> These were taken fron the Daily News > "TURNING PAPER INTO PEOPLE," PART XI, FAMILY > http://www.ancestry.com/dailynews/09_23_99.htm#4 > This article addresses your ancestry in the context of family. > > > Naming Patterns > > Our ancestors often used the following naming pattern when selecting a > name for a new child. This explains why certain names are very common > in a family line. Watching for these patterns can help in your > genealogy research. > > Naming pattern: > > 1st son = father's father > > 2nd son = mother's father > > 3 rd son = father > > 4th son = father's oldest brother > > 5th son = father's second oldest brother or mother's eldest brother > > 1st daughter = mother's mother > > 2nd daughter = father's mother > > 3rd daughter = mother > > 4th daughter = mother's oldest sister > > 5th daughter = mother's second oldest sister or father's oldest sister > > It is also common to use: > the mother's maiden name as a second name; > the surname of close friends as a second name; > give another child exactly the same name as a previous child who had > died; or > give a child the name of a relative or friend who had recently died. > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------- -- > ---------- > > Scottish Naming patterns.... > > An understanding of naming patterns can be very helpful in tracing > ones ancestry. > > > Many Scotts families follow the custom of naming their children after > the grandparents in the following manner. > > First born son named for the paternal grandfather. > > > Second son named for the maternal grandfather. > > > Third son named for the father. > > > First born daughter for the paternal grandmother. > > > Second daughter for the maternal grandmother. > > > Third daughter for the mother. > > > This can cause families to have two children with the same name if the > grandparents had the same name. The process also started over if the > parent remarried, so it is common to find half brothers or sisters > with the same names. Not all Scotts families followed this pattern, > but many that did continued it long after leaving Scotland. > > Another way families end up with more than one child with the same > name is through high child mortality. Before modern medicine fewer > children survived to adulthood. Parents often reused the name of a > dead child for the next child born. > _____________________________________________________ > COLONIAL NAMING CUSTOMS > > "The trend of History is often reflected in the very names borne by > the men and women who played a part in it", according to Donald Lines > Jacobus, often considered the father of American genealogy. The > history of given (first) names in early America offers a glimpse at > our > forebears and their customs, as well as clues to their origins. > > New England's first settlers bore names of three different types: > those of English origin, those of Hebrew derivation, and those > intended > to have a moral significance. Old English names, connected with the > Church of England, were not often favored by the Puritans. Puritans > named their children somewhat differently than other English-speaking > settlers, preferring Biblical names. Evidently, some parents shut > their eyes, opened the Bible, and pointed to a word at random--what > else could account for a child being named Notwithstanding or Maybe? > The early Massachusetts Brewster family had two sons, Love and > Wrestling, and two daughters named Patience and Fear. The names > Humility, Desire, Hate-evil, and Faint-not also appeared in the > region. > > Other New England onomastic Practices included obscure references > and names that commemorated an occasion--such as Oceanus Hopkins, who > was born on the Mayflower in 1620. Early settlers seemed to favor > names for their associated moral qualities. Among girls' names, > which were no doubt intended to incite their bearers to lead godly > lives, were: Content, Lowly, Mindwell, Obedience, Patience, Silence, > Charity, Mercy, Comfort, Delight and Thankful. In many families, the > first names of the father and mother were given to the first-born son > > and daughter, respectively. > > In the Massachusetts Bay Colony, 53 percent of all females were > named Mary, Elizabeth, or Sarah. Other popular girls' names were > Rebecca, Ruth, Anne, Hannah, Deborah, Huldah, Abigail, and Rachel. > Meanwhile, prevalent boys' names included John, Joseph, Samuel, > Josiah, Benjamin, Jonathan, and Nathan. > > In Virginia, Biblical references were less common. Early settlers > often named sons for Teutonic warriors, Frankish knights, and English > kings. Favorites included William, Robert, Richard, Edward, George, > and Charles. Daughters received name of Christian saints and > traditional English folk names, such as Margaret, Jane, Catherine, > Frances, and Alice, along with English favorites Mary, Elizabeth, > Anne, and Sarah. First-born children were named for their > grandparents, and second-born for their parents. > > A popular custom in both Virginia and New England was the use of > surnames as given names. This occurred mostly with boys, but it was > not unknown for girls. Some names were also chosen for their magical > properties, and astrologers were consulted in attempt to find a > "fortunate" or "lucky" name. > > Among Quakers in Colonial Pennsylvania and Delaware, babies went > through a ritual called nomination. An infant's name was carefully > selected by the parents, certified by friends, witnessed by neighbors, > and then entered in the register of the meeting. First-born children > were named after grandparents, honoring maternal and paternal lines > evenly, often with an eldest son named after his mother's father and > an eldest daughter after her father's mother. While this practice > was not universal among Quaker families, it was common in the Delaware > Valley. Many names came from the Bible, with favorites for boys being > John, Joseph, Samuel, Thomas, William, and George; and for girls, > Mary, Elizabeth, Sarah, Anne/Anna/Hannah, and Esther/Hester. Also > popular among the Quakers was Phebe, which rarely appeared in New > England or the South. They also favored the names Patience, Grace, > Mercy, and