I think it depends on the line. Some of my lines had various naming patterns. I am brick walled with my Goff's but I know where they "fit" as there are at least 10 given names used over and over in the same lines.. just have ben unable to find the connection. If it seems they use the same names over and over and if a new given name is introduced you can bet it is from the wife's line. That is a good lead to check out. One of my lines..that's right only one..the Carpenters had no rhyme or reason like most families today in naming children. (it was over 100 years ago that patterns were common) But, there were a few, notably my Benjamin line that used the mother's maiden name as a given or middle name in the next generation. Not all children of course, but weird given names were the result. My great and great-great grandfathers given names were Miner after Phoebe Miner (also some uncles and cousins named Miner) who m. Samuel Clark Benjamin (Clark being his mothers maiden name) Now in my Rhoads/Rhodes line there was a Zadoc Lewis Rhodes/Rhoads (scribes in the Rev. War changed the surname spelling for this line) No one could ever figure out who his mother was but the name had been given to his son and a nephew, etc. and even one of my uncles (only switched to Lewis Zadoc Powers in his case). It seems many follow only the paternal lines and it does not matter the mother gives 50% of the DNA.. for some it is all about the male surname in genealogy books. So I got to thinking..Lewis is usually how one spell the surname not the given name. So on a hunch I googled Zadoc Lewis and voila !!!.. I found a Lewis line who did mention in their genealogy the daughter of Zadoc Lewis who m. our Jeriah Rhodes/Rhoads and it was the end of that brick wall. So always check these things out. Naming patterns and styles varied from line to line but most families did have some sort of pattern. Sharon