DawnM Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 Did your grandparents or great-grandparents have old fashioned or unusual names? I am digging up names from my family (ok, I am finding them on Find a Grave mostly, so digging up may be the wrong term! LOL) I have more, but here are a few: Wilmer Agnes Lucintha Bernard Percival Gerald Clotee Melvina Adellon I also just discovered that my dad's dad's dad and wife and two children who died young, are buried just 3 hours from my mother. I had no idea they had ever even lived in that state. And I didn't know they had two your boys who died before their first birthdays. One died within days of being born, the other died a month shy of his first birthday. That must have been so difficult. #CovidExtraTime 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 Percy Bertie Missy Artie 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 Charles Arthur Lillian My family currently has Dorothy, Victoria, George, old fashioned and unusual these days, 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 (edited) Lucile Zada. That was my grandmother. Found out she had a child as a single lady, and my grandparents raised him as their own. He didn't find out about his parentage until he reached adulthood. Alvin McGhee was my granddad. She also nursed in a TB hospital. She ended up getting TB and was a patient there. Edited April 3, 2020 by fairfarmhand 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 My mom told us that my grandfather used to joke about having wanted to name her Petronella. My genealogy research uncovered a Petronella in his family tree, so maybe it wasn’t actually a joke! Most of my ancestors names are still extremely traditional, and repeated over and over again. It makes tracing things a real pain. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 My sister is named Amy. My mom loved the named from Little Women, but the year my sister was born everyone on the face of the earth named their child Amy. When I came along my mom was determined never to let that happen again so the went digging through the family tree and came up with Dorinda. I also found it interesting that the original Ann Dorinda (circa early 1800’s) was married to a man named Major. others... Athur Monroe Olin 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 (edited) Husband's family in Texas: Eulah Beulah Orion Marion (male name) Edited April 3, 2020 by Laura Corin 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 Morris Maisie Alfred Myrtle 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noreen Claire Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 Children in my family include Theodore, Victoria, and Lydia. The older generations included Walter, Gertrude, Pearl, Theodore, and Lydia. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
historically accurate Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 Women's names: Irma Viola Permelia Fannie Hazel Hilda Freelove and Patience were mother and daughter (my g-g-g-grandmother and my g-g grandmother). Men's names: Claris (g-g-grandfather), Clarence (father), and Clare (grandfather) - Claris is on my mom's side/Clarence & Clare on my dad's Andrew Jackson is a great-great grandfather of mine - you don't see too many kids named after a former president these days. He was born in 1851. Not old fashioned but one of my favorite family names is my great-grandfather's: Bennett Earlscourt. His mom loved the "racy" romances of the day, and so she had to use a similar name. He went by Court. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Splash1 Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 Linabelle Eugene Gaston Crawford Otway Henley Bessie Geneva Eugenia Geraldine Virginia Most of the other family members are more classic type names Ruth, Louise, Kathryn, Clinton, Raymond, Theodore, Laura, Mary, Doris, John lots and lots of John 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 Also forgot to include Elbert Lemuel Orlin and Jewel Makes all the James' from my Granddad's side sound pretty nice. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 Eugenie Bertha Elmer Alfred I personally think my sister and I got even stranger first names, though. 😉 And my sister also got Bertha as a middle name, poor kid. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted April 3, 2020 Author Share Posted April 3, 2020 My son has a 16 year old friend named Alfred! 🤣 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted April 3, 2020 Author Share Posted April 3, 2020 My Grandfather's first wife's name was Pearl. She died in her 30s. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 4 minutes ago, DawnM said: My son has a 16 year old friend named Alfred! 🤣 I've met someone my age named Alfred. He shortened it to Alf. It's a good viking name! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 39 minutes ago, Splash1 said: Virginia Is this old fashioned? We have one of those in the current generation. Lots of relatives named Louis or Louise (both sides) plus a couple of Eugenes. Is Eugene uncommon nowadays? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 1 hour ago, Carrie12345 said: My mom told us that my grandfather used to joke about having wanted to name her Petronella. My genealogy research uncovered a Petronella in his family tree, so maybe it wasn’t actually a joke! Most of my ancestors names are still extremely traditional, and repeated over and over again. It makes tracing things a real pain. One side of my family is like that too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 1 hour ago, fairfarmhand said: Lucile Zada. That was my grandmother. Found out she had a child as a single lady, and my grandparents raised him as their own. He didn't find out about his parentage until he reached adulthood. Alvin McGhee was my granddad. She also nursed in a TB hospital. She ended up getting TB and was a patient there. I kinda like Lucile Zada. