Author Topic: What's the oddest name you've found?  (Read 86276 times)

Offline sharonmx5

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Re: What's the oddest name you've found?
« Reply #351 on: Monday 26 September 16 17:47 BST (UK) »
Looking through Baptism Registers today I came across one in the year 1800 where the mother's name was Humiliation.   :o

I'm not sure whether her married name of Cook or her maiden name of Lion went better with it.
Hudson - Ipswich, pre 1800; Devall - Colchester, pre 1780

Offline Ayashi

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Re: What's the oddest name you've found?
« Reply #352 on: Monday 26 September 16 18:59 BST (UK) »
I get naming your children after virtues but why, of all names, Humiliation?  ??? Unless someone was not that literate and thought it sounded good! I admit if I saw that I'd be tempted to trace Humiliation to see what her siblings were called!

Offline sharonmx5

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Re: What's the oddest name you've found?
« Reply #353 on: Monday 26 September 16 20:37 BST (UK) »
I get naming your children after virtues but why, of all names, Humiliation?  ??? Unless someone was not that literate and thought it sounded good! I admit if I saw that I'd be tempted to trace Humiliation to see what her siblings were called!

It's dreadful isn't it. It was very clear though and written twice as they actually baptised two children. I may give tracing her a go, although it won't be too straightforward as the Church was near to a barracks so the husband may have been a soldier.
Hudson - Ipswich, pre 1800; Devall - Colchester, pre 1780

Offline Geordie daughter

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Re: What's the oddest name you've found?
« Reply #354 on: Monday 26 September 16 21:17 BST (UK) »
Non-conformists such as the Wesleyans and Methodists tended to choose those sorts of bible based names. Poor Humiliation's parents may have meant to name her "Humility" which has a rather different meaning! Biblical names in general often got mangled by illiterate or poorly educated parents, and it can be a challenge to find them in censuses.


Offline philipsearching

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Re: What's the oddest name you've found?
« Reply #355 on: Wednesday 28 September 16 11:18 BST (UK) »
Found on familysearch:
Baptism, Felsham, Suffolk 20 April 1800 HAPPY DEADMAN   ???

All together now: "Isn't it grand, boys, to be bl**dy well dead!"
Please help me to help you by citing sources for information.

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Offline a-l

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Re: What's the oddest name you've found?
« Reply #356 on: Wednesday 28 September 16 12:30 BST (UK) »
Thanks for that one Phillip, I'm crying with laughter

Offline PrawnCocktail

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Re: What's the oddest name you've found?
« Reply #357 on: Saturday 01 October 16 14:21 BST (UK) »
Venadora Perry...often mistranscribed as VenceDora...I also have a Providence Butt  ;D ;D

Carol

Hate to tell you, Carol, but Vence Dora Perry was my grandfathers cousin - and he (and my father)  always spoke of her as "Vence Dora" (pronounced Ven-cee Dora)

That's not to say it isn't odd, though!
Website: http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~towcesterfamilies/genealogy/
Towcester - anything, any time
Cheshire - Lambert, Houghland, Birtwisle
Liverpool - Platt, Cunningham, Ditton
London - Notley, Elsom, Billett
Oxfordshire - Hitchcock, Smith, Leonard, Taunt
Durham - Hepburn, Eltringham
Berwickshire - Guthrie, Crawford
Somerset - Taylor (Bath)
Gloucestershire - Verrinder, Colborn
Dorset - Westlake

Offline Geordie daughter

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Re: What's the oddest name you've found?
« Reply #358 on: Sunday 02 October 16 12:53 BST (UK) »
Just out of curiosity, PrawnCocktail, did your relations ever explain how Vence Dora came by her unusual name? It rather reminds me of a character named Adora Belle Dearheart in Terry Pratchett's book "Going Postal"!

Offline PrawnCocktail

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Re: What's the oddest name you've found?
« Reply #359 on: Sunday 02 October 16 15:29 BST (UK) »
Alas, no! I remember hearing the name when I was a child, and liking just the sound of it. But I never thought to ask where they'd got it from!

The Perry's were boatmen on the Weaver Canal, they could have picked it up from anywhere. They went down the Canal, and even over to Liverpool - Vence Dora's dad was in the Victoria Dock in the 1881 Census, so it could have come from anywhere in the world. And he wouldn't have had a clue how to spell it!  ;D
Website: http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~towcesterfamilies/genealogy/
Towcester - anything, any time
Cheshire - Lambert, Houghland, Birtwisle
Liverpool - Platt, Cunningham, Ditton
London - Notley, Elsom, Billett
Oxfordshire - Hitchcock, Smith, Leonard, Taunt
Durham - Hepburn, Eltringham
Berwickshire - Guthrie, Crawford
Somerset - Taylor (Bath)
Gloucestershire - Verrinder, Colborn
Dorset - Westlake