Tracing the geographic pattern of a forename

Sister Assumpta

There is a reasonably unusual recurring name in my family, which is Darius, sometimes shortened to Darby, which has been in the family from the present day until at least 1800.

The name Darby itself was common throughout the 19th century of course, but I'm not sure that it would always have come from Darius, which is what all the men in my family were named on their registration certificates.

I looked up the name Darius in the 1911 and 1901 census, and apart from one case of the name occuring in Dublin, all recorded incidences of the name in the country are within a small Geographic area of Tipperary:



Now, this can't easily be put down to the influence of a parish priest, schoolteacher or other local figure since most incidences of the name occur in different parishes, and across registration districts.

On the other hand, the majority of the men named Darius don't share the same surnames, but most are farmers living in adjoining rural areas, of similar social class.

This is a bit of a long shot, but what are the chances that these men are all related?

P. Breathnach

I'd be inclined to put it down to the (often questionable) Latinisation of names. As you point out, "Darby" as a forename is not rare, especially in the west of Ireland. I suspect that you have stumbled on a local tradition - that "Darius" was used in that part of the world as a version of the name more suited to formal documents.

[Another illustration of such gentrification of names is the use of "Dionysius" for "Denis".]

Coolnabacky1873

Do the men with this name share surnames that are linked to a particular religion/ethnic origin? E.g. older immigrant groups to Ireland such as Huguenots or Palatines, with some converting to RC or CofI over the cenuries.

As you say, Darby can also mean a different name, usually Jeremiah.

A long shot but is the name linked to some local custom, tradition, or worship of a religious figure?

I would try and access any local history publications for the area, as they might mention local naming traditions.

Sister Assumpta

Yes I looked up local newspaper clippings, there's no local celebrity or anything like that with the name Darius who might have inspired it -all the clippings for Dariuses seem to be realted to the individual men.

Their names are Irish names and actually very local to the area, no history of immigration at all.

P. Breathnach wrote: »

I'd be inclined to put it down to the (often questionable) Latinisation of names. As you point out, "Darby" as a forename is not rare, especially in the west of Ireland. I suspect that you have stumbled on a local tradition - that "Darius" was used in that part of the world as a version of the name more suited to formal documents.

[Another illustration of such gentrification of names is the use of "Dionysius" for "Denis".]

Yes I did consider that, but as far as I know Darby is usually formalised to Jeremiah (no idea why). This also appears on local parish records, so seems to rule out local custom (in any event, we are talking about separate parishes and registration districts).

These men were named Darius in newspaper clippings (selling agricultural produce, GAA news, etc), it doesn't seem to have been for baptismal or Latinizing reasons.

L1011

Local religious devotions can sometimes explain this. E.g. Mogue rarely ever surfaces as a name outside of wexford due to some alternate name for a local saint. It's usually Aidan on documents but not always

However finding a reference to a tradition that could be dead by now won't be easy. Could be worth looking for a local history society

pedroeibar1

P. Breathnach wrote: »

I'd be inclined to put it down to the (often questionable) Latinisation of names. As you point out, "Darby" as a forename is not rare, especially in the west of Ireland. I suspect that you have stumbled on a local tradition - that "Darius" was used in that part of the world as a version of the name more suited to formal documents.

[Another illustration of such gentrification of names is the use of "Dionysius" for "Denis".]

+1 on that.

Diarmuid / Jeremiah / Darby were/are interchangeable in my Tipp family line.
Some christian names are highly localised e.g. Declan around Youghal, Edmond/Edmund in Co. Tipp.

Aglomerado

pedroeibar1 wrote: »

+1 on that.

Diarmuid / Jeremiah / Darby were/are interchangeable in my Tipp family line.
Some christian names are highly localised e.g. Declan around Youghal, Edmond/Edmund in Co. Tipp.

+1. My maternal grandfather was a Jeremiah, sometimes nicknamed "Darby". In a local cemetery close to where he was born (Co. Clare) there is a memorial erected by a Darby with the same rare surname in 1785.

Jellybaby1

I offer Ancestry's understanding of the origin of the name Darby, though I can't say yay or nay myself:

http://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=darby

pedroeibar1

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

I offer Ancestry's understanding of the origin of the name Darby, though I can't say yay or nay myself:

http://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=darby

Interesting, but that refers to the surname Darby, which as Ancestry suggests probably has a 'locative' origin. The OP refers to a Christian name.

The first 'Darby' I have in my tree was born in 1752. His family was by that time Catholic, but many of his kinsmen had not yet converted from CoI.

Jellybaby1

Ah yes pedroeibar1, I see that now. However I'm also thinking along the lines of the Scottish name of Finlay, which could be either surname or Christian name. Maybe Darby has gone the same way?