Naming two children in the same family with the same name

[anniedwyer84]

I have this in my maternal great-great grandparents family at the moment...they had 17 children that I know of and three of the children are named after siblings who had died a few years previous and then on another branch of the maternal side, there are two daughters named the same. It did get confusing, but once I wrote it out and knew who was who...it worked out ok, lol

Annie

[Smudger1962]

Hi

I've been driving myself mad with this problem from a family line in the late 1600's early 1700's. 11 children two Mary's, two Thomas, and two Ann's. I was convinced that I was making a mistake somewhere and mingling two families, even though they are all shown on one parish register which is clear and in good condition. I've spent hours on it and was about to give up and call it a day on that line, when I read an article on line by localpopulationstudies.org.uk which says that the practice was common in the 16th to 18th centuries. I was also heartened to find this thread which seems to suggest I'm not alone with this quandary. I will now have to decide whether I accept this and add the family to my tree. I often wish that this research could be easier with less puzzles, but I suppose then it wouldn't be so interesting.

[conahy calling]

Infant and child mortality rates were high, even a chest infection could be fatal, rem no antibiotics. If an infant/child was poorly, a later sibling could be called by same name, in the hope that at least one would survive to carry the name.

[Wexflyer]

I would urge some caution, though.
You can have situations such as I encountered:
Two families in same townland. Two first cousins with same name, married to two sisters, children all with same sames...
Could look like a single family.

[Erato]

I have one case in the United States - a daughter Lydia born in 1831 and then, from a second marriage, another Lydia born in 1842.  Both lived to adulthood and, in 1850, both were recorded living in the same household with their father and the second wife.

[Calleva]

Just an off beam observation from me on the subject -

A cousin used to work in Social Services about 4O years ago covering parts of far western Scotland.

I won’t use the real names but there was a family of, l’ll call them McDonald, who had three sons quite close to each other in age all called Donald. This was intended to confuse the establishment generally including the Police and Social Services. Apparently it worked!