How popular is the baby name Ambrose in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Ambrose.

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Popularity of the baby name Ambrose


Posts that mention the name Ambrose

What popularized the baby name Ambrosia?

The Ambrosia album "Life Beyond L.A." (1978)
Ambrosia album

The name Ambrosia popped up in the U.S. baby name data only a handful of times during the first half of the 1900s.

When it returned in 1975, though, it stuck around. It rose swiftly in the data from 1979 until 1981, and it continued to see a decent amount of usage per year from the early ’80s until the early 2000s.

  • 1983: 44 baby girls named Ambrosia
  • 1982: 39 baby girls named Ambrosia
  • 1981: 65 baby girls named Ambrosia (peak usage)
  • 1980: 57 baby girls named Ambrosia
  • 1979: 28 baby girls named Ambrosia
  • 1978: 12 baby girls named Ambrosia
  • 1977: 11 baby girls named Ambrosia

Here’s a visual:

Graph of the usage of the baby name Ambrosia in the U.S. since 1880
Usage of the baby name Ambrosia

What caused that surge in usage?

American yacht-rock band Ambrosia (pronounced am-BROH-zhuh).

The four-member, California-based group put out a string of successful singles during the late 1970s and early 1980s — including the hits “How Much I Feel” (1978) and “Biggest Part of Me” (1980), both of which peaked at #3 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart.

The band was originally called Ambergris Might. After discovering that another rock band was also (improbably) calling themselves Ambergris, though, they decided to change their name. Turning to the dictionary, they spotted “ambrosia” just below “ambergris” and, liking the definition, adopted Ambrosia as their new name.

The word ambrosia — which is based on the ancient Greek word ambrotos, meaning “immortal” — refers to the food of the gods (i.e., the food that made the gods immortal). The more familiar first name Ambrose (as in Ambrose Bierce, and Ambrose Burnside) has the same root.

What are your thoughts on the name Ambrosia?

P.S. The band’s drummer is the appropriately named Burleigh Drummond. :)

Sources:

Saintly surnames: Bosco, Neri, Sheen, Talbot

Looking for a surname-inspired baby name with a connection to Catholicism?

Here are more than 200 options, most of which come from Catholic Englishmen martyred during the 16th and 17th centuries.

Because the goal was to include as many realistic baby names as possible, I interpreted “surname” and “saint” liberally in some cases. Xavier is not technically a surname, for instance, and many of the folks below are not yet full-fledged saints.

