Need Fancy Victorian Names

[philosopher]

I need fancy victorian names, first names and surnames, for young ladies of good standing at an elite finishing school in New Hampshire in 1856.
I also need names for people, men and women, first names and surnames, out in California in 1864. This is after the Gold Rush when the gold is beoming scarce.

[heimarmene]

Hmmm...I'm afraid I can't be of much help concerning the Gold Rush, but I love the Victorians! Traditional names such as William, James, Katherine, ect. were big. I'll link you to an article about that: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb..../OldNames.html

And just for kicks, here's a FANTASTIC Victorian name generator (I adore this site): http://oobleck.org/steam/

Hope that helped!

[philosopher]

Thank you so much, heimarmene!
P.S. Cool profile picture!

[miloowen]

Victorian names in New Hampshire would be decidedly different from English Victorian names. In the 1850's in New England there was still the influence of the Quaker and Puritan names. Along with Biblical names and plain Christian names, there was a resurgence of Greco-Roman names as well. For example, in my own family there was a Parthenia, Eleanor, Edith, Mildred, Margaret, Jane, Irene, Louisa, Helen, Lina, and Sophia. In my family, male names were Charles Edward, Philip, Waldo, Bertram, Louis, George, Wadsworth, Henry, Cushman, Altheus, Thomas, Irving, William, Herbert, Alfred, and Dow.

[jlhermes]

Squeeee! Excited about this... I'm biased, though, as the mid-1800s Wild West/Americana sub-genre is one of my all-time faves!

I don't really have any Victorian suggestions for you, although if I flip through some Regency romances I might find a nugget or five for you. Isobel, Eleanor, Annabel, Lucinda, Daphne, Claire and Maria seem to fit. Not sure if that's what you're looking for (and those were just the names of the heroines in the first few romances I picked up, just at random.)

As for the 1860s in California, I really think anything goes. Again, from a romance perspective, (and as cowboys are my favorite romances to read about), I've seen male and female names run the gambit. For women I've seen Honor, Willow and Mercy; Mary, Katherine and Dorothy. For men, Jack, Chase and Colton; Lucas, Vernon, and William. Not sure if that helps, but hopefully it gives you some fodder to chew on!

And thanks, Heimarmene, for the name generator!

[philosopher]

Thank you!!!!

[gemmav]

Check out this blog for ideas: http://www.babynamesfromyesteryear.com

Their Victorian entries from the Gentleman's magazine marriage announcements, while British, may still be a source of inspiration for you: http://www.babynamesfromyesteryear.c...ine-names.html

If you have the patience to decipher old hand-written records, http://www.censusfinder.com/california.htm will allow you to search records of births, deaths, and marriages in your chosen year by state and county. A time-consuming task, but historically accurate.

Happy naming!

[crysacraig]

Maybe Madeline, Olivia...they feel victorian.