mary marriages in Yorkshire. I got stumped when a strange given name appeared in a document. One William of Yorkshire had married a Keziah. Another chatter recognised it as quite normal in the southern part of England. I then discovered it's a biblical name.
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Just out of sheer curiosity, there is a widely repeated story, which may just be an urban myth, that a couple somewhere, somewhen, bestowed on their unfortunate offspring the names 'Depressed Cupboard Cheesecake'.
Does anyone know if this is true? And if so where and when?
Apparently born in 1972, in Kent?
According to a book entitled "Do Ants Have Assholes?: And 106 of the World's Other Most Important Questions", page 21.
At one time in the 20th century if a Registrar didn't agree to the couple's odd choice of names for their baby he would insist they choose a different one. That news didn't stay hidden in the registrar's office; it often found its way into the daily newspapers.
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Back in the 1700s in Massachusetts some of the family became captives of Mohawk Indians and received new names-
Silas = TANNHAHORENS "he splits the door"
Timothy = OSEROKOHTON "he passes through the year" and his wife OSENNENHAWE "she bears a name"
Gonatebenteton "she has been abandoned"
and my personal favourite-
KANIARONKWAS "she gathers snakes"
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At one time in the 20th century if a Registrar didn't agree to the couple's odd choice of names for their baby he would insist they choose a different one. That news didn't stay hidden in the registrar's office; it often found its way into the daily newspapers.
In the mid 60s, in Germany, the registrar had 2 lists - 500 boy's names and 500 girl's names. Not on the list = not registered. At that time, there were many hundreds of thousands of Turkish "guest workers" and their families living there. Practically all the baby boys were called Michael, because Mohammed was not on the list.
Regards
Chas
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On Geneanet I found a Royal Hunt WANSTALL, born in America. With those forenames I would love to claim him as one of my Kent Wanstalls, but I've just been looking for him on the censuses & he was a Native American (Arapaho) born in Wyoming & living on a reservation.
I'm going to keep looking just to try & satisfy my curiosity, as Wanstall doesn't sound very Native American, nor does Royal come to that.
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At one time in the 20th century if a Registrar didn't agree to the couple's odd choice of names for their baby he would insist they choose a different one. That news didn't stay hidden in the registrar's office; it often found its way into the daily newspapers.
In the mid 60s, in Germany, the registrar had 2 lists - 500 boy's names and 500 girl's names. Not on the list = not registered. At that time, there were many hundreds of thousands of Turkish "guest workers" and their families living there. Practically all the baby boys were called Michael, because Mohammed was not on the list.
Regards
Chas
I didn't know about the Michaels, but I did know that those who had a permit to work were allowed a permit to live in the country. Once the work ended they had no right to live in a house or the country. Then one year Germany was hit by a very bad slump in fortune and there was no work. Forty-one year old people with Turkish heritage were expected to leave the country and go back to a "home" they knew nothing about. I remember the British government was amongst other governments who voted that Germany had to change its law.
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If we're coming up to date, what about the Kosovan babies named Tonibler, as a thank you to one T. Blair after the Kosovan war?
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/jun/20/kosovan-albanians-name-children-tony-blair-tonibler (https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/jun/20/kosovan-albanians-name-children-tony-blair-tonibler)
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The most unusual name I have in my tree is "Jeanornella" Ure.
She was at least the sixth daughter in the family. There is definitely a Jean already born and living (my 3xG Grandmother) and although I have not found the birth record for a Helen (ie Nellie) her mother's name was Helen so it seems likely there was a Helen already as well, possibly one who died in infancy. I have a mental image of the parents trying to think of a name and mother Helen saying something like "We can't call her Jean or Nellie"
The name is NOT a transcription error - she has a daughter with the same name born in 1863, and the birth register distinctly has both mother and daughter as "Jeanornella". I suspect the daughter disliked the name however, since on her marriage she gives her own name as simply Jean, whilst her mother is listed as Nellie. Her first daughter is named as "Jane Ure" Bennie.
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Not in my tree but I've just been transcribing again - Andrewartha - 2 instances, one in 1869, died the same year, and 1871, all in the Penzance RD, and the only instances showing on FreeBMD.
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They make my Venadora or Vence Dora depending on which document you read seem quite normal ;D
Carol
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Yes, and I'm not even sure which gender they were :-\
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A misheard Andrew Arthur perhaps? ;D ;D
Carol
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Could be - GRO gives the sex as male for the 1869 birth registration and 1871 - same mother's maiden name for both entries.
