October 6, 2023
When we research our ancestors, surnames tend to get the most attention. Many of us spend years trying to find the maiden names of our female ancestors. Rarely do we give the same attention to the given names of ancestors. That’s too bad. Given names can offer interesting insights into the lives of ancestors.
Over the years I’ve run across what I thought were some unusual first names. Names such as Increase Lippincott, Parshall Terry and Hezekiah Hadlock have made me wonder why anyone would saddle an innocent baby with such weird names.
After a bit of research, I’ve learned that all three of those names are representative of some common naming customs in early America.
Increase Lippincott had brothers named Remembrance and Preserved. The family were Puritans who converted to Quakerism. These names are examples of what are sometimes called religious virtue or hortatory names. These names were supposed to encourage children towards good behavior or point out moral truths. Both Puritans and Quakers used these types of names. They include names such as Faith, Justice, Truth, and Prudence. Although these names were used for both sexes, they seem to be more common for girls. Some such as Charity and Hope are still common today.
Parshall Terry is another name that represents a common naming trend. Parshall was the eldest son of Jonathan Terry and his wife Jemima Parshall. His given name was his mother’s maiden name. Using maiden names was common everywhere in early America and is still often used. The name was often the mother’s maiden name, but it was also sometimes a grandmother’s maiden name. For example, Cotton Mather, the well-known Puritan minister, was named after his maternal grandfather, John Cotton.
Occasionally, a child was given the surname of a friend of influential person. After the Revolution, boys were frequently named Lafayette after the famous French general who aided the Americans.
Up until about 1800, few children were given middle names. After that time, middle names became popular for children of both sexes. Family surnames were used as middle names for girls and boys. Often all the children in a family were given their mother’s maiden name as a middle name.
Hezekiah Hadlock is another example of a common naming tradition. Hezekiah is taken from the Bible. Although Hezekiah sounds unusual to us, it was not rare in New England. In fact, 80% of New England children in the colonial era had biblical names. Girls often were given the names of female prophets such as Anne, Deborah, and Huldah. Amos, Nehemiah, and Samuel are biblical names for boys.
Sometimes the biblical names chosen reflected the social status of a family. In the Bible, Hezekiah was the name of a King of Judah, while Amos was a simple herdsman. According to the historian David Hackett Fischer, author of Albion’s Seed, Hezekiah was a frequent name for officers on early muster rolls. Amos, on the other hand, was more often seen among the rank and file.
Learning the backstory of a given name can be a way to add depth to a family history. Rather than just being odd names that people used to give their children, these names can help us to understand a little more about our ancestors.
Carol Stetser
Researcher