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Real Romani Baby Names Make History

What are some Romani names from a century or more ago? These kinds of name treasures from the past can be difficult to track down, but sometimes you get lucky.

I have found a catalogue of old birth certificates of Romani (once referred to as Gypsy) children with their parents' names. My understanding is that all of these records are from England with births throughout the 1800’s and early 1900’s. So many of the names are what I would expect from that place and time: Kate, Henry, Oliver, Matthew, Eliza, Sarah, James, Benjamin, Annie, Mary, Charlotte, Robert, Thomas… you get the idea.  But here, I’m paying special attention to the glittery bits. There are some here that I can genuinely say that you’ve probably never seen before.

Keep in mind that these vintage Romani baby names are from England only. There are many more unusual Romani names from Spain, Turkey, Italy, Hungary, Germany, etc.

Romani Girl Names

Romani Boy Names

This post was originally published on Wednesday, May 8th 2013.

Isadora Vega

Isadora Vega is the creator of the blog Bewitching Names, which focuses on witchy and pagan names. Her lifelong name geekitude and passion for rarities makes writing about this topic a treat. She is currently based in the Pacific Northwest.

View all of Isadora Vega's articles →

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