In message <000001c52b10$b3107b00$5ef52a50@pbncomputer>, Mark Ware <ware1973@tiscali.co.uk> writes >Does anybody know where I can find a listing of variations of the same >first name ie. Henry can mean Harry etc.? a few to be going on with: Al is mainly American, but occurs rarely in UK for Albert, C20 Alan, Alexander (which would usually be (late C19) Alick or Alec or for a baby, Allie); Alf = Alfred; Andy is Andrew (occasionally =Drew). Art/ie is Arthurn (rare name except C19+); Abe or Abie, Abram = Abraham; Aggie is Agatha or Agnes - which latter would pre C19 occur as Annis, Annes or Anne; Ally, Ales - Alice; Amy - standalone, or Amelia or Emma Bart or earlier Batt = Bartholomew (a rare name after 1725ish unless reflecting a surname; Bert = Albert, Herbert, Robert, Hubert, Bertram; very rarely, Ethelbert; Becky, Beck = Rebecca Bet, Betty, Betsy, Beth, Bessie - Elizabeth; Bella = Isabel/la; Bill, Billy = William (but much rarer than Will/ie till latish C19; Bob= Robert; Chas. abbrev. Charles; Charlie = Charles; Carrie = Caroline; Cait, Cate = Irish version of Caitlin, Cathleen; Conn, Cornie - Cornelius; Cliff - Clifford (mostly C20); Cisley, Celia, Cecily. Cecilia, Sisley -interchangeable Dan = Daniel (watch out for interchange of Daniel and Donald 9in Scotland), Davy = David; Dick, Dickon, Dix = Richard Dolly = Dorothy (or standalone late C19 or just pretty little girl); rarely for (m) Adolphus; Dot/ty - C20 Dorothy; Daisy - standalone or pet name for Margaret; Dowse, Dulse = Dowsabel, Dulcie (rare, mainly pre 1700 or post 1870 ); Drew = sometimes Andrew, or standalone or - Drury. Dod, rare pet name for George; Eddie (more often Ned) = Edward, Edmund, Edwin, Edwy, interchangeably Eden, Edina = rare feminine form = Edwina before that name was used. Elsie = standalone, from Scots form of Elizabeth Eliza = standalone or = Elizabeth (latin form) Effie, Euphan = Euphemia (mainly Scots till late C19) Ernie = Ernest; Em/Emma/Emmie/Emily/Amelia/Amy -interchangeable Essie, Ettie, Etta - Esther./Hester or Etta short for Henrietta Eneas = Angus, Scots; Egidius/a = (Latin) Giles, m or f. Fanny; Frances (f) and C18 = Francis (m); Frank/ie = Francis Fred/Freddie - Frederick (but watch out for Alfred and Wilfred) Galfridus (latin), Goff (rare C19) and C20 Geoff = Geoffrey (Jeffrey) Geo. Georgie, Geordie, = George; Georgie = Georgina (rare); Gerry,= Gerard, Gerald; Gras, Gray (obs. forms of Grace); Gatty = Agatha or rarely variant of Gerty, Gertrude; Gartrud, (obs,) and Gatharuda (latin) rare forms of Gerturde; Ginny =- Jane (very rarely might be Georgina, Virginia, but those names mostly not in common use, so not abbrev.) Gul, Guli, Gulis = Gulielmus, Latin for William Gualterius, Galter's. Latin for Walter Harry, Hal = Henry; Hattie, Harry = Harriet; Hetty = Henrietta, Hester, Esther; Hick - Richard; Hud (med), Hutch = Hugh; Isa, Izzie, Ishbel = Isabel (mainly mediaeval or Scots at first) Ike, Issy = Isaac Jem, Jemmy, Jim, Gimmie, Jamie (Scots); Jas. abbrev = James; Johnnie, Jno. Johannes.is (Latin), Johes (Lat), Jack , = John (or Jack used as general term for a servant boy); Jonty, Jon = Jonathan Jenny = Jane or Janet (not till C20, Jennifer, except poss in Cornwall or Wales); Jessie is Janet (Scots) or a standalone name from late C19; look out for Jessie as variant spelling of male Jesse; Joe, Jos. = Joseph; Josh= Joshua but Jos and a superscript h is Joseph Jer., Jerry = usually Jeremiah, rarely Gerald/rd unless Irish Kate, Katie = Katherine; more rarely, Kathleen, (mainly irish till C20) Lal, Larry, Lawrie, Laurie, Loll = Lawrence (Lal found once for an Albert) Lew, llew, Llyn = Llewelyn; Lou (rare) Louis Lizzie, Lisa, 'Lizer' = Elizabeth (or standalone name Lizzie C19) Louie, Lulu, 'Lousia' = Louisa; Lotty = Charlotte; Letty = Letitia; Marian = Mary Ann, Marianne; Mally, Molly, Maisie = Mary; Maggie, Margie = Margaret; Marj = Marjory; Minnie = standalone name C19 or Mary Millie = Millicent or Amelia/Emily; Matty = Matilda or Martha; Matthey, Matt, Matty, = Matthew (m) whereas Matthew /Matthey is rarely = Martha; Mikel (med.) Mike, Mick, Micky (C19+) = Michael Manny = Emmanuel, usually Jewish. Meg/gy = Margaret Nan, Nanny, Nancy = Ann; Nettie = Annette, Esther; Noll = Oliver; Nickol, Nich, Nich., Micklis = Nicholas; Nora, standalone C19/20 or = Honora (irish)= also (Irish) Narry, Norry. Nellie - Ellen, Helen, Helena, Eleanor or standalone name late C19 Ozzie = Oswald; Ostin = Austin, Augustine; Ollefer = Oliver Offilis = Theophilus Polly = Mary Ann, Mary (very, very rarely, Apollonia, Pauline and similar v uncommon names): Patty = Martha (not Patricia till late C19, then rare till C20); Paddy - Patrick; Pat, Patsy = Patrick, often Peter; Padraig (Iriah) = Patrick; Pip, Phip, Phil = Philip; rarely Phil = Theophilus. Philipp is often fenmale in C16-17. Peggy - Margaret; Parnel, Petronel -interchangeable Piercy = Percy C19 or cd be female name C17/18 Phillis, Phyllis, Phylida, (rare Felice, Felicia) - interchangeable Ralfe (and Latin Radulphus) = Ralph; Ran/Randall/Rendal/ Rannal variants of Randolph, Randall; Reg/gie = Reginald; Rees/Reece/ Rhys variants; Rose. Rosie/ Rosanna/ Rosetta/ variants: Rosa, Rosamund NB Rosoman may be (m). Rivka (Jewish) = Rebecca Rita; C20 standalone or abbrev. of Margarita Sally = Sarah and standalone; Sarey - Sarah; Sisley = Cicely Sibel, Sibil, Sibylla, (rare Sivill) interchangeable Sim, Simpkin = Simon Shuie, Shugie = Hugh (Scots); Shaun, Shawn, Shon = Sean (Irish), John; Steve, Steff, Stefan(Polish) = Steven, Stephen Tad/Thady = Thaddeus (often Irish); Tit = Letitia Tom. Tommy, Thos. = Thomas; Tim, Timmy, Timmer = Timothy Tony = Antony; Theo = Theodore, Theophilus etc Toby, Thoby, Tobit, Tobias -interchangeable Urian, Vrian = Brian; Unis, Unice, = Eunice (or Unity) Valley = Valentine, (Valura, Vallua found) Wal, Wally, = Walter; Will, Willie, Wiilielmus(Latin) -- Eve McLaughlin Author of the McLaughlin Guides for family historians Secretary Bucks Genealogical Society