  • Abel, for Bl. Thomas Abel (d. 1540) of England.
  • Abbot, for Bl. Henry Abbot (d. 1597) of England.
  • Albert, for Bl. Federico Albert (d. 1876) of Italy.
  • Almond, for St. John Almond (d. 1612) of England.
  • Amias, for Bl. John Amias (d. 1589) of England.
  • Ancina, for Bl. John Juvenal Ancina (d. 1604) of Italy.
  • Andleby, for Bl. William Andleby (d. 1597) of England.
  • Aquinas, for St. Thomas Aquinas (d. 1274) of Italy.
  • Arrowsmith, for St. Edmund Arrowsmith (d. 1628) of England.
  • Ashley, for Bl. Ralph Ashley (d. 1606) of England.
  • Ashton, for Ven. Roger Ashton (d. 1592) of England.
  • Atkinson, for Bl. Thomas Atkinson (d. 1616) of England.
  • Aufield, for Bl. Thomas Aufield (d. 1585) of England.
  • Barlow, for St. Ambrose Barlow (d. 1641) of England.
  • Baylon, for St. Paschal Baylon (d. 1592) of Spain.
  • Becket, from St. Thomas Becket (d. 1170) of England.
  • Beesley, for Bl. George Beesley (d. 1591) of England.
  • Belson, for Bl. Thomas Belson (d. 1589) of England.
  • Bertie, for Servant of God Andrew Bertie (d. 2008) of England/Malta.
  • Bertrand, for St. Louis Bertrand (d. 1581) of Spain/South America.
  • Bessette, for St. André Bessette (d. 1937) of Canada.
  • Bonzel, for Bl. Maria Theresia Bonzel (d. 1905) of Germany.
  • Bosco, for St. John Bosco (d. 1888) of Italy.
  • Bosgrave, for Bl. Thomas Bosgrave (d. 1594) of England.
  • Bowes, for Bl. Marmaduke Bowes (d. 1585) of England.
  • Briant, for St. Alexander Briant (d. 1581) of England.
  • Britton, for Bl. John Britton (d. 1598) of England.
  • Buxton, for Bl. Christopher Buxton (d. 1588) of England.
  • Cabrini, for St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (d. 1917) of Italy/U.S.
  • Campion, for St. Edmund Campion (d. 1581) of England.
  • Carey, for Bl. John Carey (d. 1594) of England.
  • Carter, for Bl. William Carter (b. 1584) of England.
  • Casey, for Ven. Solanus Casey (d. 1957) of the U.S. (His religious name “Solanus” comes from St. Francis Solanus, below.)
  • Cassant, for Bl. Pierre-Joseph Cassant (d. 1903) of France.
  • Catherick, for Bl. Edmund Catherick (d. 1642) of England.
  • Chanel, for St. Peter Chanel (d. 1841) of France.
  • Claver, for St. Peter Claver (d. 1654) of Spain.
  • Claxton, for Bl. James Claxton (d. 1588) of England.
  • Collins, for Bl. Dominic Collins (d. 1602) of Ireland.
  • Cope, for St. Marianne Cope (d. 1918) of Germany/U.S.
  • Corbie, for Ven. Ralph Corbie (d. 1644) of Ireland.
  • Cornelius, for Bl. John Cornelius (d. 1594) of England.
  • Dalby, for Bl. Robert Dalby (d. 1589) of England.
  • Daniel, for St. Antoine Daniel (d. 1648) of France/Canada.
  • David, for Bl. Vicente Vilar David (1937) of Spain or Bl. Toros Oghlou David (d. 1895) of Armenia
  • Davy, for Bl. John Davy (d. 1537) of England or Bl. Charlotte Davy (d. 1794) of France.
  • Dean, for Bl. William Dean (d. 1588) of England.
  • Dorie, for Bl. Pierre Henri Dorie (d. 1866) of France.
  • Douglas, for Bl. George Douglas (d. 1587) of Scotland.
  • Drexel, for St. Katharine Drexel (d. 1955) of the U.S.
  • Drury, for Bl. Robert Drury (d. 1607) of England.
  • Duff, for Servant of God Frank Duff (d. 1980) of Ireland.
  • Duke, for Bl. Edmund Duke (d. 1590) of England.
  • Durando, for Bl. Marco Antonio Durando (d. 1880) of Italy.
  • Dutton, for Servant of God Joseph Dutton (d. 1931) of the U.S.
  • Ebner, for Bl. Margareta Ebner (d. 1351) of Germany.
  • Emmerich, for Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich (d. 1824) of Germany.
  • Errico, for St. Gaetano Errico (d. 1860) of Italy.
  • Errington, for Bl. George Errington (d. 1596) of England.
  • Evans, for St. Philip Evans (d. 1679) of Wales.
  • Faber, for St. Peter Faber (d. 1546) of France.
  • Falzon, for Bl. Nazju Falzon (d. 1865) of Malta.
  • Farina, for St. Giovanni Antonio Farina (d. 1888) of Italy.
  • Fasani, for St. Francis Anthony Fasani (d. 1742) of Italy.
  • Felton, for Bl. John Felton (d. 1570) in England.
  • Fenn, for Bl. James Fenn (d. 1584) in England.
  • Fenwick, for Bl. John Fenwick (d. 1679) of England.
