Clergyman Milton Wright and his wife, Susan, married in 1859 and welcomed seven children.
Two of those children, Wilbur and Orville, went on to design, build, and fly the world’s first engine-powered, heavier-than-air flying machine in late 1903.
So, how did Wilbur and Orville come to have their names?
Their father, believing the family surname was “too common, was determined to give his children distinctive first names.” Here are those distinctive first names, in order from oldest child to youngest:
- Reuchlin (born in 1861) was named after German theologian Johannes Reuchlin (1455-1522).
- His nickname was Reuch, pronounced roosh.
- Lorin (b. 1862) was “named for a town selected at random on a map” because his parents “thought it sounded nice.”
- Wilbur (b. 1867) was named after American minister Wilbur Fisk (1792-1839).
- Otis (b. 1870, twin) died in infancy.
- Ida (b. 1870, twin) died in infancy.
- Orville (b. 1871) was named after American minister Orville Dewey (1794-1882).
- Katharine (b. 1874), whose grandmothers were both named Catherine, was likely given a family name.
- “Variant spellings of her name were common on both sides of the family. The choice of Katharine suggests that her parents wanted to commemorate the family name while giving this child the same sense of distinction as their sons.”
Out of just Wilbur and Orville, which name do you prefer? Why?
Sources:
- The Wright Family History – Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)
- Crouch, Tom D. The Bishop’s Boys: A Life of Wilbur and Orville Wright. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1989.
- Milton Wright (bishop) – Wikipedia
Image: Adapted from Wilbur and Orville Wright with Flyer II at Huffman Prairie (public domain)
