Ancestry search by first (Christian) names

[davisd]

This is quite an odd query, but I have been searching for a man named William White (awfully common name) and one the the people who keeps coming up is someone named "Owen" White - who as an old name is living with the son of my William White who lived in Lancaster County Pennsylvania.

All fairly simple I suppose, but when I put into Ancestry search for Owen Whites I get a half dozen followed by hundreds of John Whites. Have I somehow been ignorant of Owen as a variant of John? It seems very odd to me.

Any advice would be gratefully received.

[Galium]

FindMyPast always suggests people named John when I search for an Owen, but a quick google tells me that it is more likely a variant of Eugene.  Possibly it is seen as similar to some Welsh forms of John:  Iwan or Ioan, or Irish Eóin.

[davisd]

That's interesting. Hmmm