I have previously read articles like this one about the typical naming pattern. My greatgrandfather (born about 1832) also had a middle name and nearly always used both first and middle names on documents after coming to the USA from Ireland. Can anyone shed any light as to the significance of a middle name? George Bergen From: colette o rorke <cmcororke@hotmail.com> To: dublin tracing your roots <irl-dublin@rootsweb.com>, Kildare Rootsweb <irl-kildare@rootsweb.com>, Laoise rootsweb <irl-laois-l@rootsweb.com> Date sent: Wed, 28 Dec 2011 23:03:20 +0000 Subject: [LAOIS] IRISH TRADITIONAL NAMING PATTERN Send reply to: irl-laois@rootsweb.com [ Double-click this line for list subscription options ] This is the link to an interesting article on Findmypast.ie on the above subject http://blog.findmypast.ie/2011/11/traditional-irish-naming-pattern/ Colette ========IRL-LAOIS Mailing List======== Leix/Laois websites: http://www.connorsgenealogy.com/Leix/ http://www.igp-web.com/laois/index.htm Add your Leix/Laois surname to the Surname Registry. Please send all messages using PLAIN TEXT; for assistance see: http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/listadmins/plaintext.html ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to IRL-LAOIS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Middle names were sometimes either the mother's maiden name or the father's first name. In my Irish family where there were lots of Johns who were cousins, their father's first name was commonly a middle name. So John William's father was Wm, John Thomas's middle name was Thomas, etc. My grandfather was named George, after his father as he was the third son; his middle name was that of a cousin of his mother's who was a near neighbour, so that didn't fit either of the above! ----- Original Message ----- From: "George Bergen" <bergeng@sbcglobal.net> To: "colette o rorke" <cmcororke@hotmail.com>; <irl-laois@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, December 30, 2011 9:38 AM Subject: Re: [LAOIS] IRISH TRADITIONAL NAMING PATTERN >I have previously read articles like this one about the typical naming >pattern. My > greatgrandfather (born about 1832) also had a middle name and nearly > always used both > first and middle names on documents after coming to the USA from Ireland. > Can anyone > shed any light as to the significance of a middle name? > George Bergen > From: colette o rorke <cmcororke@hotmail.com> > To: dublin tracing your roots <irl-dublin@rootsweb.com>, > Kildare Rootsweb > <irl-kildare@rootsweb.com>, > Laoise rootsweb <irl-laois-l@rootsweb.com> > Date sent: Wed, 28 Dec 2011 23:03:20 +0000 > Subject: [LAOIS] IRISH TRADITIONAL NAMING PATTERN > Send reply to: irl-laois@rootsweb.com > > [ Double-click this line for list subscription options ] > > > This is the link to an interesting article on Findmypast.ie on the above > subject > http://blog.findmypast.ie/2011/11/traditional-irish-naming-pattern/ > > Colette > ========IRL-LAOIS Mailing List======== > Leix/Laois websites: > http://www.connorsgenealogy.com/Leix/ > http://www.igp-web.com/laois/index.htm > Add your Leix/Laois surname to the Surname Registry. > Please send all messages using PLAIN TEXT; for assistance see: > http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/listadmins/plaintext.html > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > IRL-LAOIS-request@rootsweb.com > with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body > of the message > ========IRL-LAOIS Mailing List======== > Leix/Laois websites: > http://www.connorsgenealogy.com/Leix/ > http://www.igp-web.com/laois/index.htm > Add your Leix/Laois surname to the Surname Registry. > Please send all messages using PLAIN TEXT; for assistance see: > http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/listadmins/plaintext.html > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > IRL-LAOIS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >