'Catholic' first names - are they good indicators of Catholic ancestors?

[Joney]

Well, the ones baptised in Liverpool in the 1800s were definitely known by the name recorded in the baptismal register. Family letters and  paperwork still exist. My cousin's father was usually known as 'Jerry' rather than Jeremiah, but any possible Irish  version of the name had been long forgotten.  The family were originally from Cork. My grandmother's  name Esther occurs again in the next generation in my own family. I have a cousin who was baptised Judith.  The point I was making was that Old Testament figures could and can provide names for baptisms in Catholic churches. They are not saints, but respected Biblical figures and I assume this is why they are accepted. My mother was sent rushing from a church to a neighbour's  in the 1930s because the priest had refused to baptise a child 'Cynthia'. The child's mother rapidly decided on Cynthia Patricia, which was accepted as it included the femiinine version of a well-known saint. Esther or Judith would evidently not have caused a problem.

[Maiden Stone]

Joney, sounds like the parish priest from my childhood. He was very old then.
There are a few traditionally Catholic names of post-Reformation saints. Aloysius and Ignatius, Bernadette, Theresa. Older names used by my Irish families from Mayo included Austin (Augustine), Dominick, Bernard, Michael and of course, Bridget and Patrick. Monastic orders were named for Augustine and Dominic. Bernard of Clairvaux was a famous abbot, Benedictines - Cistercians.   

[Joney]

Yes, I  did an A-level History course on the 12th Century Renaissance, put together by an FCJ nun in Liverpool and approved by the JMB. It was quite something, covering the monastic orders, art and architecture, developnents in theology, the political history too, including the Crusades. It awakened a fascination in me that has never died. I am still reading round the period and  trying to get to some of the places mentioned. The same nun taught me in first year secondary. The first thing she said after doing the register was that most of our surnames showed our ancestors were from Ireland and that they had probably arrived as a consequence of the Potato Famine.  I went home and pestered my mother to write down what she knew. It was about 12 years later that I recorded all she said and started work. There is no substitute for a teacher who loves and is enthusiastic about their subject.

[cafetiere]

The first thing she said after doing the register was that most of our surnames showed our ancestors were from Ireland and that they had probably arrived as a consequence of the Potato Famine.

I'm glad this thread is still going and has developed into an interesting discussion. Joney's comment sounded just like my history teacher (nun), I'm almost wondering if we went to the same school

[sonofthom]

My great grandfather's first name was Patrick, a sure indicator in Scotland that he was Catholic. However he and all of our family were Church of Scotland! Historically the names Patrick and Peter were interchangeable in Scootland so although christened Patrick my great grandfather was usually known as Peter. I think that Patrick, an old Scottish name, probably fell into disfavour with the waves of Irish Catholic immigration into Scotland where the many Irish Patricks resulted in the name being associated with Catholicism. Just shows you that you should be wary of making assumptions about names.

Similarly Daniel was an old name in our family and it tends to be associated with being Catholic in Scotland although perhaps not quite as rigidly as Patrick. Interstingly Daniel and Donald were interchangeable names in Scotland so my most recent Daniel was actually christened Donald!

Confusing!

[melba_schmelba]

My great grandfather's first name was Patrick, a sure indicator in Scotland that he was Catholic. However he and all of our family were Church of Scotland! Historically the names Patrick and Peter were interchangeable in Scootland so although christened Patrick my great grandfather was usually known as Peter. I think that Patrick, an old Scottish name, probably fell into disfavour with the waves of Irish Catholic immigration into Scotland where the many Irish Patricks resulted in the name being associated with Catholicism. Just shows you that you should be wary of making assumptions about names.

Similarly Daniel was an old name in our family and it tends to be associated with being Catholic in Scotland although perhaps not quite as rigidly as Patrick. Interstingly Daniel and Donald were interchangeable names in Scotland so my most recent Daniel was actually christened Donald!

Confusing!

I think it was simply due to confusion, as one of the Gaelic forms of Patrick was Pátair

Just found this....
http://medievalscotland.org/problem/names/padraig.shtml


Quote from above: 
 "In modern Scottish Gaelic, Patrick exists in several forms: Pádruig, Páruig, Para, and Pádair or Pátair. This last form led to confusion with English Peter, and the two names were often treated as equivalent in the 18th and 19th centuries ".

[Maiden Stone]

Peter has been an important name in one of my Irish families for 200 years and 5 generations. I have cousins and 1st cousins-once-removed called Peter on both sides of Irish Sea. A Peter in Ireland has a brother Patrick. We call one brother by the English name and one by the Irish.  One Peter had unofficial middle name Francis, possibly added at Baptism or Confirmation. Family history revealed that I had a great uncle Patrick. None of his many nephews had Patrick as first name although one had it as middle name, again probably added at church as it's not on birth registration.

[clayton bradley]

Quote from Joney Yes, I  did an A-level History course on the 12th Century Renaissance, put together by an FCJ nun in Liverpool and approved by the JMB. It was quite something, covering the monastic orders, art and architecture, developnents in theology, the political history too, including the Crusades. It awakened a fascination in me that has never died. I am still reading round the period and  trying to get to some of the places mentioned. The same nun taught me in first year secondary. Quote

Joney, that sounds like Sister Cecily at Bellerive. I remember her doing an A-level of her own devising on Abelard and Heloise.

[Joney]

That's the lady ! I did my A levels in 1972.