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenaj Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 Trollis (my paternal grandmother) Byron (my maternal grandfather). This one may not be as unusual. He hated his name and always said he would pay us NOT to use it on any offspring 🙂 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Jessica* Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 My g-g-grandmothers on opposite sides of my family tree were Armilda and Oralee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 We have multiple men named "Zorbable." o_0 Mr. Ellie's father had sisters named Hertha, Versal, and Arvilla. Mr. Ellie's father was the baby, born in 1899, and then was adopted (long sad story); so of course Mr. Ellie never knew any of them. I've done a little sleuthing on Ancestry to see if I can find out the family's country of origin, because those names seem so ethnic 🙂 but so far, I have only found them in Missouri (they moved to Washington state, where Mr. Ellie's father was born. Interestingly, Mr. Ellie's mother was also born in Missouri, but they met in San Diego.). 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I talk to the trees Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 I can’t recall right now how many generations back, but in my family tree are Jubal Emmazetta Lumpkin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephanier.1765 Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 My father's name is Elmer and my granddaughter is Theadosia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 this includes aunts and uncles, all lived in the 1900. (I have some really different ones in the 1700s) avnes wreatha alta bernice cleo emiline virginia eula elva wilda ruth henry gertrude oscar winifred gretchen 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Condessa Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 Courtland Solamena Johann Nepomuckenus (apparently John of Nepomuk was a patron saint of the Czech Republic?) Redden and Reddick Allred (twins) Agnes and Angus (twins from dh's family) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hippiemamato3 Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 9 minutes ago, I talk to the trees said: I can’t recall right now how many generations back, but in my family tree are Jubal Emmazetta Lumpkin. "Lumpkin" wins. We call our French Bulldog Lumpkin (as a nickname) 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 My grandfather was named Orme (pronounced OR-mee). My dad's two sisters are Wanda and Doretta, although the latter goes by her more normal middle name and would never admit to that. Heck, my dad's real name is Vencil, though his mom forgot what she named him at one point and swapped the e and i - you can see the change in the baby book she wrote. He started going by Vince in middle school and like his sister does not fess up to the weirdness. On my German side I've got Erna, Elsa, Bertha, Herbert, Helmut, Fritz, and Waltraut. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 30 minutes ago, Dotwithaperiod said: My maternal side has Zada, it’s a family name. Do you know the origins of it? The females had names like Jewel, Ruby, Pearl, Opal. Usually with a short middle name- Pearly May, Ruby Fay. Para-Lee was another popular one. The men were Cecil, Marvin, Dude( I love that one!) and several with Bird as a middle, like Ira Bird. My father’s side seemed more city type names- Francis, Walter, Lila, Lucille, Margaret , Herbert, Theodore This is a bit off topic, but I’m reading a book about FDR and was really surprised to see multiple Americans in his circle named Adolf. I keep meaning to google how popular a name it was at the turn of the century in America. I found a Para Lee in my MIL's family tree. First time I had ever heard of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loowit Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 Ola Mae Verna Wilford Bernita Eunice Kennon Harold Ethel Gaye Faye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertBlossom Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 Effie Ermel Alford These are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 1 hour ago, Dotwithaperiod said: Ha! I live with an Elbert. It was his grandpa’s name. My father had a brother named Elbert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2scouts Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 (edited) We have Oni (pronounced ON ee), Hazel, Delbert, Terrell, Edna, Dorothy, Dexter, Ethard, Thelma, Eller, Delcie, Albert, and Opal. ETA: I forgot a grandpa named Rufus. Edited April 3, 2020 by mom2scouts 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storygirl Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 Olive India Goldie Treva Florene Burl Quentin Murphy Odain DH's family had Uncle Ose Aunt Bob and Uncle Shorty Edna Earl (went by Earl) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 My great grandmother's name was Brunaslava. For the win! 