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Andrewartha is a Cornish surname.
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Thank you, arthurk. Makes sense then using a surname as a forename!!
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I have a Parmenas as an ancestor, his dad was a feltmaker in Bermondsey, but he was from the Midlands originally, thanks to his apprenticeship records from 1696. I wonder if Parmenas' mother had a Cornish connection in the family as Parmenas is said to be a Cornish name.
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Another unusual one - Lemenda. Not many of them on FreeBMD.
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And another one which I transcribed today - Ages - birth and death registered in 1869.
BUT then I looked again on FreeBMD for forename "Ages" and there are loads of them :-[
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Couple of twigs suggested by a will on my Gibbins/Ward line have seen me chase down a Wright Payne (and yes this family was) who had a Damaris - transcribed on some as Demarius and Demarias etc
I found out Damaris is a female name and is mentioned once only in the Bible - present when Paul of Tarsus preached in Athens ( Acts 17:34)
Ironically she married a Monk
Added: A quick search of this site suggests its less rare than I thought
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And another one which I transcribed today - Ages - birth and death registered in 1869.
BUT then I looked again on FreeBMD for forename "Ages" and there are loads of them :-[
Although there are a small number of similar names to be found in censuses, none of them seem the match the ones in the births on FreeBMD. I would suspect mistranscription/misspelling somewhere along the line.
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Geoff-E - yes I think you may be correct in assuming mistranscription sometimes. I found an Ages Holder registered in 1853 - later an occasional copy A with forename as Agnes on the GRO website.
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I found out Damaris is a female name and is mentioned once only in the Bible - present when Paul of Tarsus preached in Athens ( Acts 17:34)
It's an uncommon name but familiar to many as Damaris Hayman (https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/jun/14/damaris-hayman-obituary), who died last year, had a long and prolific career as a character actress.
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My great x10 grandfather Nebuchadnezzar Ashby is an interesting one. It's spelled differently every time it is found in the parish registers ... and the computer search tools do NOT recognise them as variant spellings!! What gets me is it's a biblical name. You'd think the clerks might just look in their books! I'm sure that it's never spelled "Nabugodanezer" in the bible ...
However, for the most amazing name ever, not a relative, but the man for whom my great x3 grandmother was a servant before she married my great x3 grandfather, I give you ....
MURFIN BLOTT!
(It's real ... he's buried in the same graveyard as my great x3 grandparents, and I occasionally visit his grave when I go to theirs. The Murfins and the Blotts were two of the great landholding families of 18th and 19th century Huntingdonshire so I'm guessing he was a scion of the union of both lines. I've never bothered to research him and find out, however ... )
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In 1851 making her - yes listed as married woman - born c1825
Found Science Kearnsley in hospital accounts
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Words fail me with this one, the poor child has the middle name of Ringdingdiddyiddyumdumda
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/my-neighbours-name-stupid-asked-29172999
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Words fail me with this one, the poor child has the middle name of Ringdingdiddyiddyumdumda
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/my-neighbours-name-stupid-asked-29172999
BUT it might prove to be a good password in the future! ;D
Poor child :-X
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Words fail me with this one, the poor child has the middle name of Ringdingdiddyiddyumdumda
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/my-neighbours-name-stupid-asked-29172999
I so wish my James Smith (c1791-1849) ancestor had a middle name like Ringdingdiddyiddyumdumda.
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Words fail me with this one, the poor child has the middle name of Ringdingdiddyiddyumdumda
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/my-neighbours-name-stupid-asked-29172999
I so wish my James Smith (c1791-1849) ancestor had a middle name like Ringdingdiddyiddyumdumda.
You can't win them all!!!! :-X
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Words fail me with this one, the poor child has the middle name of Ringdingdiddyiddyumdumda
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/my-neighbours-name-stupid-asked-29172999
I so wish my James Smith (c1791-1849) ancestor had a middle name like Ringdingdiddyiddyumdumda.
You can't win them all!!!! :-X
True. He died in 1849 and said "Not born in county" in 1841. And he had the commonest surname in the UK.
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It might not be helpful once ancestry transcribers had got their hands on it, the mind boggles what they would do with it ;D
I so wish my James Smith (c1791-1849) ancestor had a middle name like Ringdingdiddyiddyumdumda.
