Naming patterns

[Margery]

William, son of William, son of William

As is my husband. To add to the confusion he was born on his father's birthday. (Note: we named our son Nigel!).

 

[Bryman]

Note: we named our son Nigel!

That's fine, you are allowed that. Nigel does not clash with me or my brothers.

 

[Gillian]

William, son of William, son of William,

The same names crop up in three generations of my Irish relatives. They've solved the problem by referring to them as Old Old William, Old William and Billy!

 

[webwiz]

The only "pattern", if it can be called that, that I can discern in my tree is that when a son has the same name as his father he is often known by his middle name, perhaps to avoid confusion. Sometimes the same person will use different names from census to census.

 

[peter]

The only "pattern", if it can be called that, that I can discern in my tree is that when a son has the same name as his father he is often known by his middle name, perhaps to avoid confusion. Sometimes the same person will use different names from census to census.

That's something I've noticed as well - in fact, sometimes the order of the names gets switched around.

 

[Heather]

I've looked for patterns in my tree but I cannot find anything I could call a pattern as such. There are some surnames used as second names especially in the case of second marriages, using the first husband's surname as such eg Agnes Sophia Hamer Wood. Funnily my grandmother Mary Wood Ward (nee Johnson) has, as far as I can see, no Woods in her family. The Wood previously mentioned is not on the same side of the family.
I have a few first sons named after their father and first daughters after their mothers. My grandparents John and Emily Edwards named their first son John and their third daughter Emily, their second son Thomas (Emily snr's father was John Thomas Hodson) and their second daughter Isabella after Emily snr's mother, so no pattern there. John Thomas Hodson named his third son John and his seventh son Thomas.
There are quite a few children given the names of children born before them in the family who have died in infancy, which is quite sad. My great great grandparents Cornelius and Betty Kay named their their first son James after Cornelius's father, their first daughter Ann after Betty's mother and their second son Giles after Betty's father. Their second daughter Ellen (my ancestor) did not fit the pattern as Cornelius's mother was Betty. Their third son Alfred died at 7 months, the next daughter Maria burned to death at age three, their next son another Alfred survived to adulthood. their next son Cornelius( after his father) died age one, their next daughter Jane died aged 4, their next son Cornelius died at less than one year,they then went on to have two more children. You would suppose that after all these children and losing five of her children, that Betty would be worn out and have died at a young age, she died at 63 years but did remarry after Cornelius died aged only 42.

 

[peter]

Mary Wood Ward

Sometimes names like this are little jokes: for example, there may have been someone well-known (or known to the family) called Mary Woodward. In my tree I have someone whose forenames are Emmerson Cornwall - Emmerson is a name passed down from his father, but Cornwall comes from the name of a local dignatory called Emerson Cornwall (thanks, Google!).

 

[Heather]

Sometimes names like this are little jokes: for example, there may have been someone well-known (or known to the family) called Mary Woodward. In my tree I have someone whose forenames are Emmerson Cornwall - Emmerson is a name passed down from his father, but Cornwall comes from the name of a local dignatory called Emerson Cornwall (thanks, Google!).

Thanks Peter that's one avenue that I have not explored, onwards and upwards. Had a search on Google but nothing stood out.