Patronymics Patterns

[Neil_A]

Hi all

Looking for help on whether a particular naming pattern was conventional in Caernarvonshire in the 19th century? Whether unique to area, family, or whether names adopted varied from one person to the next!

My family was based in Aberdaron in the early 19th century. All the children appeared to adopt the given surname of their father in this instance William Evans except what could be the first son born who seems to be named Evan Williams. Is it because he was firstborn or just personal taste (as there are plenty of Evan Evans at the time?

Many thanks

Neil

[Talacharn]

I assume when you say early 1800s it is before registrations and a baptism entry. It could be a mistake with the vicar getting the names the wrong way around. The parent offering the name may not have understood the questions. At the time most could not read or write. When named in a census was he Evans or Williams?

[Raybistre]

Patronymics were in use until well into the 19th century in the far west of the north of Wales, i.e. Aberdaron. I would say personal preference or local custom. If lots of people with the same forename, a person might take their father's forename or second name to differentiate them from another. It was never a rule at this time, it was just the name they were known by.
Ray

[nestagj]

We had family both in Merionethshire and Caernarfonshire in the early 19th century and found that they occasionally used patronymics and occasionally didn’t … even the same members .   I have for example Elliw Howell who married as Elliw Jones but who was with a Howell male as a servant just before she married. I couldn’t trace her back until I finally got her  their marriage cert when I saw that her name was actually Ellie Jones also known as Howell and her father was John Howell when I started looking at the census’ sometimes johns children were called Howell and sometimes called Jones , no logic at all.  Do not rely on the paperwork you have to use a good bit of speculation and any other info you can get
Nesta

[Mair]

Two families one on Lleyn not much patronymics but as for the one from Nantle/through Llanberis to Bethesda I can see a forename pattern through to mid C19th.  Don't rely on official records - written for the English by English recorders who were used to fixed surnames. There's no rule as such to use, just family tradition. You could tell which generation's Robert you were referring to by using the surname as we use jnr snr.  Mair