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 Kermit Forrest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Familia Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 (edited) Theodore, Virginia, Alice, Gertrude, Elmer, Lucille, Clarence, Luella, Harold, Eleanor, Alfred, Margaret (although, I know a lot of little Maggie's), Adeline, Louise, and Goldie. May they all rest in peace! Edited April 3, 2020 by Familia 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 Greats - Ignatz, and I don't know the rest of them for sure. Grands - Ethel, Ruth, and boring guy names. My dad's middle name is Mainsley. His friend's middle name is Marion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 2 hours ago, Dotwithaperiod said: My maternal side has Zada, it’s a family name. Do you know the origins of it? The females had names like Jewel, Ruby, Pearl, Opal. Usually with a short middle name- Pearly May, Ruby Fay. Para-Lee was another popular one. The men were Cecil, Marvin, Dude( I love that one!) and several with Bird as a middle, like Ira Bird. My father’s side seemed more city type names- Francis, Walter, Lila, Lucille, Margaret , Herbert, Theodore This is a bit off topic, but I’m reading a book about FDR and was really surprised to see multiple Americans in his circle named Adolf. I keep meaning to google how popular a name it was at the turn of the century in America. My grandmother's family was from a small town in rural Alabama. Her parents were first cousins, so both sides of that family have similar origins. (Britain) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CindyH in NC Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 My husbands' great grandfather was named Mordecia. That side of his family passed on names a lot, but this one seems to have been a one time thing. It really sounds terrible with our last name. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hippiemamato3 Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 Orville - there are a bunch of them in our family (mostly used as middle names in recent generation) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 My maternal grandfather had a brother named Lancelot Rufus. As an adult, he went by Lance R. 🙂 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 Naming trends do come and go, though. My middle name is Lillian, after my grandmother and great aunt. Growing up, I hated that middle name, because it was such a grandma name. But now it is fashionable again, though more Lily than Lillian. I like Lillian now! I have not used it much because I use my maiden name for middle. Lots of old names are totally workable for kids now. My gma was named Elsie and I can totally see that name on the roster at a preschool now. Some of the names I have liked less: Alberta Irma Elmer Wayne 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 (edited) Family lore is that my dad wanted TO NAME ME Drucilla but my mom and my aunt Drucilla weren't having it. There is someone in every generation of my family named Vincent and called Vince. Pretty unusual name for a teenager these days, but one of my cousin's used the name for her son. Which I understand as everyone's favorite uncle is our uncle Vince. I like the name a lot. My father's paternal grandmother was named Arminta. My mother's grandmother was Ilene and Ilene had a twin named Alene. They had sisters named Lura, Behula, Ura, Alta and Ida. I knew Ilene and Alene as a child but Lura, Behula, Ura, Alta and Ida all died just after or just before I was born. My paternal grandmother was Beatrice and my niece has that as a middle name. If I had two daughters, the first would be named for my mother (Theresa) but the second would probably have been named Beatrice and called Bea. My grandmother's two sister's were Teresa and Marion. My maternal grandmother (Ilene's daughter) was Ethyl. My paternal grandfather was John, which is totally mundane BUT excepting for one sister named Isabelle his siblings all had very old fashioned names. Alva, Drucilla, Ruby, Willie and Buster (not a nickname). One of my dad's sisters is also Drucilla as referenced in the first part of this post but she has chosen to go by her middle name since grade school. John's grandfather was named Lawson and Lawson's father was Hugh. My dad's maternal grandparents were Edna and John but his great aunts and uncles on that side include Ada, Lottie, Ivan, Percy, Bessie and Calvin. Edited April 3, 2020 by LucyStoner 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebcoola Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 (edited) Most of our family names are boring William, Paul, James, Charles, Joan, Elizabeth, Helen the only exception was Euphemia. Maybe that's why the lastest generation has Lorelei, Saoirse, Torreston. Edited April 3, 2020 by rebcoola Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mykidsrmyjoy Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 1 hour ago, fairfarmhand said: My grandmother's family was from a small town in rural Alabama. Her parents were first cousins, so both sides of that family have similar origins. (Britain) Maybe we’re related. 😊 My great great grandparents were first cousins from a small town in Alabama. Some memorable names in my family tree: Cephas Lerona Narcissa Pinkney Parrish Cornelius Worth Cleo and Leo (Twins) Collie Peyton Talbot Kirby Lola 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 Bertha and Ulysses. My brother used to joke that that was what he would name future children. (He picked a normal name.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
historically accurate Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 55 minutes ago, LucyStoner said: My mother's grandmother was Ilene and Ilene had a twin named Alene. They had sisters named Lura, Behula, Ura, Alta and Ida. I knew Ilene and Alene as a child but Lura, Behula, Ura, Alta and Ida all died just after or just before I was born. My youngest's middle name is Aleene (pronounced uh-lean), which is my MIL's middle name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 Robena Dorcus Bummer Bernerd (pronounced "ber-nerd" and constantly 'corrected' for him) and waaaaay back . . . a Coffee. 🙂 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ikslo Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 (edited) Winifred Allaire Eleanor Beatrice and way back...Oxenbridge ETA: Evelyn Opal Eugene Lillian ETA2: And I have an Uncle Bob - but doesn't everyone? Edited April 3, 2020 by ikslo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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