Naming the Children

Do you want to know one of the things that turns a genealogist's hair gray? Decades of an area in a state where the men have the same names due to traditional naming conventions.

The act of naming your children was sometimes followed as a strict rule by European-based families.  For example:

Irish Naming Conventions

The 1st son was usually named after the father's father

The 2nd son was usually named after the mother's father

The 3rd son was usually named after the father

The 4th son was usually named after the father's eldest brother

The 5th son was usually named after the mother's eldest brother

The 1st daughter was usually named after the mother's mother

The 2nd daughter was usually named after the father's mother

The 3rd daughter was usually named after the mother

The 4th daughter was usually named after the mother's eldest sister

The 5th daughter was usually named after the father's eldest sister

This meant that if brothers lived in close proximity all their lives, their sons and daughters might all have the same names and be close in age.  This sometimes help if you know a person is the first born and you want to find the father but it creates a bit of a mess.