Naming Patterns

Many times, during our genealogy research we come across the use of several names over and over making it difficult to keep the families separate. For instance, in England, you may find half the boys named John, William, or Thomas and half the girls named Mary, Elizabeth, Sarah, or Ann. It is not uncommon to find ancestors with several grandchildren with the same name. Lucky are those whose ancestors used unusual names and passed those names down from generation to generation. It was the tradition in many families to give their children the names of other family members, usually in a specific order. This tradition is called naming patterns and is a significant help in our research.

British Naming Conventions from FamilySearch Wiki gives the following example for British naming patterns:

• The first son was named after the paternal grandfather
• The second son was named after the maternal grandfather
• The third son was named after the father
• The fourth son was named after the oldest paternal uncle
• The fifth was named after the second oldest paternal uncle or the oldest maternal uncle

• The first daughter was named after the maternal grandmother
• The second daughter was named after the paternal grandmother
• The third daughter was named after the mother
• The fourth daughter was named after the oldest maternal aunt
• The fifth was named after the second oldest maternal aunt or the oldest paternal aunt

If there was duplication (for example, the paternal grandfather and the father had the same name), then the family moved to the next position on the list.

Many other countries used naming patterns also. FamilySearch Wiki and Google are a good place to search for these lists. It was also common in many countries to use the name of a child that had died for the next child. At first glance, it would seem that the couple named two of their children the same name. When you see this pattern, it is a good heads-up to look at the death records for the death of the first child.

Naming patterns are not absolute. Many used these patterns but not all. Lucky is the researcher whose ancestors used these patterns. But be careful and use naming patterns as a guide because they are not a set of rules that all followed. Given names may be the clue you need to move back to the next generation.