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ArchivesAssigning Given Names In Colonial America
During pioneer times was there a pattern or custom that parents followed in assigning a given name to the first born son, or to sons in general? In the early 1800's, is it possible to make an educated guess as to the given name of an ancestor by studying the frequency of given names assigned to his male descendants over the following three or four generations? I have reached a dead end in my genealogical research, and I'm looking for meaningful clues to help me bridge the data gap.
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The early 1800s isn't pioneer times (assuming you're discussing the US). It's after the American Revolution and before the US Civil War. Perhaps you're using the wrong search terms, as it's hard it tell what data you're looking for.
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It's very true! In studying my family tree the first son is usually named for his father or paternal gradfather and the first daughter usually is given her mother's name or her maternal grandmother. In my family there was a patern of first sons for several generations named Richard & William from the early 1600's to the late 1700's! :)
It is reasonable to assume that the your ancestor's given name is propably one frequently used by the family but it is hard to tell. In the early 1800's naming became more wider and stretched to people that the parents admired or any name really that they liked! So you kinda have to just asume and go on! :)
It is reasonable to assume that the your ancestor's given name is propably one frequently used by the family but it is hard to tell. In the early 1800's naming became more wider and stretched to people that the parents admired or any name really that they liked! So you kinda have to just asume and go on! :)
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There is nothing that is 100% sure in this as parents in the colonial USA always had complete freedom to name their kids whatever they wanted.
However, in colonial New England it was fairly common for the firstborn son to be named after his father's father; the secondborn son to be named after his mother's father; the thirdborn to be named after the father; and subsequent sons to be named after the father's and mother's brothers. It was also common, however, for parents to reuse the names of older children who died young.
Of course by the early 1800s the USA was no longer "colonial America" and this custom was becoming less common. The early 19th century saw a big increase both in sons named after political and religious figures (Jefferson, Wesley, etc.) and kids given Classical Revival names like Homer and Virgil.
However, in colonial New England it was fairly common for the firstborn son to be named after his father's father; the secondborn son to be named after his mother's father; the thirdborn to be named after the father; and subsequent sons to be named after the father's and mother's brothers. It was also common, however, for parents to reuse the names of older children who died young.
Of course by the early 1800s the USA was no longer "colonial America" and this custom was becoming less common. The early 19th century saw a big increase both in sons named after political and religious figures (Jefferson, Wesley, etc.) and kids given Classical Revival names like Homer and Virgil.
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