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Help[Facts] is there a possibility that these birth records are fake? (Birth Records for England and Wales in 1877)
according to this website:
//www.britishbabynames.com/blog/historic-names/
It makes sense that some of these names have "quirky" spellings because standardized versions didn't exist then. Additionally, many parents made up names for their children however some of these appear to be made up and don't have other versions/names that they might have been based on.
I believe that they're probably real but I still need someone to ensure it
//www.britishbabynames.com/blog/historic-names/
It makes sense that some of these names have "quirky" spellings because standardized versions didn't exist then. Additionally, many parents made up names for their children however some of these appear to be made up and don't have other versions/names that they might have been based on.
I believe that they're probably real but I still need someone to ensure it
This message was edited 7/21/2024, 7:26 AM
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Replies
I wouldn't cite this as a source or reproduce this list anywhere, since they don't cite their source properly, but it seems fairly plausible. I don't see why they would make this up. They mention cross-referencing some records and the fun facts at the bottom gives it some extra legitimacy, IMO. They've obviously picked out the weirder names from a much longer list. I wish they gave more details on the source and which cities/counties the names come from, although I'm sure that information is possible to find if you're willing to do some digging. Your best bet would probably be in online genealogy archives.
I've been reading a French book about baby names that covers that period and more (Le manuel des prénoms by Edouard Lévy, 1922 - the first part covers from the early 1800s until 1921, the second part zooms in on the 1790s). There's the same amount of wonderful weirdness, with the caveat that the author is specifically picking out extreme examples to illustrate various points.
I've been reading a French book about baby names that covers that period and more (Le manuel des prénoms by Edouard Lévy, 1922 - the first part covers from the early 1800s until 1921, the second part zooms in on the 1790s). There's the same amount of wonderful weirdness, with the caveat that the author is specifically picking out extreme examples to illustrate various points.
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also about the book, is it available online for free?
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It's not, unfortunately! It should be in the public domain, but it hasn't been digitized. I had to get it as a reference loan from my local library. I'm working on transcribing some of the name lists, though!
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I believe they're British judging from the content of the website but they do look like American colonial-era names
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I don't believe that these names are made up, but they don't seem to have something that they are based on, so i'm not sure.
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I don't think any of these are "fake" in the sense that the person who put up these lists made them up and they are not really from 1877 birth records. However, in addition to there being the possibility of misspellings or alternative spellings, it is very easy for modern people to misinterpret the handwriting in old records and assimilate what the see to another name they are familiar with when that's not really what it was. So it is possible some of these are from misreading the handwriting, but one would have to have access to the original records to compare to see if that is the case in any particular instance.
This message was edited 7/23/2024, 8:56 AM
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