Naming Children

[Coolbreeze]

I have always wondered why for example a mother and father would have a son or daughter, then it unfortunately died at a young age and then a few years later the mother and father would have another child and would name it with the same name... This has happened at least three times in my family tree... Has it happened in your tree and if "yes" do you know why?... Or is there simply no reason for this... emmmmm?

[ITBookworm]

It seems to have been very common. I have a number of families with this in both my tree and hubbies. One family had 3 Roberts (2 died as infants and the 3rd at ~13  ), named after dad, and 2 Margarets. It doesn't seem to be restricted to area or religion. The family with all the Roberts were in Dundee and the others spread through Lanarkshire, both Catholic and CofS.

It seems to be partly connected to the Scottish naming traditions and to have reduced in frequency around the same time as the names start to vary from the old patterns.

Hope that helps and maybe someone else has more of a clue as to what was behind the idea. It certainly doesn't make sorting out who is who any easier 

[aghadowey]

Not just in Scotland- my Danish uncle had 3 aunts named Olga, 3 uncles named Hans, 2 uncles named Christen in the same family.

[Suzy W]

My gg Grandmother was named Mary, her daughter Mary aged eight, died at sea on the way to NZ, so the next daughter born was named Mary.  (Scottish) 

On another note, On one of my husbands sides, all the males have Joseph for a middle name   Why?  I have no idea, but slowly driving me mad with all the James Joseph's, John Joseph's which were even carried down to the next generation.

Suzy W

[Cell]

Hi,

It is not unique to Scotland. It was a very common practice throughout the whole of the  British isles as it was with other western countries.
It is a very common occurrence in my tree too as like most people's trees

Did you know  Ludwig van Beethoven was given  his dead siblings name?  His older brother lived only 6 days ( they were named after the paternal  grandfather) Vincent van Gogh was also named after his dead brother too ,the list goes on.

Below is an intersting read on google books, which you  maybe interested in 
http://www.rootschat.com/links/0grf/

Kind regards

[clayton bradley]

In the Middle Ages people who rented messuages did so under a system whereby you paid a sum of money on taking up the messuage then a smaller sum each year, known as your fine. You rented for a period of three named lives. Therefore, if you were called John, you might call two children John, in hope that at least one would survive and himself have a son John. By the time of the English Civil War it became much less common to have two live children with the same name. claytonbradley

[Coolbreeze]

Thank You all above for your comments... I find it very interesting... I also have a past relative George who had a wife Maria... George and Maria had 8 children betwen 1846 - 1869... I have a birth certificate and death certificate for Louisa born 1846 and then an Emma passing away 1854. I am almost 100% sure that this is the same person... I have cross-checked with the certifcate(s) in the sense that George and Maria are mentioned on both Certifcates and the date tally up... I have also checked many times to see if this may be a situation regarding twins... But. have never found a Mrriage or Death for louisa and a Birth for Emma... I have found Emma's headstone and this also has Emma on it... The family must of dropped the name Louisa during them eight years of her life. Or prehaps renamed her upon Death... Strange!!!... Emma died in 1854 and in 1860 George and Maria also named their 6th child Emma....

I also have a Montague William he died before his first Birthday and then later his brother William (As Certifcate) was born, But on his Gravestone his name was William Montaugue - Could of known about a brother passing young and took the name out of respect maybe...

Also it seemed common in the family for all the relatives in my Grandfathers generation to use there middle names as there forenames... For Example my Grandad was Edgar James... But... He was known as James also Jimmy etc..

Richard

[weste]

Not unique to cetain areas. I 've seen it happen,when they another after the dead child,also if when the child has been named after  a father or grandfather and it dies.

[fairlane]

My Irish catholic grandfather had Joseph in his name as did his three brothers - his four sisters all had Mary!!

Fairlane