Just a comment: For the last decade or so I've noticed in this country (USA) that a lot of girls have been given what used to be considered surnames as first names: Hunter, Mackenzie, Lindsay, (Carson as in Carson Cullors, author), Taylor, Bailey, etc., and so it was rather a surprise to find two on on my tree, Gordon Duncan (early 1800s) and Nicholas Montgomery (1791), with surnames as forenames (or what we used to say Christian names). Even for a girl to be named Nicholas in 1791 must have seemed unusual as the original OPR entry was altered from Nicola to Nicholas. Where Gordon Duncan enters the picture, I don't know as her mother Margaret had just a very commonplace name. I am sure some listers have equally distinctive names on their trees. Nicholas Montgomery was born in May 1791 and so she was not named for Saint Nicholas ~ Santa Claus (or the Dutch Sinterklaas), December 6. Maisie

Maisie My 3G grandmother was Nicholas Hyslop b 1805 in Crossmichael, Kirkcudbrightshire. At least 5 female descendants also were Nicholas. I have a Stewart Donnan b 1836 in Wigtonshire and a Hepburn Hamilton born ca 1780 maybe in Ayrshire or Dumfriesshire. Her granddaughter was baptised Hepburn Rae in 1868 but it confusingly became Hebron in later docs, maybe the way it was pronounced. In Aberdeenshire several Gardens (pronounced Garrin!) I find it all fascinating! Kay On 20 Aug 2011, at 19:42, Maisie Egger wrote: > > > Just a comment: > > For the last decade or so I've noticed in this country (USA) that a > lot of girls have been given what used to be considered surnames as > first names: Hunter, Mackenzie, Lindsay, (Carson as in Carson > Cullors, author), Taylor, Bailey, etc., and so it was rather a > surprise to find two on on my tree, Gordon Duncan (early 1800s) and > Nicholas Montgomery (1791), with surnames as forenames (or what we > used to say Christian names). Even for a girl to be named Nicholas > in 1791 must have seemed unusual as the original OPR entry was > altered from Nicola to Nicholas. Where Gordon Duncan enters the > picture, I don't know as her mother Margaret had just a very > commonplace name. > > I am sure some listers have equally distinctive names on their > trees. Nicholas Montgomery was born in May 1791 and so she was not > named for Saint Nicholas ~ Santa Claus (or the Dutch Sinterklaas), > December 6. > > Maisie > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] > with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and > the body of the message Kay McMeekin Ayrshire

Hi I have some females named Nicholas in the south west of Scotland. I have a Maxwell in Glasgow. In East Lothian I have a female with the forename Cunningham. Guess we'll never know what she was called for short. Goes to prove we can't take anything for granted. Maybe nothing new under the son. Cheers Ella Ross Subject: [DUMFRIES-GALLOWAY] Fw: Girls' odd first names > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message