American Given Names: As Varied as Their Owners

Sometimes we forget that not everyone was called James, John, Joseph, Thomas, and Samuel, or Rachel, Sarah, Mary, or Elizabeth. For the most part, we recognize common nicknames, like Sallie for Sarah or Mattie for Martha. We are equally familiar with Billy for William, Mickey for Michael, or Chet for Chester. But even nicknames from the past can throw us for a loop until we learn that Polly, Molly/Mollie, May/Mae, and Mayme were really Mary and Mattie or Patsy were often Martha.

Dive into the nineteenth century, and you may discover that as your ancestors migrated, they named their children (usually the girls) for the areas in which they lived. In just the last few weeks, the following names have turned up in some personal family research: Indiana Brooks and Indiana Blackburn, Atlanta Brooks Heath, Missouri Adeline Lindsey, Minnesota Dennison, RioGrande Jackson, and America Tevis. America’s brother, Okey Tevis, married Florida Armstrong. Another of her brothers, Tillotson (called “Lot”) married California Vernon (who was nicknamed “Callie.”)

Often given names can have religious significance. Many Catholics gave their children names of saints and popes. Look for names like Athanasius, Benedict, Pius, Fidelmus, and Ignatius, or Celestia and Cecelia as hints that you are researching a Catholic family. 

Some names that don’t make a lot of sense to us actually have their origins in the Bible or in the history of the times in which they were used. Tryphena was of Greek origin and appears in the Bible as “one who labors in the Lord.” Her name has come to mean dainty or delicate. Melancthon (another of the Tevis siblings) was a Greek translation of black earth that was given to an early German Lutheran reformer as a surname. Achsah is a Hebrew name for a girl; in the Bible, she was adorned with an anklet so her name came to mean "adorned."

At times, the letter “Z” was in high fashion for names and you may discover a variety: Zorilla, Zentalene, Zerilda, Zilpha, Zelma, and Zorayda, for example. You will find Native American names, like Pocahontas and Kerrenhappuck, and the melodious, Cinderella, who, hopefully, found her prince. Not much of an explanation, though, for Okra Vernon. Poor guy!

Politicians, historical figures, religious leaders, and military heroes appear in our ancestors’ trees as do an abundance of surnames used as given names. Again, in personal research: Columbus Young, Thomas Jefferson Edwards, Benjamin Franklin Weller and Doctor Franklin Enlow, Thomas Edison Gilliland, Queen Victoria Hawkins, Robert Lee Kennedy, and more George Washingtons than can be counted. Just remember as you do your research to always be flexible, to allow for many variations in spelling, and to expect the unexpected!

More Information Available Online

Many websites have lists of old-fashioned names for modern parents to use in naming babies. The following sites concentrate on the historical:

"Behind the Name: The Etymology and History of First Names," https://www.behindthename.com/

"Traditional Nicknames in Old Documents: A Wiki List," (Scroll down for a “List of Traditional Nicknames in Historic Documents”), FamilySearch Wiki,
https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Traditional_Nicknames_in_Old_Documents_-_A_Wiki_List

“A Listing of Some Nicknames Used in the 18th & 19th Centuries,” University of Connecticut State Library, https://ctstatelibrary.org/access-services/nicknames/

"Given Names, c. 1450–1650," Judith Werner, c. 2009, https://homepages.rootsweb.com/~oel/givennames.html