A lighter thread I hope. Old fashioned names in your family history.

Carlota, Emma, Houston, & Edna and April, of course Mary, Marie and Betty.

Florence, Gertrude, Nella, Mildred, Muriel, Estelle, Beverly, Mavis, Maude, Zona, Dorothy.

Lemuel, Silvia, Opal, Chapel, Mertie, Dorotha, Ortha, Jackson, Cicilia,Frances, Josiah, Margaret,
that is all that comes to mind.

Anna, Annie, Ann, Marlene, Margaret, Meg, Maggie, Elizabeth, Beth, Lizzie, Mary, Sarah, Mollie, Ida, Ora, Ina, Jean, Jane, Jo, Leslie

Casper, John, Charles, Robert, Foy, Horten, William, Lee, Horton, Horace, George, Raymond, Paul, Gary, Matthew, Wayne, Donald, David, Adam, Jeremiah, Frances, Leslie, Wiley

My mother lost two siblings. Thomas Tillman and Alice Aline.,I think they both are so lovely.

I am so loving your contributions. they are so fabulous.

Mable,  Anna, Annie, Beatrice, Edna, Mariam, Ethel, Oliver, Lydia, Alice, Drusilla, Sarah, Mary, Martha, Molly, Susannah, Sadie, Eliza, Hannah, Henriette
Ernest, Guy, Rodney, Delancey, Samuel, Oliver, Benjamin, Nathanial, Alexander, Harry, Harvey, Robert,
I'm sure there are more.

My grandmother's name was Edna Viola. My great grandmother was Laura Evangeline. She was the one who crossed the Mississippi in an oxen cart.

And per that one, our mom would say. Stop whining. Let me tell you about your great grandmother.

Even as a kid you don't really have a response to that one, lol.

Per the oxen. You would think I would learn. I have ridden horses since I was very young. Horses and cows, two different things. Oxen are in cow group. It is hard to make them do anything. My sis hissed at me, lol, don't ask. Well you can guess how that went

Eustice, the farm hand showed me. Eustice had a brother named Erold and a sis named Honor. A baby named patience.

Eta. You crack a bullwhip. You have to be firm and strong in your snap.

Mine not necessarily old fashioned but cultural. Olga, Obert, Irene, Norris, Marilyn, Gloria, Gene, Glenn, Sophia, Astrid, Jerome...

Scandinavian culture.

Oh and don't forget Erik the Red and Ovid.😉

My family seems to have gone for putting the full names of rich uncles (or other people they want to impress) as middle names. ‘Hedley Vicars’ and ‘Joseph Hodges’ etc. I doubt if it ever worked. Perhaps that's why my mother didn't give any of us middle names.
My sister’s employer firm helped change a client’s name from ‘Enoch Moses Hall’ to ‘Enoch Humphrey Hall’, many years ago. The mind boggles!

Hey when you say cultural, can you share? I so loving this conversation and I really appreciate everyone's contributions.

Also per oxen. My great grandmother had a four in hand. That's 4 oxen. And a lot if leather in your hands.1k lbs at minimum each. Plus a bullwhip. By herself with 4 kids.

I have dominated this thread a bit too much. I want to hear your stories and names. We are British Irish French and Scandinavian by history. We have one or more Dorcas in the ranks. That was actually a popular name at one time.

Most of my family first names are very traditional Anglo or Anglo-Irish as in Elizabeth, Margaret, Catherine and John, James, William.
But, others I recall: Delia (my paternal grandmother), Alma, Maeve, Enda, Vera, Carmell
Hugh, Owen (2 great uncles), Niall, Pearse, Rory, Colm, Ned

My grandparents named my mother "Virginia Beatrice" (lol....2 old-fashioned names!!!) when she was born in 1921. A bit of a multi-syllable mouthful if pronounced all together. Tho, as far as I know and personally recall, they and other family members always called her by her full first name, "Virginia". No pet name, no shortened name, no nickname.

BUT.....Dad ALWAYS called Mom "GinnieB🐝" . My sister and I have several of the handwritten cards Dad sent Mom over the years....yep....all have his hand-drawn "B/bee/bea". SIGH....favorite things and "what's in a name?" .....all in one fun question.
Thank you for this, Segoline!

Effajean

My grandparents were Otto and Flossie (my grandmother said she always thought it was a cow's name), Alma and Edward. There was a Meda and Gertrude and Ida and way back in the family tree Kunayunda, I've always wondered about that one!

We had this discussion at the dinner table a couple of months ago. The grandchildren laughed like crazy at the first & last name combos!

Etta, Edna, Ellen, Yura, Audie, Burlie, Louise, Marian, Myrtle, Hazel, Jackie, Jewel, Clara, Pearl, Veda, Beatrice, Bernice, Eltha

Everett, Burl, Valgene, Aubrey, Hollis, Ocie, Rufus, Chester, Garland, Guy, Rufus, Ira, Sargent, Leon, Kenneth, Carl, Johnson, Dwight, Niles

Some names are on both sides of the family so may have been popular at the time.

When Uncle Johnson was born his mother (my great-great-grandmother) was tired & worn out by too many babies too close together. When it was time to name him, she said she didn't care. Let the children name him. He had 5 names & went by Burl in public & Johnson among family.

Friends/Family...Olive, Floyd, Bess, Eugenie, Martha, Earl, Marge, Irene, Aletha, Etta, Nolan.

Alva, Helen, Frances, Gertrude, Olga, Lillian, Edna, and I could go on forever.

Edith, Horace, Arthur, May, Maybelle

On one side, my grandmother, Lura. Great grandmother Matie. Greataunts Minnie, Rose and Gertrude. On the other side, two *female* great-great-greats named Joseph and Robert, and a *male* great-great-great named Beloved.

You know this inspired me to search for Kunayunda. According to Wiki

"Kunigunde, Kunigunda, or Cunigunde is a European female name of German origin derived from "kuni" (clan, family) and "gund" (war).[1] In Polish this is sometimes Kunegunda".

Isn't the internet a wonderful thing?

Edwina(and she was not a favorite),Gladys,alot of Dorothy's and shortened versions of same,Leonora which I was almost named,and the others were more common. My children have unusual names but I was very into the meaning of names so there was always a purpose. The middle names in my family have honored family members for decades and this tradition is continuing with the newest generation.

Longears,

If either one of your elders named Rufus married a woman in the TX hill country named Marie in the mid 60s we might be related. My step grandad’s name was Rufus.

My grandmothers name was Wille Marie she went by Marie.

The women in my Dad’s family: Alvarene, Nora Bell, Tony Bell, Georgie Luzelle, Queen Alice.

The diminutives ie shortened versions of names are interesting too. Segoline, there is a teenage-type book called Playing Beattie Bow, and they called their Dorcas “Dovey”. And Cwillie, Flossie was the shortened form of ‘Florence’ and it really was a common cow’s name. My mother’s name was Everett – unusual for a girl but probably easier than a Boy Named Sue. I’ve only ever come across ‘Cunigunde’ in ‘All is for the best in the best of all possible worlds’ ie Voltaire – I didn’t know it was a real name. I’ve always thought it was most of a challenge to be labelled Queen, Prince, King, Duke etc.

lizzywho61,

I think the last Rufus passed in 1950. He was married twice & had 2 stepdaughters from his second marriage. I am from Texas & we could be cousins of cousins 🤗

My great grandfather had the given name Potter. He was named after his grandfather. Other names Wilson, Ezra, William, Amity, Spencer, Robert

This is lighthearted and fun.

My mom is Violet ( becoming popular again), and her sisters were/are Betty and Edith ( both mom and Edith wish they were named Nancy). My MIL was Emilline. My GM was Sarah and my GM was Lottie. One Fay. Of the men we have a line of Walkers, and a Harry. even my name is sort of old fashioned.. not many Pamelas out there now. But I love my name!

Parazetta!