Strange middle name for a girl

[springer5]

Hi
I have just found another child born to my 3 x great grandparents,in Liverpool, John James and Johanna Poulson,  7 years after their last child, the name is puzzling me, her name was Minnie Roberts Poulson,  why would her name be Roberts?

John and Johanna had been married since 1847, and had 4 other children,  Johannas parents were George Poulson and Mary Ann Hughes, and John's parents I'm not sure of though Benjamin is on their marriage cert, so can't be after their parents?

Any help appreciated please

[mckha489]

If it is definitely Roberts and not eg Roberta. It could be after anyone.

I was transcribing a tree only last night where the surname of a great great grandmother suddenly appeared as a forename, after not a mention in the intervening generations.

An ancestor of my husband was one of 8 who all had a surname as one of their forenames.  It took me ages, but eventually I worked out they were all names of men in the same business as the father in London. So maybe they belonged to a small business association or something like that.  Not as formal as a guild.

One of the things on my “to do” list is to look at all the other families to see if they did something similar. 

Another person in another family has the surname of the brother-in-law, and subsequent others also had that surname as a forename. Until the death of the b-in-law when they gave up.   I am quite sure it was because he had money, and was childless, so they were after the main chance!

[Crumblie]

Could it be the surname of one of John or Johanna's grandparents? Certainly Scottish births often have those but I am not sure about England and Wales.

[rosie99]

Possibly johns mothers surname.  My mother in law had the surname of her grandmother as a middle name, she was born in Lancashire

[Erato]

"the surname of a great great grandmother suddenly appeared"

My brother has the surname of our gg-grandmother as a middle name.

[KGarrad]

Lots of people on my tree with surnames as middle names, and even first names!
Seemed to be a fashion?

E.G. I have a Garrad Baker, and a Baker Garrad

[iolaus]

Her Surname is James not Poulson

She definately seems to be Minnie Roberts James

Her  burial record from 1870 despite being transcribed as Minnie Robert James when you look at the record it does look the Roberts or Robert - I wouldn't have said Roberta

But Birth, baptism and death all state Roberts

[Skoosh]

Poulson sounds like a Caithness or North Isles origin.

Skoosh.

[Treetotal]

My Father has two middle names one of which is the name "French" but my research couldn't link any ancestors to that surname and non of his Sisters had this name. On a visit to Nfld 20 years ago, I asked an elderly Aunt where the name came from and she said he was named after an Uncle but research showed no Uncle of that name, but I found from church records that he was named as a witness at my Grandparents wedding.
Carol