  • Ferrari, for Bl. Andrea Carlo Ferrari (d. 1921) of Italy.
  • Ferrer, for St. Vincent Ferrer (d. 1419) of Spain.
  • Filby, for Bl. William Filby (d. 1582) of England.
  • Frassati, for Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati (d. 1925) of Italy.
  • Fulthrop, for Bl. Edward Fulthrop (d. 1597) of England.
  • Finch, for Bl. John Finch (d. 1584) of England.
  • Fisher, for Bl. John Fisher (d. 1535) of England.
  • Foley, for Servant of God Theodore Foley (d. 1974) of the U.S.
  • Fontaine, for Bl. Marie-Madeleine Fontaine (d. 1794) of France.
  • Forest, for Bl. John Forest (d. 1538) of England.
  • Garnet, for St. Thomas Garnet (d. 1608) of England.
  • Gavan, for Bl. John Gavan (d. 1679) of England.
  • Gennings, for St. Edmund Gennings (d. 1591) of England.
  • Gerard, for Bl. Jeanne Gerard (d. 1794) of France or Bl. Joseph Gérard, (d. 1914) of France/South Africa.
  • Gerosa, for St. Vincentia Gerosa (d. 1847) of Italy.
  • Gervase, for Bl. George Gervase (d. 1608) of England.
  • Gibson, for Bl. William Gibson (d. 1596) of England.
  • Goretti, for St. Maria Goretti (d. 1902) of Italy.
  • Grove, for Bl. John Grove (d. 1679) of England.
  • Gwyn, for St. Richard Gwyn (d. 1584) of Wales.
  • Harrington, for Bl. William Harrington (d. 1594) of England.
  • Heath, for Bl. Henry Heath (d. 1643) of England.
  • Hewitt, for Bl. John Hewitt (d. 1588) of England.
  • Higgins, for Bl. Peter Higgins (d. 1642) of Irish.
  • Houghton, for St. John Houghton (d. 1535) of England.
  • Howard, for St. Philip Howard (d. 1595) of England or for his grandson, Bl. William Howard (d. 1680) of England.
  • Humphrey, for St. Lawrence Humphrey (d. 1590) of England.
  • Hunt, for Bl. Thurston Hunt (d. 1601) of England.
  • Ingleby, for Bl. Francis Ingleby (d. 1586) of England.
  • Ingram, for Ven. John Ingram (d. 1594) of England.
  • Janssen, for St. Arnold Janssen (d. 1909) of Germany.
  • Kemble, for St. John Kemble (d. 1679) of England.
  • Kern, for Bl. Jakob Kern (d. 1924) of Austria.
  • Kirby, for St. Luke Kirby (d. 1582) of England.
  • Kolbe, for St. Maximilian Kolbe (d. 1941) of Poland.
  • Konrad, for Bl. Nicholas Konrad (d. 1941) of Ukraine.
  • Lakota, for Bl. Gregor Lakota (d. 1950) of Ukraine.
  • Langley, for Bl. Richard Langley (d. 1586) of England.
  • Lanteri, for Ven. Bruno Lanteri (d. 1830) of Italy.
  • Larke, for Bl. John Larke (d. 1544) of England.
  • Laval, for Bl. Jacques-Désiré Laval (d. 1864) of France/Mauritius.
  • Lawrence, for St. Robert Lawrence (d. 1535) of England.
  • Leigh, for Bl. Richard Leigh (d. 1588) of England.
  • Lewis, for St. David Lewis (d. 1679) of Wales
  • Liguori, for St. Alphonsus Liguori (d. 1787) of Italy.
  • Lilli, for Bl. Salvatore Lilli (d. 1895) of Italy.
  • Lloyd, for St. John Lloyd (d. 1679) of Wales.
  • Lockwood, for Bl. John Lockwood (d. 1642) of England.
  • Lucas, for Bl. Charlotte Lucas (d. 1794) of France.
  • MacKillop, for St. Mary MacKillop (d. 1909) of Australia.
  • Majali, for Bl. Giuliano Majali (d. 1470) of Sicily.
  • Majella, for St. Gerard Majella (d. 1755) of Italy.
  • Manna, for Bl. Paolo Manna (d. 1952) of Italy.
  • Marchand, for St. Joseph Marchand (d. 1835) of France.
  • Marella, for Ven. Olinto Marella (d. 1969) of Italy.
  • Mareri, for Bl. Philippa Mareri (d. 1236) of Italy.
  • Margil, for Ven. Antonio Margil (d. 1726) of Spain/Central America.
  • Mari, for Servant of God Ida Mari (d. 1981) of Italy.
  • Martin, for St. Louis Martin (d. 1894) of France or Bl. Richard Martin (d. 1588) of England.
  • Marsden, from Bl. William Marsden (d. 1586) of England.
  • Marto, for Bl. Francisco Marto (d. 1919) of Portugal.
  • Mason, for Bl. John Mason (d. 1591) of England.
  • Massey, for Bl. René-Julien Massey (d. 1792) of France.
  • Maxfield, for Bl. Thomas Maxfield (d. 1616) of England.
  • Munden, for Bl. John Munden (d. 1584) of England.
  • Mayer, for Bl. Rupert Mayer (d. 1945) of Germany.
  • McAuley, for Ven. Catherine McAuley (d. 1841) of Ireland.
  • Meehan, for Bl. Charles Meehan (d. 1679) of Ireland.
  • Merlo, for Ven. Thecla Merlo (d. 1964) of Italy.
