Weird Christian names

[Viktoria]

There were some funny names given to babies during Cromwell`s time as Lord Protector. The puritans used Biblical phrases like " Barebones" and "Oh be faithful" as Christian names. Thank goodness that died out!
                                      Viktoria.

[stanmapstone]

What about these Puritan Names http://www.namenerds.com/uucn/listofweek/puritan.html

Stan

[Siamese Girl]

The most unusual name in my tree is Polyphemus for  girl in 1881.


Jebber.

Why would you name a girl after a male cyclops from Greek mythology? 

Featherstone Atkinson makes sense, as I bet the Featherstone part was a surname from his maternal line.

I find modern first names totally baffling - all these Chardonnays and Mercedes. I caught part of the TV programme Waterloo Road last week and one of the children in that is called Sambuca - how long before (if it hasn't happened already) someone names their baby after her?

Carole

[Finder]

Ha, ha, good one Stan, just when you thought it couldn't get any worse

to everyone elses strange names, it just boggles the mind

James

[Just Kia]

I find modern first names totally baffling - all these Chardonnays and Mercedes. I caught part of the TV programme Waterloo Road last week and one of the children in that is called Sambuca - how long before (if it hasn't happened already) someone names their baby after her?

Carole

There's a back story to her name. Her mother used to be a bit wild and often drunk and named Sambuca after her favourite drink.
Given that she's been in the show for at least 3 seasons now, there's been plenty of time for someone to name their child after her or the drink. I'm surprised that a quick search of Anc BMD 1916-2005 doesn't turn up any, although I'd expect there will be c2009+

[Jebber]

Why would you name a girl after a male cyclops from Greek mythology

Yes Carole, I too did not understand the parent's reasoning, as I doubt they even knew of the son of Cyclops. Further investigation revealed that the time of her birth, a ship, the Polyphemus, a torpedo ram, was being built in Chatham dockyard where Polly's father worked.  I guess that is where the name came from, all her siblings had perfectly ordinary names.

Jebber

[rachelralph]

i do have a lady in my tree called sellestana anne pamalena lavinia spencer! no idea why her name was so unusual a her parents were called george and mary and her siblings were called elizabeth john and samuel!

any one got any ideas?

[Siamese Girl]

Lavinia, Countess Spencer 1762-1831 was the subject of this gorgeous painting by Joshua Reynolds


The name Pamela was invented by Samuel Richardson for his novel of the same name in 1740. Looking at other posts you've made I see she was born in 1841 - I wonder if her parents (mother?) just had a very romantic imagination and gave her a name that sounds as if she might have stepped from the pages of a contempory very fashionable romantic novel? People like Harrison Ainsworth, writing from the 1830s onwards, had some weirdly named characters in his novels. Lots of people were writing highly imaginative romantic novels at the time (which are almost impossible to read now) but Sellestana does sound as if she should be in one of them http://www.victorianweb.org/genre/silverfork.html

Carole

[rachelralph]

wow beautiful picture!

i have no idea why she was called that name, and youre right it does sound like a name from a novel. might have to do some reading up.

on my other posts i also mentioned sellestana's son. he had the middle name saville/savil fuljambe! again maybe sellestana had some romantic notions and thought why not give him a lords middle names?!