Giving children to different mothers the same name?

Waitsian · 10-09-2019 12:51am #1

Has anyone ever come across this? I don't mean a child from a father's first marriage dies and then another to a second or third wife is given the same name. I mean a child is christened John for eg in 1845. John's mother later dies and his father remarries. Another John is named born to the second wife for eg in 1860. Twice I've come across it! And I'm beginning to doubt myself.

I have a case of three children to a second wife named Michael, Mary and Patrick; three other children to the first wife have the same name! Is this possible; has anyone else come across this?

I know for sure that a great-great-grandfather of mine married 3 times and he gave a son from both the first and third marriage the name John, so I do have evidence for it. Both lived to adulthood and married.

Bandana boy · 10-09-2019 1:19am

George foreman has five sons all named George and a daughter georgetta

Waitsian · 10-09-2019 2:02am

https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=616324.0

An interesting thread, that I hope Pinky doesn't mind me posting, which answers the question.

Anyone else though come across this in their research?

Vetch · 10-09-2019 6:31am

The children might have been known by their middle names.

Hermy · 10-09-2019 9:01am

I have at least one example of this in my tree - husband dies after only 7 years of marriage, wife remarries and has two children, the first given the same name as a daughter from the first marriage, and the second given the same name as the son from the first marriage, but as a middle name in his case.

[Deleted User] · 10-09-2019 9:05am

My grandmother called her 4th son Patrick. He died and the next son was also called Patrick. My father (the oldest son) had a vague recollection of a baby dying but couldn’t remember his name. He got talking to a local priest who said he’d have a look. That’s when it came to light.

threetrees · 10-09-2019 9:21am

Vetch wrote: »

The children might have been known by their middle names.

This, or they may have been known by another name completely. I think babies were baptised quickly so name choices were made quickly. I have come across "second" family siblings with the same names as the "first" family.

Hermy · 10-09-2019 9:47am

Deleted User wrote: »

My grandmother called her 4th son Patrick. He died and the next son was also called Patrick. My father (the oldest son) had a vague recollection of a baby dying but couldn’t remember his name. He got talking to a local priest who said he’d have a look. That’s when it came to light.

In the case of the opening post the child doesn't die but the name repeats.

sbsquarepants · 10-09-2019 9:49am

Bandana boy wrote: »

George foreman has five sons all named George and a daughter georgetta

And an appliance in his kitchen:D

pinkypinky · 10-09-2019 9:52am

I'm pretty sure I've come across it once in my family but can't remember where exactly.

paumurp · 11-09-2019 4:09pm

My uncle has 2 sons with the same name from 2 different relationships. To add to the confusion they have his name.

So if he is Patrick, there's Patrick Sr, Patrick Jr and Little Patrick. It's only confusing for other people I guess

KildareFan · 12-09-2019 11:08am

How about two sons with the same mother with the same name?

Friend of mine discovered his mother had two sons by two separate relationships before she married his father. The two sons were adopted separately and when my friend went looking for them after his mother died, he discovered his two half brothers had been given the same name.

Garlinge · 16-09-2019 2:45pm

Names were given to endow the protection of the saints or of a deceased family member. I have two Mary's in a family but known by their middle names in later years. Mary was also given to a male child but as a middle name.

GerardKeating · 16-09-2019 3:26pm

KildareFan wrote: »

How about two sons with the same mother with the same name?

Yep, my sister in law did this, two sons with the same first name, both are known by their middle name.

Hesh's Umpire · 23-09-2019 9:48pm

What would be the likelihood of a child being given a certain name, dying in infancy, and a younger sibling being given the same name?
I'm trying to convince myself that it may be the solution to a problem I've found in my tree.

Hermy · 23-09-2019 10:44pm

That's quite a common occurrence.

pinkypinky · 23-09-2019 10:47pm

Extremely common occurrence in the past - most recent one in my family is in the 1920s but I can think of at least 10 examples in just my own tree.

[Deleted User] · 24-09-2019 8:43am

Hesh's Umpire wrote: »

What would be the likelihood of a child being given a certain name, dying in infancy, and a younger sibling being given the same name?
I'm trying to convince myself that it may be the solution to a problem I've found in my tree.

As I’ve already posted, it happened in my Fathers family.

Meursault · 24-09-2019 8:50am

Very interesting.

Similar case in my family tree. My great grandfather had a brother, who was a bigamist. No one knew at the time, as he was in the army. He gave the kids from his second marriage the same first names as the kids from his first marriage. The poor wives never found out until he died and they went to collect their war widows pension. Presumably, the poor second wife got nothing and was left with no money to take care of the kids.

Hesh's Umpire · 24-09-2019 4:12pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Hesh's Umpire wrote: »

What would be the likelihood of a child being given a certain name, dying in infancy, and a younger sibling being given the same name?
I'm trying to convince myself that it may be the solution to a problem I've found in my tree.

As I’ve already posted, it happened in my Fathers family.

Thank you. I didn't see your post. It explains a lot for me.

OU812 · 27-09-2019 10:09pm

sbsquarepants wrote: »

And an appliance in his kitchen:D

When celebrity endorsements were first gaining traction, Hulk Hogan was given the option of endorsing a meatball maker or a grill, he chose & launched the "Hulkamania meatball maker" & made about $150k from it. Easy money.

George foreman was given the grill to endorse & took 40% as a royalty, he was making $5m, a month when the manufacturers bought him out for $150m, giving him a total of $200m profit for putting his name to it.

He can have as many kids named George as he likes.

hubba · 07-10-2019 8:47pm

Hesh's Umpire wrote: »

What would be the likelihood of a child being given a certain name, dying in infancy, and a younger sibling being given the same name?
I'm trying to convince myself that it may be the solution to a problem I've found in my tree.

I have come across a lot of that in my tree. I thought it was very odd but it kind of makes sense in a way.

Giving children to different mothers the same name?

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