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

[cafetiere]

Hi

I have lots of ancestors in Lancashire and have wondered about whether they were Catholic families. There seem to be a lot called Francis in the 18th century and I wondered if this name was much used by non-Catholics. Am I overthinking?

[Erato]

Hmm, is Francis a "Catholic name?"  Is there any such thing as a Catholic name?  What about Francis Drake and Francis Bacon? 

[bearkat]

Francis is a saint's name but not necessarily Catholic.

My great great grandfather was called Francis and he was CofE.

[nanny jan]

Francis appears on a few of my lines; all were CofE.

[cafetiere]

Ah, looks like that 'theory' hasn't got legs 

[Rena]

.... and my gt. grandfather was a European Saxon, his religion was German Lutheran and whose first name was "Franz" = Francis

I've always presumed the parents named a son after Francis of Assisi - the Saint who became associated with patronage of animals and the natural environment.  It became customary for churches to hold ceremonies blessing animals on or near his feast day of 4 October.

[UK4753]

I would think the name Maria or Mary might be common among Catholics, eg. Mary, Queen of Scots.

 

[cafetiere]

I would think the name Maria or Mary might be common among Catholics, eg. Mary, Queen of Scots.

 

Ooo, I've got loads of them. But, I just assumed most British Isles families would have, tbh - Catholic and non-Catholic?.

[clayton bradley]

If you want to know if your ancestors in Lancashire in the 18th century were Catholic, have you used the Returns of Papists for 1767? There are returns for other years, but that is the most detailed and especially in Lancashire. Also, if you look at the Catholic FHS website you may find useful records online. My Catholic ancestor born in 1693 in Church near Accrington was called Abraham, not a name I would have thought of as typically Catholic, but then he was called after his Protestant grandfather. That is another point, that people changed their minds about which church they attended, most often at marriage and you may find closely related people going to different churches.