Dear Bill, It all depends on the family. My ancestors in VA and KY nearly all had double given names, from about 1700 on.But some families did not follow that custom. Very often, second names were family names, such as the mother's maiden name, so can be quite helpful. Betty Sullivan ----- Original Message ----- From: William O. Kemp <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, August 03, 2000 12:34 PM Subject: Second Christian Name ?