Interchangeable names ?

[oldfashionedgirl]

Thanks to everyone who replied, it makes very interesting reading. Looking forward to tomorrow when I can apply the results to my "lost souls" who have eluded me so far.

Cheers to you all, I appreciate your help

OFG

[Seoras]

I searched for ages for a Nancy until a kind RC member pointed out it was a pet form of Agnes,was easy after that.Also I eventually found the DC for my GG grandfather James Steen,transcribed as Stevens.Apparently that's the Anglicised version of Steen.Oh and Anne,yes Elizabeth,I have lots of them in a variety of spellings

George.

[aghadowey]

Stephens, Stephenson, Stevenson, Stevens, Stinson, Steen are all interchageable.

[angusm]

Perhaps the most difficult examples are on the fringe of Gaelic. Marion, Mor and Sarah are, for instance, routinely interchanged and there are other examples.

[patval]

Hi,

I struggled with Hugh/Ewan...

Patricia..

[oldfashionedgirl]

But what about surnames ?

Does anyone think that Cameron /Campbell are interchangeable ?

I have a lady who I am sure are one and the same person.

From marriage, through 5 children, and on their death certificates (she died before 1855) she appears as Jane/Jean Cameron/Campbell in several combinations. Maybe here husband got it wrong when registering the children , but he remains a shoemaker throughout and they live in the same area.
Also there is no marriage registered to a Jean/Jane Campbell

Strange....

[Skoosh]

I was at a Heilan wedding once, where the minister asked, "Do you Donald Archibald take Jessie Annie!" thought I was at the wrong church, Danny & Babs!     Skoosh.

[Forfarian]

Does anyone think that Cameron /Campbell are interchangeable ?

It looks highly unlikely to me.

Cameron is either from the places of similar names in the Lowlands, or from Gaelic 'cam' meaning 'crooked' or 'bent' plus 'sron' meaning 'nose' - a reference to a hooked nose said to be prevalent among descendants of the Highland clan.

Campbell is from 'cam' as before and 'beul' meaning 'mouth', so means 'crooked mouth', though the jury is out as to whether this is a reference to a physical or a moral characteristic.

Either way, Camerons and Campbells were on opposing sides during the Jacobite Risings, and it's hard to imagine anyone deliberately using them interchangeably, or even getting them mixed up.

But almost anything is possible.

[Skoosh]

A bit of a generalisation about the Jacobite Rebellions, there were Keppoch Campbells who were Jacobites and much of the Clan Campbell followed Breadalbane into the '15 Rebellion, they were defeated by Argyll  (Red John of the Battles) at Sheriffmuir.