How popular is the baby name Lucius in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Find out using the graph below! Plus, check out all the blog posts that mention the name Lucius.
The graph will take a few seconds to load, thanks for your patience. (Don't worry, it shouldn't take nine months.) If it's taking too long, try reloading the page.
Tuesday’s post about the Victorian-style Tylney Hall Hotel reminded me of a list of Victorian-era names that I’ve had bookmarked forever.
The list was created by amateur genealogist G. M. Atwater as a resource for writers. It contains names and name combinations that were commonly seen in the U.S. from the 1840s to the 1890s. Below is the full list (with a few minor changes).
Victorian Era Female Names
Victorian Era Male Names
Abigale / Abby
Ada
Adella
Agnes
Allie
Almira / Almyra
Alva
America
Amelia
Ann / Annie
Arrah
Beatrice
Bernice
Charity
Charlotte
Chastity
Claire
Constance
Cynthia
Dorothy / Dot
Edith
Edna
Edwina
Ella
Eleanor
Ellie
Elizabeth / Eliza / Liza / Lizzy / Bess / Bessie / Beth / Betsy
In yesterday’s post on Breton baby names in France, I mentioned a French name law from the early 19th century.
That 1803 law has an interesting history, complete with ties to the French Revolution.
In September of 1792, one day before the French National Convention abolished the monarchy, a decree was issued. The decree allowed the citizens of France to change their forenames quite easily–all they had to do was “make a simple formal declaration before the registrar of their local municipality.”
Many people took advantage of this decree and chose new names with a revolutionary flavor, such as:
These patriotic name-changes happened mostly in “urban areas, and particularly those, like Rouen, where Revolutionary fervour was intense.”
But, apparently, they got out of hand.
A decade later, a law was written that restricted French given names to “names used in various calendars” (that is, Catholic saint names) and “names of persons known from ancient history.” In essence, the law was meant to “put an end to citizens bearing absurd names that signified inanimate objects, forms of vegetation, membership of the animal kingdom and abstract concepts.”
….And this was the law that gave the Manrot-le Goarnic family so much difficulty when they tried to give their children Breton names a century and a half later.