Tracing distinctive first names and middle names

[radstockjeff]

I have often wondered why my dad was christened Idris. In the year in which he was born there were more than 100 registered names of Idris , most of which were in South Wales. Born in 1908 in Midsomer Norton in Somerset, there were no family links with Wales  as far as I can ascertain, and certainly none of his predecssors in the various families had the name so why would his parents have given him that name?

[Drewt]

My great-great-grandparents George Train (b. South Shields, 1840) and Isabella Johnson (b. Newcastle, 1842) named one of their children Charles Bailey Train (b. Seaham Harbour, 1870). His brother, my great-grandfather, Samuel Train (b. Hartlepool, 1883) also named one of his children Charles Bailey Train. The middle name Bailey does not appear to come down through the Train line (pun intended!), so I think it must be related to Isabella Johnson's family. The main problem is that the 1851 census shows her siblings' names and the father's name, Thomas Johnson (b. Heworth, Durham, 1811), but no mother's name. In the 1861 census, Thomas Johnson has a new wife. So, I'm still searching for this mysterious person named Bailey!

[Marmalady]

My other mystery about family names is why my grandmother, her sister and her brother all named their first child "Trevor Douglas"

The Trevor we can account for, as it was the middle name of the brother - and the name he was known by in the family.

But we cannot account for the Douglas at all -- no other instances of Douglas either as a forename or surname anywhere in the family

[collin]

I wasn't relishing tracing my mothers family as we thought they were from Ireland but they were easy with bible names like Hamutol, Solomon & Darius. Turned out that when Great grandad & his brothers were drunk & carousing Great grannie would remark
The Staffordshire Irish!!

[GrahamSimons]

Just blundered into the wonderful name of Ezekiel Athanasius Rouse... had to share!

Great-grandfather was an admirer of Robert Cobden, both of them being strong Liberals. My great-uncle was born on the day of Cobden's death and was named Robert John Richard Cobden Simons.

[ReadyDale]

Today I discovered a prospective Gt.gt.Aunt...Titsey Caractacus Allen.
She became Prescott in time for her baptism, when her mother married.
She herself later married and became.......Titsey Caractacus Crapps 

[GrahamSimons]

Today I discovered a prospective Gt.gt.Aunt...Titsey Caractacus Allen.
She became Prescott in time for her baptism, when her mother married.
She herself later married and became.......Titsey Caractacus Crapps 

You couldn't make it up!

[jaybelnz]

I think it would make a wonderful new verse in

"The Ladies of the Harem of the Court of King Caractacus"!   

[Rosinish]

Have had a giggle at some of the names I must admit.

However, as we do in this era, I guess chosen names were of people the parents admired whether on the "Wireless"...no tv then or signifigant people.

My daughter's name has no bearing on any family at all.

Her name name was chosen from........

A friend of mine at the time, her partner was cheating on her.....she told me the girls name & it was beautiful (her name wasn't beautiful)  but I told my friend if I ever had a daughter that is what I would call her.

Yes, I did have my daughter a couple of yrs later & called my workplace to tell them the news.
My friend then informed them what my daughter would be called & no-one could understand why she knew......she hadn't told them of the reason (out of embarrasment) but everyone was surprised as my daughter's name is somewhat unusual for the period although I have heard/seen it since but not with the same spelling 

Annie