Category: 18th century names
Colonial Names: Great New Old Choices
I was in Williamsburg, Virginia not too long ago, where there was a wonderful show of folk art portraits at the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Museum. I was transfixed by the art, of course, but even more transfixed by the colonial names.
Colonial names never cease to surprise and fascinate me. Among the many (many many) people named Mary and Elizabeth, Henry and James, there are always several names that are real doozies.
These are names that are mostly rooted in the bible or mythology, but that you just don’t hear much in the modern world.
But that doesn’t mean that many of these colonial names aren’t ripe for revival. A few of the colonial names on this list — notably Mercy, Augustine, and Susannah — are being rediscovered by today’s parents.
The others, well, are they undiscovered gems or mere curiosities? What do you think?
This collection is simply based on the (real) 18th century people pictured in the portrait show.
girls
- Burneretta — This is not a literally unique name — a few others are findable online — but seems to be an invention.
- Debrah — Interesting to see that Deborah had spelling variations 300 years ago.
- Delia — An old-fashioned name with a sleek modern feeling (like Celia), Delia can also be short for Adelia or Cordelia.
- Dorothea — Coming back along with brother Theodore.
Independence Day names: Born on the 4th of July
With apologies to our dear Britberries, today we honor some of the heroes in the struggle of the US to gain its independence from the mother country, along with some of the more interestingly named Signers of the Declaration of Independence.
REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD HEROES
AARON Burr—fought in the War for Independence before he served as Vice President and fought his famous duel
ALEXANDER Hamilton—served as aide-de-camp to General George Washington during the Revolutionary War, before his later accomplishments
ANTHONY Wayne – won major recognition for bravery as a general in the American Revolution, also known as (oops!) “Mad” Anthony Wayne
ARTEMAS Ward – an important general in the war and a Congressman from Massachusetts
AUSTIN Dabney – a slave who became a private in the Georgia militia and fought the British
BETSY (Elizabeth) Ross—even though she well might not have made the first American flag
CASIMIR Pulaski – Polish-born “Father of the American Cavalry” under Washington
CRISPUS Attucks – a fugitive slave who became the first casualty of the Revolution when he was shot and killed in the Boston Massacre
DEBORAH Sampson — first known woman to impersonate a man in order to join the army and take part in combat
EBENEZER Learned – a brigadier general in the Continental Army
ENOCH Poor –another brigadier general, called by Washington “an officer of distinguished merit”
ESEK Hopkins – a Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Navy during the war
ETHAN Allen – war hero who formed the Green Mountain Boys and was responsible for the capture of Fort Ticonderoga
EVAN Shelby, Jr – a Revolutionary War militia leader
HAYM Salomon – Polish-born Jewish immigrant who played a key role in financing the Revolution
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