A while back, I stumbled upon a register of people associated with Oxford University from the mid-16th century to the early 17th century.
Interestingly, the editor of the register decided to include a section dedicated to first names and surnames. That section included a long list of male forenames and their frequency of occurrence from 1560 to 1621.
The editor claimed that, for several reasons, these rankings were “probably…more representative of English names than any list yet published” for that span of time. One reason was that the names represented men from “different grades of English society” — including peers, scholars, tradesmen, and servants.
So, are you ready for the list?
Here’s the top 100:
- John, 3,826 individuals
- Thomas, 2,777
- William, 2,546
- Richard, 1,691
- Robert, 1,222
- Edward, 957
- Henry, 908
- George, 647
- Francis, 447
- James, 424
- Nicholas, 326
- Edmund, 298
- Anthony, 262
- Hugh, 257
- Christopher, 243
- Samuel, 227
- Walter, 207
- Roger, 195
- Ralph, 182
- Peter (and Peirs/Pers), 175
- Humphrey, 168
- Charles, 139
- Philip, 137
- David, 129
- Matthew, 116
- Nathaniel, 112
- Michael, 103
- Alexander, 98 (tie)
- Arthur, 98 (tie)
- Laurence, 90
- Giles, 88
- Stephen, 86
- Simon, 83
- Daniel, 79
- Joseph, 78 (tie)
- Lewis, 78 (tie)
- Andrew, 69
- Roland, 65
- Griffith (and Griffin), 60
- Evan, 55
- Abraham, 54 (tie)
- Leonard, 54 (tie)
- Owen, 53
- Gilbert, 52
- Morris (and Maurice), 51
- Bartholomew, 46 (3-way tie)
- Oliver, 46 (3-way tie)
- Timothy, 46 (3-way tie)
- Morgan, 45
- Martin, 44 (tie)
- Rice, 44 (tie)
- Gabriel, 41
- Benjamin, 40
- Jeffrey/Geoffrey, 38
- Ambrose, 36
- Adam, 35
- Toby (and Tobias), 34
- Jerome, 33
- Ellis, 30
- Paul, 29
- Bernard, 28 (3-way tie)
- Gregory, 28 (3-way tie)
- Isaac, 28 (3-way tie)
- Jasper (and Gaspar), 26 (3-way tie)
- Josiah (and Josias), 26 (3-way tie)
- Randall (and Randolph), 26 (3-way tie)
- Miles, 24
- Lancelot, 23
- Austin (and Augustine), 22 (tie)
- Jarvis (and Gervase), 22 (tie)
- Brian, 21
- Matthias, 20 (tie)
- Reginald (and Reynold), 20 (tie)
- Jeremy, 19
- Theophilus, 19
- Joshua 18 (3-way tie)
- Marmaduke, 18 (3-way tie)
- Valentine, 18 (3-way tie)
- Fulke, 17 (tie)
- Sampson (and Samson), 17 (tie)
- Clement, 16 (4-way tie)
- Ferdinando, 16 (4-way tie)
- Herbert, 16 (4-way tie)
- Zachary, 16 (4-way tie)
- Cuthbert, 15 (3-way tie)
- Emanuel, 15 (3-way tie)
- Vincent, 15 (3-way tie)
- Adrian, 14 (3-way tie)
- Elias, 14 (3-way tie)
- Jonah (and Jonas), 14 (3-way tie)
- Tristram, 13
- Allan, 12 (6-way tie)
- Ames, 12 (6-way tie)
- Barnaby (and Barnabas), 12 (6-way tie)
- Gerard (and Garret), 12 (6-way tie)
- Lionel, 12 (6-way tie)
- Mark, 12 (6-way tie)
- Abel, 11 (3-way tie)
- Erasmus, 11 (3-way tie)
- Roderic, 11 (3-way tie)
Did the relative popularity of any of these names surprise you?
The editor did note that “the more common names occur more frequently than they ought to…from the tendency to confuse less common names with them.”
For example, a person called ‘Edmund,’ if he is frequently mentioned in the Register, is almost certain to be somewhere quoted as ‘Edward,’ ‘Gregory’ as ‘George,’ ‘Randall’ or ‘Raphael’ as ‘Ralph,’ ‘Gilbert’ as ‘William,’ and so on.
