Traditional Irish naming pattern

[bikermickau]

I've done a search on Rootschat and not found the answer.

What is the Traditional Irish naming pattern.

Mick

Edited

Google tells me this

   While researching your Irish ancestry, it's helpful to be aware of Irish customary naming patterns regarding given names:

    First born son named after his father's father
    Second born son named after his mother's father
    Third born son named after his father
    Fourth born son named after his father's oldest brother
    Fifth born son named after his father's 2nd oldest brother
    or his mother's oldest brother


    First born daughter named after her mother's mother
    Second born daughter named after her father's mother
    Third born daughter named after her mother
    Fourth born daughter named after her mother's oldest sister
    Fifth born daughter named after her mother's 2nd oldest sister
    or her father's oldest sister

[shanew147]

there was a previous topic on this that might be worth a look - see : naming patterns



Shane

[bikermickau]

Thank you Shane

Mick

[stellamaire]

I am familiar with the Irish naming pattern that 1st son would be named after father’s father.
Yesterday at a Irish family history seminar, I heard that this naming occurred only if father’s father was deceased. 
Because it was bad luck (or just inconvenient) to have 3 living persons with same name in same family.  Is this true ? 
And if so, is it reasonable to consider (for Irish family in Liverpool in 1850’s) :
    If 1st son was not named after father’s father… then father’s father was still living.
    (Next likely name for this 1st son would be mother’s father name).
    AND if 2nd son was named after father’s father… then father’s father death occurred in the time
    between births of 1st and 2nd son.

[jess5athome]

Hi Mick, I was sent a traditional "Irish Naming Pattern" while looking for members of my Graney line, it is the same as yours but there is a footnote saying that it varies from region to region, ie
In west Cork the eldest daughter was named after the Fathers Mother and not the Mothers mother.

Hope that helps.

Regards.
Frank.

[Sonas]

These naming patterns are really only rough guides. My entire family is Irish. I don't have a family anywhere in my tree where the naming pattern was slavishly followed.

[noland01]

Many of the families in my tree follow this pattern.

In fact my siblings and I and named in this fashion and never really realised it until a few years ago.

Eldest(mise) named after my paternal grandfather,as was my own father(and my young lad!) so 4 of the same names in a row.
Next(male) after maternal grandfather(and only sister of my mothers),then sister after maternal grandmother.next brother named for only living(at the time) uncle of my fathers as he had no brothers.Last sister named after paternal granny(and only sister of my fathers).

A few more families in my tree(2 in particular ,unconnected ones) used the same few names over and over again, even going to the stage where if a child died young the same name was reused(twice in 2 cases!)

For example my grandfather had 4 first cousins with the same name ie Mary Anne ***** which was also his mothers maiden name as well as that of at least 4 or 5 nieces.Very confusing, as with large families ,generations ain't always chronologically simple ie some of his nieces were as old if not older than some of his cousins.
In fact his own mother was the 2'nd member of her family to be christened with this name as an older sister was called this but died as an infant.

[Elwyn Soutter]

The problem with relying too heavily on naming patterns is that, apart from the fact that not all families followed it, there are lots of things that can upset it. Common ones that I have encountered are when the father and either of the grandparents have the same name. So you obviously can’t have two or even three sons all with the same name, so a different name must be used instead; if a child dies young, then it was common practice to re-use the name. And if you don’t know about the death, your analysis of who they were named after could be completely wrong; Or if a close relative had just died and their name was used out of respect. I have also noticed that many families liked to name the odd child after the local Minister/Priest, schoolteacher or a relative with no children of their own. So for all these reasons, whilst tradition says, for example, that the 4th son was usually named after the father's eldest brother, it isn’t always so.

[noland01]

The problem with relying too heavily on naming patterns is that, apart from the fact that not all families followed it, there are lots of things that can upset it. Common ones that I have encountered are when the father and either of the grandparents have the same name. So you obviously can’t have two or even three sons all with the same name, so a different name must be used instead; if a child dies young, then it was common practice to re-use the name. And if you don’t know about the death, your analysis of who they were named after could be completely wrong; Or if a close relative had just died and their name was used out of respect. I have also noticed that many families liked to name the odd child after the local Minister/Priest, schoolteacher or a relative with no children of their own. So for all these reasons, whilst tradition says, for example, that the 4th son was usually named after the father's eldest brother, it isn’t always so.

Agree with that but my paternal grandfather had sisters christened Mary Jane,Mary Anne and Mary Catherine(Kate).These were the actual names they used all their adult life.Must have been confusing calling those in for their dinner!!

Afraid my family on both sides were traditional Irish farmers who used and reused the same names with very little exception from generation to generation.Leaves it mighty hard at times when you combine the 3 or 4 most common surnames in their respective counties with a selection of christian names such as John,Patrick,James,Joseph,Mary,Elizabeth,Catherine,Anne,Margaret etc.

One thing that stands out is the fact that most families seem to have one "signature" christian name that seemed to be used a lot even amongst cousins.

In my family tree one family had a Jerome at least once in every generation for 100 years in every family whilst another had  "Daniel" used a lot ,sometimes as a second name when an older brother had it as his given name.

Often wondered if people were aware of using this pattern or if its all just coincidence?
When I pointed it out to my own mother a few years ago as to how she christened us,she said it was just the names that sprang to mind at the time(early 1970's) as most people even at this stage were sticking to "traditional" "normal" names therefore choice was somewhat limited and it was prob. easier to just use the familar ones.

For example ,thinking about it now,every boy in my class was either named after his father or grandparents or had a brother who was.Same with the girls and it was only when it came to very large families(10 plus at that time) that an odd"different " name might be used and even then it was a rarity.