Author Topic: Unusual First Names  (Read 124985 times)

Offline Just Kia

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Unusual First Names
« on: Tuesday 29 July 08 18:03 BST (UK) »
What is the most unusual first names (real, not mistranscriptions) you have come across in your trees?

I've got the following - some of these are not direct lineage but from marriages of siblings as well.
Delyth (F)
Deveraux (M)
Enoch (M)
Greenwood (M)
Israel (M)
Jabez (M)
Japhet/Japhot (M)
Kerenhappuch (F)
Peridreau (M)
Salome (F)
Temperence (F)
WIMBUSH - Everywhere :: MARLOW/JECOCK/JUSTICE - Northamptonshire/Warwickshire/Oxfordshire :: SCALES/BRIDGES/ENGLISH/SPINK/PETCH/GOOCH/COCKSEDGE - Suffolk :: GARRETT/GIBBS/FEARN - Warwickshire :: DEVOS - Scotland (Aberdeen)/France(Dunkerque) :: MURRAY - Ireland(Down)/Scotland(Lochs) :: TIGHE/TREACY - Cork

Stanley Charles SCALES b.1899 - Where are you?    ***   

Offline meles

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Re: Unusual First Names
« Reply #1 on: Tuesday 29 July 08 18:09 BST (UK) »
Enoch, Israel, Jabez, Japhet/Japhot and Kerenhappuch are Jewish names and not that unusual.

Salome - poor lass! One of those "it sounded nice" but the original was not that nice.

I have in my tree sisters Temperence, Prudence, Chastity and Charity. One does not like to ask, but Chastity had 7 children...  ;)

meles
Brock: Alburgh, Norfolk, and after 1850, London; Tooley: Norfolk<br />Grimmer: Norfolk; Grimson: Norfolk<br />Harrison: London; Pollock<br />Dixon: Hampshire; Collins: Middx<br />Jeary: Norfolk; Davison: Norfolk<br />Rogers: London; Bartlett: London<br />Drew: Kent; Alden: Hants<br />Gamble: Yorkshire; Huntingford: East London

Census information is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline Just Kia

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Re: Unusual First Names
« Reply #2 on: Tuesday 29 July 08 18:12 BST (UK) »
Enoch, Israel, Jabez, Japhet/Japhot and Kerenhappuch are Jewish names and not that unusual.
I'm fairly certain that they weren't Jewish people (not that that means anything, I know), is it likely that they heard the names and liked them?

Edited to add:

Salome - poor lass! One of those "it sounded nice" but the original was not that nice.
Interestingly - "In Christian mythology, Salome was the daughter of Herodias and stepdaughter of Herod Antipas, ruler of Galilee in Palestine." Is Salome possibly also a Jewish name?
That said they aren't all from the same branch by any shot of the imagination.
WIMBUSH - Everywhere :: MARLOW/JECOCK/JUSTICE - Northamptonshire/Warwickshire/Oxfordshire :: SCALES/BRIDGES/ENGLISH/SPINK/PETCH/GOOCH/COCKSEDGE - Suffolk :: GARRETT/GIBBS/FEARN - Warwickshire :: DEVOS - Scotland (Aberdeen)/France(Dunkerque) :: MURRAY - Ireland(Down)/Scotland(Lochs) :: TIGHE/TREACY - Cork

Stanley Charles SCALES b.1899 - Where are you?    ***   

Offline meles

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Re: Unusual First Names
« Reply #3 on: Tuesday 29 July 08 18:17 BST (UK) »
Oh, yes! I have all those names in my tree (except Israel), but no Jewish connections that I've found. Indeed, they are all non-conformists - and therefore likely to choose names from the Old Testament.

meles
Brock: Alburgh, Norfolk, and after 1850, London; Tooley: Norfolk<br />Grimmer: Norfolk; Grimson: Norfolk<br />Harrison: London; Pollock<br />Dixon: Hampshire; Collins: Middx<br />Jeary: Norfolk; Davison: Norfolk<br />Rogers: London; Bartlett: London<br />Drew: Kent; Alden: Hants<br />Gamble: Yorkshire; Huntingford: East London

Census information is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk


Offline aghadowey

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Re: Unusual First Names
« Reply #4 on: Tuesday 29 July 08 18:21 BST (UK) »
The names were probably taken from the Bible and doesn't mean that the family would have been Jewish. My grandfather's family were German- his father was Elias (German form of Elijah) and siblings were Israel, Rebekah (the Hebrew spelling of Rebecca), Abraham, Susannah, Mariah.
Away sorting out DNA matches... I may be gone for some time many years!

Offline meles

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Re: Unusual First Names
« Reply #5 on: Tuesday 29 July 08 18:21 BST (UK) »
Salome was a Bad Girl who came to a Bad End.   ;) Not a Jewish name, but in the NT.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salome

meles
Brock: Alburgh, Norfolk, and after 1850, London; Tooley: Norfolk<br />Grimmer: Norfolk; Grimson: Norfolk<br />Harrison: London; Pollock<br />Dixon: Hampshire; Collins: Middx<br />Jeary: Norfolk; Davison: Norfolk<br />Rogers: London; Bartlett: London<br />Drew: Kent; Alden: Hants<br />Gamble: Yorkshire; Huntingford: East London

Census information is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline aghadowey

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Re: Unusual First Names
« Reply #6 on: Tuesday 29 July 08 18:30 BST (UK) »
One English family in my ancestry has some lovely old names:

Bethiah, Charity, Experience, Susannah, Elizabeth, Sarah, Hannah, Lillis, Patience, Lettis, Penelope, Roby (not Ruby), Hopestill, Abigail, Christian, Philana, Sibyl, Phebe, Ruhama, Lydia...

Jonathan, Noah, Samuel, John, Levi, Isaac, Nathan, Seth, Peleg, Barnabus, Caleb, Simeon, Benjamin, Perry, Israel, Amos, Benanuel, Zephaniah, Jara...

Most of the names have a Biblical connection, some are popular at the moment.
Away sorting out DNA matches... I may be gone for some time many years!

Offline wildtech

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Re: Unusual First Names
« Reply #7 on: Tuesday 29 July 08 18:33 BST (UK) »
As already said a lot of those names are Biblical.  And yes Salome was a bad girl - think 7 veils and the head of John The Baptist.

Delyth is of Welsh origin

In my own tree I have a Temperance(f)
 as middle names I have Cannon(f) Mercy(f) Fulfore(m)

Just noticed ahgadowey's post
My son is called Jonathan John Isaac - all biblical and 'translates' as The Gift of a Gracious God has made us laugh.
Wild, Weekly, MDX and BKM
Rayner, BKM
Smith, NTH and ESS

Offline nanny jan

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Re: Unusual First Names
« Reply #8 on: Tuesday 29 July 08 19:08 BST (UK) »


Hamutal (female) and Marmaduke (male)



Knee-deep in Williams, Elizabeths, Georges............


Nanny Jan
Howard , Viney , Kingsman, Pain/e, Rainer/ Rayner, Barham, George, Wakeling (Catherine), Vicary (Frederick)   all LDN area/suburbs  Ottley/ MDX,
Henman/ KNT   Gandy/LDN before 1830  Burgess/LDN
Barham/SFK   Rainer/CAN (Toronto) Gillians/CAN  Sturgeon/CAN (Vancouver)
Bailey/LDN Page/KNT   Paling/WA (var)



All census look-ups are crown copyright from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk