Donna, This doesn't answer your question....... but my thoughts are that we should give the Irish credit for changing formal names to those nicknames that we can't understand. Another example .....changing Martha to "Patsy"........ Martha often became known as "Molly" and Margaret was called "Peggy." Sarah was called "Sukey" and Ann, Anna or Agnes became "Nancy." Was Nancy ever a formal name? M. J. Moore > Can anyone tell me why women named Mary were called Polly or women named > Polly called Mary. Which came first? How do they connect? > I understand nicknames like Anthony called Tony or Elizabeth called Beth, > but I just don't get the Mary/Polly connection. I have seen it in my > family > tree several times and numerous times in reading other genealogies. I know > it's trivial but can anyone help solve this puzzle for me? > Donna Simons > Travelstead/Merrell/Springs/Adams/Cobb