
Created by Julie Goucher April 2020 Using Wordclouds.com
Naming patterns across Europe tend to following this pattern. In England this happens less though. It is however common for parents to name offspring after themselves.
- 1st son – after the paternal Grandfather
- 2nd son – after the maternal Grandfather
- 1st daughter – after the paternal Grandmother
- 2nd daughter – after the maternal Grandmother
Certainly in Italy it is very important to adhere to this and therefore, you sometimes see the names repeating, perhaps as a second given name to a sibling.
It is also common to find those of the Catholic faith giving second given names to children to use the name Maria for baby boys!
As a name nerd, I feel sorry for people from cultures where such naming customs are all but legally enforced. It’s like letting your great-grandparents choose your children’s names instead of choosing original names you love. It can also be very frustrating to do genealogical research when most people in a family have the same dozen or so names over and over again.
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I do agree, but in the case of Italian genealogy it is quite fascinating, as it can provide a clue to the earlier years. It is also about the culture and honouring family.
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