Naming kids after ancestors

[Cell]

Interesting what was said about using maiden names as part of a child's given names - my grandmother was christened Florence Eliza Garland (surname:Gay).  In my research I have discovered that her grandmother's maiden name was Garland!  Wasn't that a nice tie-in?!
Talking of using old family names - what's wrong with 'Theophilus' anyway?!!
Best
Sami

I think it happens quite a lot in the older days, with this maiden name thing, more so than today.

 I have quite  a few in  parts of one of my lines further back( this line is  from Gloucestershire) One of the Girls had a middle name Long - her mothers maiden name turned out to be long,  another one, a  brother married a woman with the middle name of Waters -  you guessed it ,Her mother  maiden name turns out to be Waters. These were around the 1700's.

My mum who has her mother maiden name for one of her middle names  is Irish, so I don't know if it's more prevalent in certain areas (?). Funny thing though my mum didn't do the same thing to me and pass that name, or her own maiden name on to me, so it hasn't been kept in the family, she is the last female with it. She  Just named me after my G grandmother - The Christian name for a middle name.

 I haven't any like this  on my Welsh lines of the tree so far (  The maiden names being used as middle names) , except for the usual Christian naming pattern after their fathers/mothers/grandparents , and middle names that were Christian names of their grandparents etc.

 edit- I'm wrong  about "my" welsh tree-  I have some  on   this tree like this for the Welsh lines. I was thinking of my own Welsh lines, and not my hubby's. 
My husband's  tree; he has one of the son's with the mother's maiden name  in the 1800's , and he'll kick me for this; his own brother has his grandmothers maiden name for a middle name, I forgot about that oops! ( hubby's dad named him , it was when hubby's  grandmother died and hubby's father put it in my husband's  one year  younger brother name ,when he was born ) - All the rest of his siblings, hubby  included my mum-in -law named because they were just "pretty" names she liked.

 I would like to name a child after my husband's father, he's like a father to me. Doesn't matter  boy or girl  the kid is going to get it lol - poor kid. It's one of those really old fashioned names that the kid would get teased with these days. So I'll have to stick it in as a middle name - and hope the kid doesn't hate me for it lol . Mind you my Mum has a boys name for one of her other middle names , she has two middle names( after her uncle. Her mother was close to her big brother)

  Just don't name your kids like Bob Geldof did - what on earth were they thinking lol  names such as  peaches and cream
 

[familysearcher]

i'm named after my mother - my first name is Yola which was her only 'christian' name.  I use my first name at work and my second at home - so both get full use!

my mum died 4 years before my eldest daughter was born and we chose names we liked - Ruth and Elizabeth.  Then my husband asked if I wanted to include my mum's name - so it carries on!

my sisters have called their girls after our grandmothers - Amelia and Daisy  and also Emily as a variant on Amelia.

I have a Zacheus in my tree - can't honestly say i would have used that tho!

Sue

[D ap D]

...- what's wrong with 'Theophilus' anyway?!!

One of my more obscure branches is a Theophilus Jones. His elder brother was Jeremiah, so I was kind of hoping that the other, younger brother would have an equally obscure name. And what did it turn out to be? John. Great. I now have 16 "John Jones" in my tree.

On the other hand, it does have its lighter moments. If I get a mail asking if I can provide any more information about "John Jones, from Wales", I just send the whole list and ask which one they mean. Most take it the right way. Some don't.

[Salty]

Personally I am all for it. My middle name is Middleton. For years I never could understand why. I mean, who would give a child a name like that? 

After an uncle started looking into the family tree in the 1970s I discovered that it was my ggg grandmothers maiden surname and had been used as a christian name in every generation since.

Too late for my son and he is most upset by it, he was even talking about changing his name by deedpoll.

Tom

[Tariana]

I think naming children after ancestors is a nice thing to do.
I was named Michelle Abby, which was later switched around to Abby Michelle.
Abby - after a (foster)greatgrandmother, Abbie, who in turn was named for her grandmother, Abigail.
Michelle  - after my father, Michael.

My mother was also named after her father, Glenn, she is Glenda Teresa, but goes by Teresa (tree-sa). Apparently her mom just liked it.

My cousin/fostergrandmother was also named after her father, Melva, she is Melva Jeanne, but goes by Jean.
Everyone kept saying Jeanne as Jeannie or Janine. 

I don't have any kids, nor will I in the near future. If I ever do have kids, I'd like for their middle names to be off of the family tree.

I do have a list of names to avoid though.
Example? My maternal greatgrandparents from Georgia, USA
James Parker - nothing wrong with James. Parker on the other hand... I'm American, and as one, I do not wish to contribue to the invasion of Madisons, McKenzies, Aidans...    (Although I could easily have been named after him, as Jamie Parker. He was born 8-8-1884. I was born 8-8-1983. My mother didn't know until much later)
his wife...
Lity May - not Littie, oh nooo....Lightie  My ancestor's high point in hickdom/redneckness. She was named by her mother Ida Cornelia. Lity, because she was born outside in the daylight, and May because.. gues what month she was born in?
That's one of those names where I look at it, and slap myself in the face...

though, after some digging I found that Ida Cornelia had a sister (not twin) named Catherine Cordelia. I think that sounds quite lovely.

[ryan]

Interesting thread. I love all this forename stuff, it's great!!

There's quite a bit o' tradition on my Dad's side: Thomas John > Cecil Leonard > Kenneth Cecil > Kenneth John > Ryan Jon. I also have cousins on my Dad's side name Thomas & John.

My Mum has a forename typical of the 50s - Lynda. She also has her Father's Mother's first name as a middle name - Margaret. Both my Mum's brother Martin and his son have my Grandad's first name - David as a middle name, although everybody called him 'Tony', because of his middle name being Anthony.

I'm confident that I will have children some day I am very pasionate about naming my first daughter (should I ever have one!!) after my maternal Grandmother- Lily. As you can see I like old fashioned names, including Olivia and Adalina. For a boy, my favorites are Evan & Theo. I'm also quite keen on Rhys, George, Ellis and Luke. Ryan, John or Jon would do as middle names!! No Kenneths or Cecils I'm afraid Hill is quite a neutral surname, so I don't see any restrictions created by it at all.

Ryan.

[mimosa]

Hi

I started reseaching my paternal side and found that Daniel was carried through from Gt Grandad to Gt Uncle and now my brother has called his son Daniel to carry this on. James also runs through our family and my daughter is about to have her first baby and if it is a boy she is going to call him James, if a girl it will be Milly May and May was my nans middle name,.

I have also found whilst looking for my husbands family that both his brothers have names that come from ancestors and even his sisters daughter has a name that was used back in Gt Gt Grandparents time.

My name is the only one that does not seem to feature in the family but at least I have my Nans first name as my middle name so I guess I still count.

[rosanne]

I think it is amazing how these names come up even without trying to name after an ancestor. Rosanne is my middle name and only recently my mother discovered that her grandmother - whom everyone including her though was names Rose Hannah (first and middle name) - was named on her birth certificate Rosanna. I also found back in the 1700's a family in my tree that have two children with names I have named my own children, Esther and Susannah. My cousin also named a daugter Esther. Where I come from this is a very uncommon name and had not occured in the family tree since the late 1700's. How incredible is that!

Sometimes in my research I have found the reuse of names a confirmation that I am on the right track. I think it is a great thing to have a history attached to your name.

Rosanne

[Susan41]

When I discovered that my great grandfather was named Richard Smirk(e) RUSSELL (born 1814 London), I just knew that SMIRKE had to be his mother's maiden name.   Wrong!  mother was Sophia ROSSER.

Well, then SMIRKE must be grandmother's maiden name.  Wrong! grandmothers were GODDARD and LLOYD or SANDERFORD.

So much for that theory ...........

Now, on the other hand there was a man named Richard SMIRK(E) who was an artist in London, a brother to the architects, who died in London in 1815.  The mother of the SMIRKE brothers was named Elizabeth RUSSELL.  Because this Elizabeth RUSSELL had married as a minor with consent of her mother Judith FARRANT, formerly RUSSELL, I have traced this RUSSELL family back to the parishes of St. Mary White Chapel and St. Botolph without Aldgate.  There was a John RUSSELL in this family of the right age to be my ancestor .....  but WAS HE??

Susan41