I'm hardly an expert on naming patterns, but one thing to keep in mind is that our ancestors were people just like us. Unfortunately, they too sometimes fell prey to ulterior motives and family squabbles, just as we do today. A son who disliked his own father might chose a name to spite his dad, Or if there were a wealthy relative somewhere in the family (particularly one without children) perhaps a child named after that relative would stand a good chance of inheritance. I think it's probably not safe to assume folks would automatically adhere to naming patterns from the "old country". Ed