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Unusual or Interesting Names in your Family ?

(107 Posts)
FannyCornforth Mon 07-Jun-21 10:44:28

Hello Everyone! ?

Vaguely topical, but very non-controversial.
I'm fascinated by names - I know that a lot of us are.

It's oft mentioned that names' popularity is cyclical; and I recall that recently someone in the public eye has named his new born daughter after her grand mother and great grandmother...?

My Grandparents' names have never really come back into fashion:
Kenneth Gilbert and Doreen Clara on one side, and on the other, Frederick and Margaret.

I think that Freddie is currently quite popular, and Margaret, I'm sure, must be due due for a revival.
Gilbert is an an absolute cracker!

So, what were your Grandparents' names?
Or do you have any unusual or interesting names in you family?

Thank you! x

V3ra Mon 07-Jun-21 10:52:02

My grandparents' names were Mabel Agnes, William Charles, Sophia Elizabeth and Frederick George.
Some of these have stood the test of time or come round again.

Gwyneth Mon 07-Jun-21 10:52:13

Love the name Clara fanny. We don’t have any unusual names in our family but a lot of Welsh names . My mother’s sister was Dwynwen which means Valentine. But we always called her Auntie Wyn.

monk08 Mon 07-Jun-21 11:03:09

My great grandmother was Fanny Eliza she named her daughter Lizzie. On my grandfather's side he had sisters called Myrita Victoria and Jorie Beatrice.

FannyCornforth Mon 07-Jun-21 11:03:57

Thank you Gwyneth
Clara was my great grandmother's first name.
She pronounced it Clare-a, not
Clah-ra.
And my Nan pronounced her own name Duh-reen, not Door-een.
That side of the family must have an awkward streak!

I should have just titled the thread 'Grandparents' Names', come to think of it!
Dwynwen is beautiful.

BBbevan Mon 07-Jun-21 11:09:52

My maternal GPS were Olive and William, the others Mary and Arthur. We have a lot of Welsh names in the family. Eirwen, Valmai, Huw, Trefor etc. My name and my sister’s are so unusual as we would be instantly recognised on GN

Gwyneth Mon 07-Jun-21 11:10:36

Thank you fanny. I think many families have their own pronunciations of names which I think is rather nice.

tanith Mon 07-Jun-21 11:11:21

My maternal Grandparents were Eunice and Albert, my Mums middle name was Veronique, her sister was Gwlythyn as was my eldest sister. Grandparents were Welsh but I’ve never found a meaning of Gwlythyn or anyone else called it I have no idea where they got it from.
We called them Gwlyth it annoyed the heck out of me when my Aunt was in a home with Dementia the staff insisted on calling her Gwl no wonder the poor woman ignored them.

Witzend Mon 07-Jun-21 11:12:19

My GM called Phoebe hated her name. She was usually known by her middle one. My DF (her son in law*) always called her Phoeb though, hence a thank-you letter from my younger brother when small, beginning, ‘Dear Feeb…’. ?

My other GM was Rose, but for some reason best known to himself, DF always called her Pud.
*she didn’t mind though, since to her he was always something of a Golden Boy.

Purplepixie Mon 07-Jun-21 11:12:35

We mostly have Hannah, Sarah, Mary, Anne, Eleanor and Beatrice passed down through my mams side of the family. On my dads side there is a Alexandria, Lilian, Evelyn, Margaret and Patrica. Nothing out of the ordinary when it comes to women’s names. Men’s names include Jerome, Stanislaus, Stasha, Marilyn, Vincent, Percival, Pendragon, Victor and a Holt.

timetogo2016 Mon 07-Jun-21 11:25:52

Family names include: Elsie,Dorothy,Frances,Joyce.Betty,Violet,Brenda,Doreen,Valerie,Susan,Margaret.Elizabeth.
David,Reginald,2 Franks,3 Roberts,George,Steve,Leslie,William,Derek.
Well they are the ones i can remember anyway.

Callistemon Mon 07-Jun-21 11:35:06

I think I said before that my Great-great-great? Grandmother was Fanny, FannyC, on all documents except her birth certificate.
But actually registered as Frances.

Gertrude seems to have fallen out of favour.

Nannagarra Mon 07-Jun-21 11:37:00

I had an Alice, a name I love, though my parents didn’t pass it on to me.
The name Bethia, not unusual for the time, was given to one of my ancestors. It seems to have been quite a spelling challenge. The official recordings of her name suggest she was giving birth or having a bath when marrying/having a child baptised/being counted in the population. Poor woman - unlike many when she lived, she could read!
?

Callistemon Mon 07-Jun-21 11:38:03

BBbevan I met an Eirwen years ago, lovely woman; when I remarked on the fact she looked just like a TV star of the time she said "oh, she's my cousin".

Callistemon Mon 07-Jun-21 11:39:59

We had two or three Honors in the family, spelt variously on the censuses as Honer, Honah, Oner and even Ona.

nanna8 Mon 07-Jun-21 11:40:47

In my ancestry research I found a Jonadab, which is biblical but you don’t really hear it these days.He had a son called the same. He was born in 1704.

JackyB Mon 07-Jun-21 11:40:51

My grandmothers were Dorothy Kate and Jess, presumably Jessica. I've been racking my brains trying to remember my paternal grandmother's maiden name.

I never knew either of my grandfathers but I think they were called Frank and John. So nothing special there. A cousin has traced back to the 17th century on our mother's side and apart from one French lady, the whole family tree is solidly English with the usual Annes and Catherines.

Blossoming Mon 07-Jun-21 11:46:04

Christina Leishman, Alexander, Annie and Harry Frederick.

Leishman is a Scots surname meaning a healer and was passed down from way back when.

And yes, my grandfather’s birth certificate says’Harry’ ?

I’m named for an aunt.

moobox Mon 07-Jun-21 11:47:28

Not my family, but I was amused to find that in 1897 someone named their daughter Victoria Diamond Jubilee Jobling

moobox Mon 07-Jun-21 11:50:29

Blossoming

Christina Leishman, Alexander, Annie and Harry Frederick.

Leishman is a Scots surname meaning a healer and was passed down from way back when.

And yes, my grandfather’s birth certificate says’Harry’ ?

I’m named for an aunt.

Blossoming, my nephew is Maximilian Harry Frederick (shortened to Max!) and yes, my dad was Harry, not Harold

Mattsmum2 Mon 07-Jun-21 11:52:49

My great niece not quite one is Esther, really suits her ?

Calendargirl Mon 07-Jun-21 11:53:14

When my daughter was pregnant, she asked her husband what his grandparents names were, and was told “Ronald and Phyllis’.’.

“No baby names there then” she said.

Grandmadinosaur Mon 07-Jun-21 11:58:32

My maternal grandparents were George and Jessie both quite popular now as are the ones on the other side Florence and Joseph.
We do have a lot of Joseph,Anthony, and Michael being male heavy in recent years. On the female side there are several Sarahs.
If I’d had a girl I would have loved to call her Jess or Jessie.

Sparklefizz Mon 07-Jun-21 11:59:58

Mr grandparents were Horace, Agnes, William and Gertrude. There do seem to be some little girls called Agnes these days, but Horace and Gertrude have definitely gone thank goodness.

EllanVannin Mon 07-Jun-21 12:02:01

One GM was Catherine Elizabeth, her mother was Hannah.GGM to me.
Other GM was Sarah Ellen.

All my mum's sisters were named after flowers grin Rose Pansy, Violet and Daisy.