This is a reply within a larger thread: view the whole thread

Re: Origin ???
There are only two people named Risify listed in the UK. One was born in England in Brentford district in 1856 and baptised in a non-conformist church in Bristol two years later. The second, who shared her married name and was probably named after her (a niece, I think), was born in 1901 in Watford district, where the first Risify was married. So, it's a name specific to this particular family, with only two instances, and therefore it's very likely that the only people who could have told you what it meant and where it came from are the people who named her. But further research into the family may give you an answer.There are a few possibilities:
1) it's an unusual or foreign family surname, and the clerks recording it guessed at a spelling, which the family then used
2) it's a name that the parents heard somewhere, but didn't get quite right (although I can't think of anything similar!)
3) it's a name they made up because they liked the sound of it, or because it had a specific meaning for them
4) it's just possible that it's an invented pet or childhood form of Elizabeth, the mother's own name.Good luck with your researches! It's an interesting puzzle.
vote up1vote down

No replies