Distinctive Forenames?

[Bryman]

I have always been pleased when I find an ancestor with an unusual forename as that makes identification within a group of records so much easier. However, I felt so sorry for a baby recently given what I thought was a first and would remain unique, but apparently that is not so. I am glad that my parents had the common sense to give me the traditional names that they did.

The unique name that isn't is Abcde, pronounced "Ab-si-dee"! Apparently there are over 300 babies that have been given that name in USA over the last decade! Presumably that makes subsequent names for further children a no-brainer (!!!), such as fghij and klmno, etc, but I fear that things could very easily get out of control. Census enumerators are now getting more respect from me.

Has any other member come across anything this unusual, or worse? Apparently, there is a baby-name-wizard web site which suggests that a suitable diminutive might be "seedy". As I say, out of control!

Another difficult name to pronounce might be Kviiilyn (Kaitlyn?) but now living in NZ I find many Maori names (both of people and places) difficult to say, so often I refrain from even attempting to do so.

 

[Margery]

Kviiilyn (Kaitlyn?)

Oh Bryman, that is really taking it too far. I pity the poor child. Why do parents inflict these mis-spelled names on their offspring, I ask. Shivaughn comes to mind let alone other unsuitable names. We have a family nearby whose three children glory in the names of Phoenix, Sahara and Zeus. 'Nuff said.

 

[Gillian]

I suppose Shivaughan's parents thought that the beautiful name Siobhan (God is gracious) might be difficult to pronounce. What a pity. Poor child indeed.

 

[Bob Spiers]

I don't think one needs to look far for unusual names as there are plenty steeped in biblical history. I know in my wife's Tree I found a Jewish connection in the 1800's and as a result the couple named their 3 daughters after Job's daughters. Two of the daughters -Kezia and the delightful Jemima are fine , but of the third Kerenhappuch I'm not so sure. I expect that is how the short-form 'Karen' came about, and thank goodness it did.

The biblical connection continued in the same the family with Zilpah (the handmaid of Leah and concubine of Jacob). I have yet to pursue her family but if she had sons I wonder if she would have named them after two of the original Zilpah's sons -Gad & Asher. I learn they were quite important names in the Jewish faith as they became the founders of two of the twelve tribes of Israel.

 

[jorghes]

I also have a Kerenhappuch on my tree. But I was doing a little maintence the other day because I noticed a remark on a great-grandmother’s death register that I was checking that she had “4 daughters died” - she had a taste for strange names, the only one of her daughters to have survived was blessed with the name Robertina, but three who I have so far found (number 4 is eluding me!) two were called Victorina and the other was saddled with “Ghonnahoa”.

I can’t wait to find out what number 4 was called!

Other fun ones - I have a Tryphena and a Tryphosa (in the same family!), a Parthenia, a Uriah (Biblical), a Euphemia, and a Weatherdon. I probably have more, but it would take time to collate them.

 

[Bob Spiers]

I probably have more, but it would take time to collate them.

I think you have provided sufficient already jorghes, I know when I'm beaten. I hope you find your 4th daughter soon.

 

[jorghes]

I think you have provided sufficient already jorghes, I know when I'm beaten. I hope you find your 4th daughter soon.

So do I, but she’s proving to be particularly elusive. (Almost time to find help elusive)

The strange ones tend to stay with you I find, and that poor soul called “Ghonnahua”, I’m almost glad for her sake that she didn’t survive infancy!

 

[Tim]

Jorghes, is it possible the 4th daughter has the same name as a previous daughter?

 

[jorghes]

Jorghes, is it possible the 4th daughter has the same name as a previous daughter?

View attachment 1327

Thanks for looking Tim, but it was 5 daughters in total - Ghonnuhua (1842), Victorina (1842), Robertina (1844 - mispelt in the records as “rebertina”), Victorina (1847) and ?? - I found the double use of Victorina, but no sign of a second Ghonnuhua or any other strange names, nor other births in Bradford in the time provided!

