Unusual First Names

[arthurk]

Andrewartha is a Cornish surname.

[BumbleB]

Thank you, arthurk.  Makes sense then using a surname as a forename!!

[coombs]

I have a Parmenas as an ancestor, his dad was a feltmaker in Bermondsey, but he was from the Midlands originally, thanks to his apprenticeship records from 1696. I wonder if Parmenas' mother had a Cornish connection in the family as Parmenas is said to be a Cornish name.

[BumbleB]

Another unusual one - Lemenda.  Not many of them on FreeBMD.

[BumbleB]

And another one which I transcribed today - Ages - birth and death registered in 1869.

BUT then I looked again on FreeBMD for forename "Ages" and there are loads of them 

[DavidG02]

Couple of twigs suggested by a will on my Gibbins/Ward line have seen me chase down a Wright Payne (and yes this family was) who had a Damaris - transcribed on some as Demarius and Demarias etc

I found out Damaris is a female name and is mentioned once only in the Bible - present when Paul of Tarsus preached in Athens ( Acts 17:34)

Ironically she married a Monk

Added: A quick search of this site suggests its less rare than I thought

[Geoff-E]

And another one which I transcribed today - Ages - birth and death registered in 1869.

BUT then I looked again on FreeBMD for forename "Ages" and there are loads of them 

Although there are a small number of similar names to be found in censuses, none of them seem the match the ones in the births on FreeBMD.  I would suspect mistranscription/misspelling somewhere along the line.

[BumbleB]

Geoff-E - yes I think you may be correct in assuming mistranscription sometimes.  I found an Ages Holder registered in 1853 - later an occasional copy A with forename as Agnes on the GRO website. 

[Sloe Gin]

I found out Damaris is a female name and is mentioned once only in the Bible - present when Paul of Tarsus preached in Athens ( Acts 17:34)

It's an uncommon name but familiar to many as Damaris Hayman, who died last year, had a long and prolific career as a character actress.