Names you just don't see anymore

[kerryb]

Octavia - now there's a great name!!!!

Kerry

[RuthieB]

BBC article today says Lilly, Ruby and Archie are making a comeback

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6196035.stm

Our cat's called Archie - she's a girl cat but she's definitely an Archie!!

RuthieB

[miss marple]

I have a neighbour called Tasie, which I have always thought was a lovely, unusual name. Turns out she was christened Anastasia, which she absolutely loathed so she shortened it to Tasie! A much nicer name, I have to agree.

[patrish]

RuthieB, this is the absolute truth, a friend in Switzerland has a cat called BUMFACE but he does not look like that at all, hes lovely, we have never been able to get her to explain how he got the name.

[RedFox]

I wasn't prepared for Thurza, until I found it in my ancestry.   Her last name was Thomas.  She was born abt. 1873 in Cornwall.  I thought all the "cool" names came from there until I got into the family lines in the 1600's in the US. 

Male:  Return, Ebenezer (an oft-used favorite in the family evidently), Eleazer, Pelatiah, Gideon, Jedidiah (with a 'd' not a 'b'), Treat (a mother's maiden name), and Elisha, and Isaac.

Female:  Esther, Dorcas (named after her mother), and Abigail.  Al very Biblical and traditional.  This was in CT when it was a colony of GB.

Two hundred years later another family didn't do their women any favors with:  Penelope, Laurene, Erie Anna, Ariadna, Alsinda Millissa; or their men either:  Samuel Finley, Gregory Nazian, Josiah, or Herman Gustavos.

But some of the 'doozies' chosen today won't stand the test of time like Peter, Michael, John, Stephen, James and David.  Many of these names were used along with Return and Ebenezer in my family.    RedFox

[RedFox]

After reading through some of the great names here, I stopped to work on one of my family lines.  Two names hit me -- big time -- I can't even guess if they were male or female.

Zalmon (does it rhyme with salmon?)

But this one really got me:  Zerviah.   The baby was born in 1719-1720 and died about six years later.  Soooo, the family had to name a second child Zerviah in 1727-1728.  This child died within days.

This from a related family who used Peletiah and Jedediah!  And Gershom who named his daughter Amasa. 

Who ever said genealogy isn't fun, didn't spend much time in research.  Happy hunting everyone.  I got one lead back tonight from my many feelers.  Thanks scarbro.    RedFox   

[patrish]

I think it was a macabre practice to name another child after a deceased one, they seem to do it all the time back then. my gt grandfather Samuel was named after his deceased older brother, he only had 2 boys from his first marriage called one of the Samuel  and he died also.

Thanks goodness no more were called Samuel.

[KathMc]

Patrish,

I agree. It is almost like some kind of jinx or bad omen. I have some of that in my family, mostly on the Alsatian side. But then a ggg grandfather Christopher and his son Christopher both got hit by a train and died and I was surprised no one named a child after them, especially as the three remaining sons had loads of kids. I think maybe they saw it as some kind of bad-luck thing.

Kath

[Fitty]

We used to have a Hamser called Catfood.  Does that count?   He lived to just past his 3rd birthday, which i have been told is very old for a hammy.  He was a beautiful white long haired Hamster and very gentle with everyone, including the cat.