The significance of Middle names

[Nick Carver]

Probably worth pointing out Hugh Wallis' site with an index of middle names taken from IGI http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~hughwallis/IGIBatchNumbers/CountryEngland.htm#PageTitle

[hepburn]

Hi All,
        My GGrandfathers middle name was Atcherson, and according to his marriage certificate so was his fathers,this name came down to Grandfathers eldest son....I can't find where it came from!!!

[stonechat]

What I did was look at the middle name that went through my mother's family (BOND)
This was in the Cocks family.

As the time I did not have access to all the censuses.
I found a marriage in Manchester Cathedral of George Bowker Cock to Mary Bond.

I later found that Mary's name at death was given as Mary Bond Cocks  (her maiden name as middle name). Confirmation came only when one of the censuses gave George Full name George Boker Cocks.

The 's' got added later.

To make matters worse, tracing the same familyt further back, many of the baptisms are entered as Cook not Cock. George's was George Bowker Cook at bpatism!

(And Bowker was his mother's maiden name)

There were family rumours of money held in chancery in the Bond family. Never found any truth in this

Bob

[Galium]

Re your earlier post, Stonechat I don't know whether Beaumaris would be a likely honeymoon destination, but I have an elderly relative whose middle name is the place where her parents went on their honeymooon.

[stonechat]

Hmm it'd have to be in 1835. Though then lived in Denton nr Manchester,not sure hw widespread honeymoons weere, especially amond people who didn't have a lot of money, he was a warehuseman /overlooker at a cotton mill.

Her father was a hat manufacturer, but whether an employee or better I can't say

I have thought of this - even the Beckham theory (remember Brooklyn Beckham?).

There do seem to be a real shortage of people called Beamaris

However George Cock's son is Jame Beamaris Cocks, and a grandson is James Beaumaris KNowles.

I may find out one day

Bob

[Simplex4wd]

My fathers middle name was Barlow, his grandfathers middle name was also Barlow - until I can find where great grandfather was born I do know if this is a mothers name or just a name that was picked at some time and has been reused.
(There are Barlows in Ireland where I believe my family originated)

Tim

[aghadowey]

Tim- I, and about 12 others, have been researching Barlows in Ireland. In particular Richard Barlow (c1794-1881) & his wife Mary McDonald (c1814?-1892) who lived in Country Londonderry. Known children: Mary, Sarah, Rose, Anne, Jane, Agnes Louise, Elizabeth. Associated surnames: Reid, Mullan, O'Kane, O'Hara, McIlroy, Taylor, McDonald, Caldwell.

[behindthefrogs]

I have the name Nellthorpe, Nealthorpe,  Nellthorp as a second name in three generations of my Saich family.  It is always spelt differently, the last generation was born in the 19th century, but I can find no reason for its use even though I have gone back many generations.

David

[yn9man]

My relatives didn't start using middle names until the later parts the 1800s. They used to use just a middle initial. Makes difficulty researching since they all had the same first name and same middle initial. 

I have found that many if not most of family middle names were usually the name of a favorite brother or sister or a parents surname.

My Dad and I have the same middle name. Originally it was a surname on my grandmothers family and can be traced back to the 1500s. Has been spelled differently (adding or dropping a consonant) throughout the ages.   

My brother was named after a favorite uncle. However, when the uncle fell out of favor my brother changed his middle name.   

yn9man