Chastity. One family's eight children were named Remember, > John, Restore, Freedom, Increase, Jacob, Preserve, and Israel. > > Naming patterns differed in the "back country" of early America, > which was heavily populated by Scotch-Irish as well as German, > Scandinavian, Irish, Scottish, French, and Dutch families. In these > rural areas, many given names were "Americanized," making it difficult > for genealogists to identify a family's ethnic origins. As a general > rule, the patterns included a mixture of Biblical, Teutonic, and > saints' names. Among the most popular given names for boys were: > John, Robert, Richard, Andrew, Patrick, and David. Celtic names such > as Ewan (and variants Ewen and Owen), Barry, and Roy were often used, > as were Archibald, Ronald, Alexander, Charles, James, Wallace, Bruce, > Percy, Ross, and Clyde. Again, eldest sons were often named after > their grandfathers, and second or third sons after their fathers-- > similar to patterns found in early tidewater Chesapeake families. > > One peculiar naming pattern found among the back-country settlers > was the one bestowing unusual--sometimes made-up--given names. From > an early date, these rugged pioneers cultivated a spirit of onomastic > individualism, a spirit still found today in this country as parents > search for a special, perhaps unique, name for their baby. Others > prefer to select a name from their family tree that has been passed > along for generations. > .................................by Myra Vanderpool Gormley > > ______________________________________________________ > Colonial Homes, Naming Patterns > > > In 18th & 19th Century Britain families generally tended to name their > children in a specific pattern as follows: > Males > First-born Son - father's father > > > Second-born Son - mother's father > > Third-born Son - father > > Fourth-born Son - father's eldest brother > > Fifth-born Son - father's 2nd oldest brother or mother's oldest > brother > > Females > First-born Daughter - mother's mother > > > Second-born Daughter - father's mother > > Third-born Daughter - mother > > Fourth-born Daughter - mother's eldest sister > > Fifth-born Daughter - mother's 2nd oldest sister or father's oldest > sister > ____________________________________________________ > > Surnames & Naming patterns > > > In Scotland - as in the rest of Western Europe - there were four main > ways of acquiring a surname:- > > Patronymic - taking the father's Christian name e.g. Robertson > > Occupation - e.g. Smith (the most common surname of all) > > Locality - e.g. Wood > > Nickname - e.g. White, Little. > > Patronymics - Lowland names such as Wilson, Robertson, Thomson and > Johnson are among the most common surnames in Scotland. 'Mac' names > are also patronymic. MacManus - son of Magnus. 'Mc' is just a > printer's contraction and has no significance as to etymology. > > Occupation - Names which are derived from trades and occupations - > mostly found in towns. The most common of these is Smith (the most > common surname in Scotland, England and the USA) but other examples > would be Taylor (tailor) Baxter (baker) and Cooper (barrel maker). > > Locality - In Scotland the tendency is for people to be named after > places (in England the tendency is the opposite). Examples of such > names are Morton, Lauder, Menzies and Galloway. > > Nickname - Names which could refer to colour or size, e.g. White, > Black, Small, Little. Scottish names in this category include Campbell > (meaning 'crooked mouth'). Another example of nickname - this time > referring to the bearers origins - is Scott. > > > > Naming patterns > > People of all countries tend to use forenames which run in the family. > In Scotland families not only use such names but they tend to follow > naming patterns - the most common of which is:- > > 1st son - named after his paternal grandfather > > 2nd son - named after his maternal grandfather > > 3rd son - named after his father > > 1st daughter - named after her maternal grandmother > > 2nd daughter - named after her paternal grandmother > > 3rd daughter - named after her mother > > Although this naming pattern was not always used, it can be a useful > indication to genealogists. Unfortunately, this pattern is not used to > the same extent today. > > > > Origins of some Scottish surnames > > Fraser - Originally De Frisselle, de Freseliere or De Fresel. The > first recorded bearer of the name was Sir Simon Frasee who held lands > in East Lothian. Fortunate marriages enabled the family to acquire > lands all over Scotland. By such means they acquired Philorth in > Buchan in 1375 - this became the chief seat of the Frasers. The family > was raised to the peerage in the person of the first Lord Lovat. To > the Gaels the chief of the Frasers is known as MacShimidh - 'son of > Simon'. > > Bruce - A locality name from Normandy - Brix near Cherbourg. The first > recorded bearer of the name accompanied William the Conqueror and the > second accompanied King David to Scotland to claim the throne. This > was the family which produced Robert the Bruce and, although the royal > line died out in 1314, the name Bruce is today among the hundred > commonest Scottish surnames. > > Robertson - a patronymic name. The first bearer of the name was > Robert, grandson of Duncan the Fat (Donnchadh Reamhar). The family > acquired lands in the central Highlands. However, the commonality of > the name in Scotland can only be explained, not by any connection to > the original family, but by the large number of people who adopted the > name because it was their fathers' forename. In Gaelic the clan > continues to be called Clann Donnacha - Duncan's children - from their > descent from Duncan the Fat. > > Stewart - an occupational name. It comes from the office of steward > which was a position of importance under the Crown. Among alternative > spellings of the name are Stuart and Steward. Mary, Queen of Scots > favoured the spelling Stuart as there is no 'W' in the French > language. To the Gaels the Stewarts are known as 'the race of Kings > and Tinkers'. > > If you would like to know more about your surname contact > jeanmoore@ednet.co.uk > > >