Determining the Given Name

I hate to bring it up, but it isn't the surname alone that you must worry about in genealogy research. Do you REALLY know every possible name your ancestor could be known by including all given names or nicknames?

Perhaps you are lucky enough to already have a place name associated with your family. There are inherent problems connected to both personal names and place names in all genealogy research, but some research can be interesting because those names can have multiple foreign language and custom usage. One student's ancestor was referred to as JEREMIAH, JERRY, DARBY, DERMOT, JEROME, HIEREMIAS, and DIARMAID in the records. They all mean the same thing in different countries, by custom, or different languages.

In another case, the ancestor was said to have originated in Limerick. In addition to the ancestor, there was a sister named Delia. Both women lived in the San Francisco area. Some of the key records needed to trace them were destroyed in the earthquake. When they were finally located in Ireland, Delia O�Halloran turned out to be Bridget Halloran in her Limerick city Catholic baptism record.

The given name by which you knew your ancestor may not be the same name recorded in the documents in which he or she is listed. This problem is not unique to Ireland. Given names have nicknames, names that are used interchangeably, Latin names in the case of Catholic records, and, for the Irish, the use of Celtic or Gaelic names. Several forms of the given name may have been used at various times in your ancestors� lives. It is important that you know name variants or have access to resources listing this information before you begin the actual research in original records.

To illustrate this problem (again using Ireland as an example), MARY might be known in the records as MAEVE, MAMIE, MARGERY, MARIE, MAURA, MAUREEN, MAY, MINNIE, MOIRA, and MOLLY. In fact there are twenty plus nicknames for the given name Mary. While Pat for Patrick and Kate for Catherine are obvious, would you think of Sibby for Judith, Julia, Isabel, and Sabina?

When the name Mabia was first found in Catholic records of Co. Donegal, we had no idea what given name it represented. Eventually an example of a child with this name who was listed in both church and birth or civil registration records was found. Her name in the birth record was listed as Mary. Other examples of this name variant challenge are Owen and Eugene; Nancy and Agnes; and Jeremiah and Darby. Learning what names are used interchangeably often presents the biggest challenge to genealogists. If you are looking for a southern states ancestor, you should feel empathy toward your Irish brothers. In the south Anna and Hannah, Fate and Lafayette, John and Jack are interchangeable.

If you are tracing an Irish Catholic family, you may find that the parish registers are recorded in Latin. In most instances a rudimentary command of Latin is all that you need to translate the records. However, Latin given names are another challenging problem. For example, Jacobus is Latin for both James and Jacob. And the Latin form of Cecelia used in the same Co. Donegal Catholic parish register where the given name Mabia was found, was Sheila. In Louisiana an English name of William White was written Guilleme Blanc.

There are Latin �dictionaries� that include names. Genealogical Research in England and Wales (Vol. III) by Frank Smith and David Gardner contains a list of Latin given names and their English equivalents. Charles Thrice Martin�s book The Record Interpreter: A Collection of Abbreviations, Latin Words and Names Used in English Historical Manuscripts and Records has been filmed and is available through Family History Centers which are found throughout the United States and many foreign areas.

Many given names in Ireland are rooted in the Celtic or Gaelic language. Celtic names often sound like the anglicized given names that they become. The Irish name for Owen and Eugene is [ain] which is spelled EOGHAN. Penal laws enacted against the Irish forbad the use of Irish names resulting in the anglicization of these ancient personal names.

As if the problems previously mentioned weren�t complicated enough, there are some names that are used for both sexes. If the document you find does not designate the sex of the child, how will you know if Anty, Florence or Jill is a male or female? There are many other names that fall in this same category. Anty is a nickname for both Anthony and Anastasia; Florence is both a male and female given name; and Jill, Jillian or Jilley is used as a nickname for Giles (a male).

Soon we will be working with search engines and indexes. If you can�t find your ancestor or the siblings, consider other naming problems such as misspelling or alternate spelling of names, silent sounds, interchangeable letters, hard to decipher handwritten records, children listed by the mother�s maiden surname because of illegitimacy, and names changed to hide identity (deserters, criminals, bigamists, etc.) Although this focuses on personal names, these problems also extend to surnames.

Finding Current Place Names

Some of the problems mentioned with personal names also occur with place names. These problems include misspelling of place names, multiple places with the same name, place names that cover multiple jurisdictions, and place names that have been abbreviated or appear in another form. Whether you are doing Irish research or basic United States research, place names can be tricky. Being in the wrong location is the Number One reason people cannot find their ancestor.

Understanding that you must know the correct jurisdiction, you are undoubtedly wondering how to go about finding it.

Begin by looking at the second "Your Turn" assignment in Chapter 7 of your class syllabus. You were asked to list the county for every locality on your pedigree chart. Take a look at some of the things other students have found when doing that same assignment.