A Rose by Any Other Name
Researching and writing
about given names
W13 CONTENT
Most genealogists know little about their ancestors' given names, especially how common the common names were and how uncommon the other names were. For example, the most common twelve-to-eighteen names were often carried by around 90% of the population.
This "course" will include any lessons I prepare on given-name research and writing. Currently, they can only be accessed by Annual Members as part of the A Helpful Miscellany series.
LESSON 1
British and Irish Given Names
Have you noticed that the given names of our eighteenth and nineteenth century British ancestors were drawn from a surprisingly small pool? But how small a pool? How common were our ancestors’ given names?
John for example was carried by one in every five English males. The four most popular male names were carried by one in every two males. And the top thirteen male names were carried by 87% of the male population indicating that all of the other male names in use at the time were together borne by only 13% of the population. That being the case, the usual popularity lists found on the internet – those that record the top 10, 20, 50 names – are unhelpful unless they provide frequency statistics.
This seminar focuses on given name popularities, changes in popularity, and the reasons for such changes. It also covers spelling variants, abbreviations and diminutives. For example, if you don’t know that Polly was a diminutive of Mary or that Nellie was a diminutive of Ellen and Eleanor and Helen, you may struggle to find your ancestors’ entries.
Our ancestors’ names provide the gateway into tracing our family history. Learning more about their names may prove useful in determining their ancestry or finding other family connections.
Lesson type: Researching
Video duration: 63 minutes
Handout: Yes
Published: 2022
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