First Names Martha Matilda

[GAJM1]

My great great grand mother was called the double barrel first names  Martha Matilda she was born in 1846 in Ireland the name was very rare in the area which I find strange why her parents who were very poor Roman Catholic at the time used the name Martha Matilda instead of the usual Irish names. I have done a google and it would appear that using the format Martha Matilda together was very popular in parts of the UK and perhaps the US and further afield. I would like understand why this double barrel format was popular as might help me understand how my 3rd great grand parents might have decided to use it.

[Milliepede]

Can I ask what you mean by a double barrel - is it that both names began with the same letter?

[GAJM1]

Hi no its the fact that they are used together Martha the first name and Matilda the middle name I have found a good few cases online of similar format but don't see explanation why it was very popular to use both together.

[giggsycat]

Hi

Why does it need an explanation? Different names are popular at different times. Perhaps they had heard the combination of names and just liked it! It's no different from someone in Wales calling their son John Joseph.

Giggsy 

[Pheno]

Like the others I am not really understanding what you are questioning.  Are you saying that the person was always referred to as Martha Matilda, rather than just Martha?  I would have thought that was just personal preference.  Did she have a third name?

Pheno

[GAJM1]

They are very rare names especially in Ireland so very different to using John Joseph which are very popular the format of using the names Martha Matilda not that hard to understand is what i was questioning her parents could not read or write so where not exacrly looking up baby name books.

[Pheno]

I think it was probably a case of just hearing names they liked and then using them.  Where did my east end family get the name Hypatia from?

One of my grandmothers was in service as a youngster and several of her children bear the names of the upper class family she was working for e.g. Barrington.

I should think there were plenty of influences on choices of names.

Pheno

[aghadowey]

Not that unusual a combination in Ireland- just go to www.familysearch.org & put 'martha matilda' in as first name and Ireland as place and see how many results come up!

[familyroutes]

Not that unusual a combination in Ireland- just go to www.familysearch.org & put 'martha matilda' in as first name and Ireland as place and see how many results come up!

786,582 results for Name: martha matilda, Event: Birth, Place: ireland....