General Chat

Then there are the families who like a name so much that when a child died they used the same name for the next child.

I have one who changed not only his forename but also his surname, he went from Michael to Joseph to Michael Joseph to Joseph Michael on forenames. His surname was Lally but went to Lilly then to Jones then back to Lally.

Also my ancestors seemed to recycle names if a child die any other offspring would be named after their dead sibling.

I also have one who couldn't decide whether or not he was English or Scottish.

Oh my ! I remember my old fashioned school teacher always calling roll using the surname first method. I am so glad my name was not fanny fish.

Hi Sylvia, I am pmming you and don't you dare laugh any more.

The problem with my family is that, as soon as able they changed names!!!
They were given nice, unusual names, like Gifford and Ethelrenda - and changed them on the census to Sidney and Bella!!
Gifford was my g grandad, and was known as Sidney on his mariage cert., my gran's birth cert, even on his grave! I had to find his birth certificate through his sister- looking for her on the census rather than him.
Gifford's brothers, Sylvanus and Ivor also changed their names - to Herbert and Frederick.
My g aunt Nell was Alice, my g grandmother Amelia was really Agnes - even my dad was known by his second name rather than his first!!

Oh - and those born out of wedlock - they changed surnames like I change socks!! One census they're their dad''s name , the next their stepdad's name, then back to their dad's name - and I find them registered under their mother's name

Aunty sherlock i am laughing so much here, just trying to imagine what name you cannot put on here lol

Ha, I am searching for one called Frederick Hill who wasn't born when he said he was, thought his father's name was Ernest, but that doesn't seem to be correct, never knew his mother's name and was a different age on every piece of paper where he ever had to write his date of birth, or age.

However, on the other side of the family I do have a gentleman named with the most weird names which I will not put here, but believe me it really does make searching a whole lot easier.

Well must say for every line that is son of Jo Bloggs, son of Jo Bloggs, I have a few, Fanny Fish, Philadelphia Bones, Organ Eades, that keep the interest going.
Carol

My paternal grt grandad was the direct descendant of a long line of Nathaniel Dartnell's that i have traced back to 1740 so far. His daughter was my gran but she did have a brother Nathaniel so the line continued

lmao
my great gran just happened to have the most common name in wales

elizabeth thomas,

wish shed been called elizabeth arthur thomas, cos she sure would of popped out then

2 questions really

1. Am I the only person who wishes their ancestors were more imaginative when naming the children ? I'm confusing myself constantly just trying to juggle 3 and 4 direct line generations of the same name, I can't imagine what i'll do if this trend continues. It has made me wonder.
What is the largest number of same name generations you have come across? (eg; joe blow son of joe blow son of joe blow).

I swear i will make my girls name their children 'annie child of %%% grandchild of %%%% born %%% to %%%% at %%%%' lol