Would anyone on the list know what the name Betsy is short for, I was thinking maybe Elizabeth. I have a marriage cert and Betsy Lonergan is one of the witnesses. Thanks. Julie

<Juliegydglais@aol.com> wrote : > Would anyone on the list know what the name Betsy is short for, I was > thinking maybe Elizabeth. > > I have a marriage cert and Betsy Lonergan is one of the witnesses. Betsy is usually a pet name for Elizabeth, but can also be a name in it's own right. If it was used as the name of a witness it may well have been her 'real' name, i.e. the name she was most definitely known by, rather than being any pet name. John B Leic., Eng

Julie Betsy is indeed a diminutive for Elizabeth in the U.S. But in Ireland you might also want to consider a "Bridget." This name attracted a long, long list of diminutives: Bridie, Bridgey, Beesy, Biddy, etc., etc., etc.! I have an Aunt who was baptized Bridget but who never used that name. Instead she was given a nickname at birth (a common Irish practice) and was called "Bird." Transliterated by American pronunciation, Bird became "Bert." By the 1910 US Census, she became listed as "Bertha" and that name remained with her the rest of her life. Hope this helps. Rosemary > Would anyone on the list know what the name Betsy is short for, I was > thinking maybe Elizabeth. I have a marriage cert and Betsy Lonergan is one > of the witnesses.