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Scottish Naming Patterns

9 Aug By Dwight Leave a Comment

Scots-Irish research is affected by the traditional Scottish Naming Patterns. By the latter part of the nineteenth century, the patterns began to break down, so you have to be careful. The traditional formula and their variations are as follows:

1st son named after the father’s father (variation is after the mother’s father)

2nd son is named after the mother’s father (variation is the father’s father)

3rd son is named after the father

4th son is named after the father’s oldest brother (variation is after the father’s paternal grandfather)

5th son is named after the mother’s oldest brother (variation is after the mother’s paternal grandfather)

1st daughter named after the mother’s mother (variation is after the father’s mother)

2nd daughter named after the father’s mother

3rd daughter named after the mother

4th daughter named after the mother’s oldest sister (variation is after the mother’s maternal grandmother)

5th daughter named after the father’s oldest sister (variation is after the father’s maternal grandmother)

The formula looks good on paper, but there are factors to take into consideration. Foremost is the typical Presbyterian register in Ireland only begins in the 1820s or 1830s, so you miss so older children to even know what the first child may have been named. Another factor is the gaps within the existing registers, so you don’t always know if you have full list of the children. It’s complicated further if you add in renaming children the same thing at the death of an older child. Then again, there are those families who didn’t care one way or another about a naming pattern, as a child could have been named after the popular local minister!

My rule of thumb is the Scottish naming pattern is real, but you still have to remain careful and not set anything in stone.

Filed Under: Irish Ancestry Tagged With: Names, Scotland, Scots-Irish

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Dwight A. Radford

Dwight A. Radford is a professional family history researcher. Along with his staff they specialize in Ireland, England, Canada, African American, Native American, and United States. Connecting families together through historical documents and then creating a cherished family heirloom published book for generations to enjoy. Full bio…

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