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Words fail me with this one, the poor child has the middle name of Ringdingdiddyiddyumdumda
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/my-neighbours-name-stupid-asked-29172999
BUT it might prove to be a good password in the future! ;D
Poor child :-X
Perhaps a cousin of Rama-lama-lama-ding-dong?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dI7wMWM9IqQ
Boo
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I have a Gertrude Georgeanna Wallaker, my 2xgreat gran. Born in Essex to an Oxfordshire mother and a father of part Suffolk ancestry, as was the case for many of my Essex people.
Her married name was Taylor. But her unique first name middle names made me easy to trace her after she married.
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Just doing a bit more transcribing - how about
Hardcastle Worsley
as his :-\ first names - poor little mite died at the age of 4.
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Just found this one yesterday when looking for a more prosaic Sarah:
Phfurmutus Marcroft, baptized Salford, Lancs. in 1908.
FreeBMD has the name as Pafurmutua (not much better!)
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Words fail me with this one, the poor child has the middle name of Ringdingdiddyiddyumdumda
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/my-neighbours-name-stupid-asked-29172999
Remind me never to play "My Red Letter" against HIM!
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And another one which I transcribed today - Ages - birth and death registered in 1869.
BUT then I looked again on FreeBMD for forename "Ages" and there are loads of them :-[
"Ages" is just a chickenless Agnes (no N's)
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I recently came across someone with Spartacus as a middle name.
FreeBMD shows 3 people with it as a first name.
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Looking at marriages today, I found a bride with the forename Fortune. Not too unusual, except her surname was Hunt. She married a William Nurse in 1778. Would have been more interesting she had married a Mr Teller !
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One of my ancestors married a man who had three christian names, the final one being "Posthumous". (The first two were "Horatio" and "Nelson").
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Makes them easier to trace though, such unusual forenames.
Such as a Nebuchadnezzar Smith. Or a Kerrenhappuch Smith. I have an ancestor sibling who wed Kerrenhappuch Prentice.
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Federal for a female born 1901 in South Australia
I assume a connection to Federation January 1901
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We had Dutch friends in Kenya who called their second son 'Mwisho' .... Kiswahili for 'the end' .... not intending to have any more children, which was fine .... until they had another baby !
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Two siblings in my extended family called Topsey Twinn and Totsey Twinn.
In regard to Noel's as a first or middle name around December, I found that my local city has birth returns from 1837 to 1961 viewable in the library and I was looking for the birth of a relatively distant cousin in early 1930, I was briefly sidetracked and found a guy with the middle name Noel, born at Christmas 1929, appearing in the births registered in the week ending first week or so in Feb 1930 in the city. Christmas birth. I think those city birth returns were copied from the civil registration returns into a separate register for the city alone. So his birth will appeared in Births registered in Jan, Feb, Mar 1930 but like with many others registered in those 3 months, many would have been born Nov or Dec 1929.
It may confuse a newbie to genealogy at first, looking for the birth record in the GRO indexes itself, knowing already from before that someone in the family was born Xmas 1929 but their birth appears in the list of births registered in the first quarter of 1930 - and not the last quarter of 1929. Someone who is familiar with the indexes would explain to the newbie it is births registered in Jan, Feb March 1930, and 6 weeks was allowed usually to register a birth. Thus a birth in late November 1929 for example registered on 2nd Jan 1930 will appear in the list of births registered in the first quarter of 1930.
My great gran died in early March 1930 but I only found the date when I got the death cert, as up to then knowing what I know about the civil reg system, I knew the death was registered in the first quarter of 1930, but for all I knew it could have taken place in December 1929. I had known by then that 5 days was usually allowed to register a death unless inquest delayed it, or other circumstances.
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I've just come across a family who used the given name "Phares". Some wrote it with a z at the end, which matches one of the sons of Judah from the old testament, though one clergyman wrote it as "Fairhurst" which gives a clue as to pronunciation!
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I surely can't be the only one to have come across a Phanuel in their tree?
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See here for the baptism of a girl called 'La Belle Alliance"
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=884298.msg7572652#msg7572652 (https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=884298.msg7572652#msg7572652)
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I surely can't be the only one to have come across a Phanuel in their tree?
Reminds me of the old joke about the name being spelled "Steven with a ph" - Pheven