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Traditional Naming of Children

PostPosted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 8:21 am
by mumbles
Traditional naming patterns
English, Scottish and Irish in 18th Century often named children by following a simple set of rules:

1st son named after Paternal Grandfather father
2nd son named after Maternal Grandfather
3rd son named after his father
4th son named after his father's older brother
1st daughter named after Maternal Grandmother
2nd daughter named after father's mother
3rd daughter named after mother
4th daughter named after her mother's older sister

This can be a useful tool in research but gradually disappeared towards end of 18th Century and can be confusing in small communities when lots of families with same Christian names and all related