Now here are some of the less-common names, grouped by number of appearances in the register:
| 10 appearances | Israel, Luke |
| 9 appearances | Cadwalader, Jenkin, Percival |
| 8 appearances | Bennet/Benedict, Godfrey, Howell, Jonathan, Raphael, Theodore |
| 7 appearances | Baldwin, Gawen/Gavin, Hercules, Job, Kenelm, Meredith, Silvester, Solomon, Watkin |
| 6 appearances | Alban, Basil, Caleb, Cornelius, Dennis, Guy, Jacob, Patrick |
| 5 appearances | Dudley, Edwin, Eustace, Ezechias/Hezekiah, Ezekiel, Hannibal, Joel, Moses, Peregrine, Simeon, Thurstan, Zacchaeus |
| 4 appearances | Felix, Maximilian, Phineas |
| 3 appearances | Aaron, Abdias, Amos, Arnold, Baptist, Barten, Devereux, Diggory, Eleazer, Elisha, Ely, Ephraim, Euseby, German, Hamnet, Hilary, Hopkin, Jevan (“a form for Evan”), Justinian, Lemuel, Osmund, Pexall, Shakerley, Swithin |
| 2 appearances | Angell, Audley, Avery, Bruin, Caesar, Calcot, Carew, Carr, Cecil, Cheyney, Clare, Collingwood, Conon/Conan, Darcy, Dominic, Elkanah, Emor, Ethelbert, Fitz-William, Frederic, Gamaliel, Gideon, Gifford, Goddard, Gray, Hamlet, Hammond, Harvey, Hastings, Hatton, Hector, Isaiah, Jethro, Joscelyn, Julius, Knightley, Mordecai, Morton, Nathan, Nevell, Obadiah, Otho, Pascho, Philemon, Polydor, Price, Raleigh, Raymond, Reuben, Rouse, Sabaoth, Sebastian, Seth, Silas, Silvanus, Tertullian, Umpton, Warren, Wortley, Zouch |
Finally, lets check out some of the single-appearance names.
Over 250 names were in the register just once. I won’t include all of them, but here are about half:
- Accepted, Aegeon, Albinus, Alford, Algernon, Ammiel, Arcadius, Arundel, Atherton, Aubrey, Aunstey, Aymondesham*
- Bamfield, Beauforus, Bezaliel, Blaise, Bulstrod, Burgetius
- Cadoc, Calvin, Candish, Cannanuel, Chiddiock, Chilston, Chrysostom, Conrad (“probably a foreigner”), Cosowarth, Creswell, Cyprian
- Dabridgcourt, Darby, Delvus, Deodatus, Dier, Donwald, Dunstan
- Elihu, Erisy, Esdras, Everard
- Fernand, Fettiplace, Fines, Florice, Fogge, Fulbert
- Geraint, Gerald, Glidd, Gourneus, Granado, Grange, Gratian
- Hattil, Haut, Hercius, Hodges
- Jarniot, Jephson, Jerameel, Jeremoth, Jolliffe
- Kelamus, Killingworth, Kingsmell
- Lambard, Leoline, Levinus, Leyson, Livewell
- Maior, Maniewe, Marchadine, Mardocheus, Mattathias, Moyle
- Nargia, Nizael, Norwich, Noye
- Ogier, Olliph, Otwell
- Pancras, Peleger, Periam, Person, Phatnell, Poynings, Purify
- Renewed, Rheseus (“a Latinism for Rice”), Rimprum, Rollesley, Rotheram, Rumbold
- Sabinus, Scipio, Sefton, Slaney, Snappe, Southcot, St. John, Stockett, Stukeley
- Tanfield, Thekeston, Thrasibulus, Timoleon, Tournie, Tupper
- Ulpian, Utred
- Wallop, Walsingham, Warian, Warnecombe, Whorwood, Willgent
- Yeldard
- Zorobabel
*Could “Aymondesham” be a typo for Agmondesham?
Which of these uncommon names do you find the most intriguing?
Source: Register of the University of Oxford, vol. 2, part 4, edited by Andrew Clark, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1889.
Image: Merton College from Merton Field by Jonas Magnus Lystad under CC BY-SA 4.0.
[Latest update: Dec. 2022]
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