I’ve started to attempt to see if their mother’s maiden name was mispelt, but no luck with that so far, and they emigrated to Melbourne in approximately 1850 (or thereabouts, as there are no official records - the mother’s death gives approximately 5 years in the colonies which is how I settled on 1850) and the mother then died in 1855. I’ve searched the Victorian BDMs as well just in case, but there are no likely records there either.

I figure that the most likely place for the missing daughter to go is between Robertina in 1844 and Victorina in 1847, but I also checked prior to that as their parents married in 1840. I am now wondering if the fourth daughter was born somewhere other than Bradford, although that seems unlikely as after his wife died in 1855, the father married again - but seemingly went back to Bradford from Australia to do it!

I have a feeling it’s going to be one of those conundrums that needs a little bit of luck to be solved. (I thought perhaps I had misread the register entry as only 3 daughters, so I went back and checked - but no, it said “4 daughters dead” and since it was the father, George, who registered his wife’s death, I figured we could probably rely on his knowledge!
- The three deceased daughters I found were all in the Yorkshire non-conformist records, so I did a general search using the parents names... and got no more than I already had! Not sure of the next step, although I might check the death records for Victoria to see if the 4th daughter made it to Australia, although I doubt it, since none of them are named on the death register, and I would expect they would be if they made it past infancy.)

 

[Tim]

How about this one?

 

[jorghes]

It is possible I suppose, but George (the father in this instance) was married to a completely different woman in 1838 (she then died in 1839) and he married again to Martha, the mother of these girls in 1840. (He then married a third time in 1856, after my ancestress died in 1855).

I would have to look at the birth entry to see if he was that kind of a naughty boy!

 

[canadianbeth]

In my Barratt family tree, I have an Onesimus (Oresiphorous) and a Keziah. There are actually three George Onesiums Barratts, the first one and then a II and a III. My direct ancestor was II. Keziah is a 4th great aunt.

 

[pjd]

I have a Jemima Kezia Kerenhappuch Sephton who married one of my Laycock ancestors - what a mouthful!

 

[Bob Spiers]

I have a Jemima Kezia Kerenhappuch Sephton who married one of my Laycock ancestors - what a mouthful!

Wow, all 3 of Job's daughter's names used for one girl, yet again Kerenhappuch somehow halts its flow as being a beautiful set of given names.

Speaking of beautiful, I have been told by a friend of a friend -so not found during research - that they had an ancestor (a great Aunt) who was given the first names of 'Beautiful Margaret' and known by the family as 'Beauty'.

I suppose if one can accept Kerenhappuch and others recently mentioned,' Beautiful' is a walk in the park, so to speak.

 

[Susan]

My 3rd great uncle called some of his children by unusual names. A daughter was Margaret Alice Orpah, while 2 sons were called Naphthali (the first one died as a baby) and a third was Kirjath-arba. The other six children had quite 'ordinary' names.

 

[PaulC]

While researching the family of a 4th great uncle I found that he had a granddaughter named Minorthis. A quick check on FreeBMD shows no other person with this exact name, though there was a Minorthus who lived around the same time and place.

 

[ann42]

I have Hostilina Ipigenia Maria Hypsihil Wadge who married William Bromwich Kovachich - so her married name was even more unusual than her birth name, which was in news reports of unusual names across the globe.

 

[Bob Spiers]

I have Hostilina Ipigenia Maria Hypsihil Wadge who married William Bromwich Kovachich - so her married name was even more unusual than her birth name, which was in news reports of unusual names across the globe.

I very much doubt that will ever be surpassed - quite incredible. What nationality were they?

 

[ann42]

I very much doubt that will ever be surpassed - quite incredible. What nationality were they?

Hostilina was English , family in Bristol, William & his father both born Bristol, earlier generations were E European and my couple moved to Wales ! Hostilina's father was a boring John who added his mother's maiden name Trump to it - having studied the family in some depth and found loads of news clippings mainly about John, he was clearly an eccentric character who thought he was a superior being.

 

[jorghes]

How about this one?
View attachment 1328

Just checked the GRO... unfortunately that name belonged to a little boy... (and his mother had the wrong maiden name). So the search for the fourth goes on!