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ArchivesPopular Southern Names
Does anyone know where I could find a list of popular names in the South from around the Civil War era?
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Replies
What about Civil War history? There should be lists of the soldiers in various regiments that you could follow up. Or military graveyards. This leaves out the girls, but presumably at least some State records should be available.
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These were the most popular names in the nineteenth century:
Girls-
Mary
Anna
Elizabeth
Emma
Alice
Edith
Florence
May
Helen
Katherine
Boys-
William
John
Charles
Harry
James
George
Frank
Robert
Joseph
Thomas
I found these in "Beyond Jennifer and Jason, Madison and Montana". These names were the most popular for the United States as a whole, but I'm guessing that these names were very popular in the South as well.
Girls-
Mary
Anna
Elizabeth
Emma
Alice
Edith
Florence
May
Helen
Katherine
Boys-
William
John
Charles
Harry
James
George
Frank
Robert
Joseph
Thomas
I found these in "Beyond Jennifer and Jason, Madison and Montana". These names were the most popular for the United States as a whole, but I'm guessing that these names were very popular in the South as well.
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It's a bit hard to find exactly which names were the most popular during the Civil War because I can't find any official lists based on social security information before 1880. I do know that names such as John, William, and Mary have been very popular for centuries.
This may be helpful though:
http://www.enoreo.on.ca/socialstudies/pioneer-virtual/baby.html
During the first half of the 1800s, the most popular children's names came from the Bible. Examples for boys included John, Joseph, Peter, Joshua, Daniel, Matthew, Noah, and Abraham. Popular names for girls included Mary, Sarah, Patience, Faith, Hope, and Charity. If a child was named after a relative, then often a descriptive adjective was added to the name. For example, the son who was named "Joseph" after his father, might have been called, "Little Joe". The little girl named "Sarah" after her aunt, might go by the nickname, "Smiling Sarah".
By the mid-19th century, names for boys and girls were not quite as often taken from the Bible, however, the names John and Mary have always topped the list of most popular names. The following list contains the most popular names given to babies in the year 1880. This is based on a survey sample taken in 1880 of 4,770 boys, and 2,360 girls.
Most Popular Baby Names in 1880
boys-
1. John
This may be helpful though:
http://www.enoreo.on.ca/socialstudies/pioneer-virtual/baby.html
During the first half of the 1800s, the most popular children's names came from the Bible. Examples for boys included John, Joseph, Peter, Joshua, Daniel, Matthew, Noah, and Abraham. Popular names for girls included Mary, Sarah, Patience, Faith, Hope, and Charity. If a child was named after a relative, then often a descriptive adjective was added to the name. For example, the son who was named "Joseph" after his father, might have been called, "Little Joe". The little girl named "Sarah" after her aunt, might go by the nickname, "Smiling Sarah".
By the mid-19th century, names for boys and girls were not quite as often taken from the Bible, however, the names John and Mary have always topped the list of most popular names. The following list contains the most popular names given to babies in the year 1880. This is based on a survey sample taken in 1880 of 4,770 boys, and 2,360 girls.
Most Popular Baby Names in 1880
boys-
1. John
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