  • Medina, for Bl. Manuel Medina y Olmos (d. 1936) of Spain.
  • Mela, for Ven. Itala Mela (d. 1957) of Italy.
  • Merton, for Fr. Thomas Merton (d. 1968) of the U.S.
  • Mesina, for Bl. Antonia Mesina (d. 1935) of Italy.
  • Miki, for St. Paul Miki (d. 1597) of Japan.
  • Molina, for Bl. Mercedes de Jesús Molina y Ayala (d. 1883) of Ecuador.
  • Molla, for St. Gianna Beretta Molla (d. 1962) of Italy.
  • Mora, for Bl. Elisabeth Canori Mora (d. 1825) of Italy.
  • Morse, for St. Henry Morse (d. 1645) of England.
  • Nelson, for Bl. John Nelson (d. 1578) of England.
  • Neri, for St. Philip Neri (d. 1595) of Italy.
  • Newman, for Bl. John Henry Newman (d. 1890) of England.
  • Nichols, for Bl. George Nichols (d. 1589) fo England.
  • Nolasco, for St. Peter Nolasco (d. 1256) of France.
  • Ogilvie, for St. John Ogilvie (d. 1615) of Scotland.
  • Owen, for St. Nicholas Owen (d. 1606) of England.
  • Page, for Bl. Anthony Page (d. 1593) of England or Bl. Francis Page (d. 1602) of England.
  • Percy, for Bl. Thomas Percy (d. 1572) of England.
  • Potter, for Ven. Mary Potter (d. 1913) of England.
  • Powell, for Bl. Edward Powell (d. 1540) of Wales.
  • Quinn, for Ven. Edel Quinn (d. 1944) of Ireland.
  • Rawlins, for Bl. Alexander Rawlins (d. 1595) of England.
  • Regis, for St. John Francis Regis (d. 1640) of France.
  • Reynolds, for St. Richard Reynolds (d. 1535) of England or Bl. Thomas Reynolds (d. 1560) of England.
  • Richardson, for Bl. Lawrence Richardson (d. 1582) of England or Bl. William Richardson (d. 1603) of England.
  • Rigby, for St. John Rigby (d. 1600) of England
  • Rivi, for Bl. Rolando Rivi (d. 1945) of Italy.
  • Robinson, for St. Christopher Robinson (d. 1598) of England.
  • Rochester, for Bl. John Rochester (d. 1537) of England.
  • Roe, for St. Alban Roe (d. 1642) of England.
  • Romano, for Bl. Vincent Romano (d. 1831) of Italy.
  • Rossello, for St. Maria Giuseppa Rossello (d. 1880) of Italy.
  • Sala, for Bl. Maria Anna Sala (d. 1891) of Italy.
  • Savio, for St. Dominic Savio (d. 1857) of Italy.
  • Scott, for Bl. Montford Scott (d. 1591) of England or Bl. Maurus Scott (d. 1612) of England.
  • Serra, for St. Junipero Serra (d. 1784) of Spain/New Spain.
  • Seton, for St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (d. 1821) of the U.S.
  • Sheen, for Ven. Fulton J. Sheen (d. 1979) of the U.S.
  • Shelley, for Bl. Edward Shelley (d. 1588) of England.
  • Sherwin, for St. Ralph Sherwin (d. 1581) of England.
  • Sherwood, for Bl. Thomas Sherwood (d. 1578) of England.
  • Sinclair, for Ven. Margaret Anne Sinclair (d. 1925) of Scotland.
  • Slade, for Bl. John Slade (d. 1583) of England.
  • Solanus, for St. Francis Solanus (d. 1610) of Spain.
  • Southwell, for St. Robert Southwell (d. 1595) of England.
  • Southworth, for St. John Southworth (d. 1654) of England.
  • Steno, for Bl. Nicolas Steno (d. 1686) of Denmark.
  • Spenser, for Bl. William Spenser (d. 1589) of England.
  • Spencer, for Ven. Ignatius Spencer (d. 1864) of England.
  • Stefani, for Bl. Irene Stefani (d. 1930) of Italy.
  • Stein, for St. Edith Stein (d. 1942) of Germany.
  • Stone, for St. John Stone (d. 1539) in England.
  • Sullivan, for Ven. John Sullivan (d. 1933) in Ireland.
  • Sutton, for Bl. Robert Sutton (d. 1587) of England.
  • Talbot, for Ven. Matt Talbot (d. 1925) of Ireland or Bl. John Talbot (d. 1600) of England.
  • Tansi, for Bl. Cyprian Michael Tansi (d. 1964) of Nigeria.
  • Taylor, for Bl. Hugh Taylor (d. 1585) of England, Francis Taylor (d. 1621) of Ireland, or Ven. Frances Margaret Taylor (d. 1900) of England.
  • Tezza, for Bl. Luigi Tezza (d. 1923) of Italy.
  • Thirkeld, for Bl. Richard Thirkeld (d. 1583) in England.
  • Thompson, for Bl. James Thompson (d. 1582) of England.
  • Thorne, for Bl. John Thorne (d. 1539) of England.
  • Thorpe, for Bl. Robert Thorpe (d. 1591) of England.
  • Tirry, for Bl. William Tirry (d. 1654) of Ireland.
  • Tomasi, for St. Giuseppe Maria Tomasi (d. 1713) of Italy.
  • Tunstall, for Bl. Thomas Tunstall (d. 1616) of England.
  • Turner, for Bl. Anthony Turner (d. 1679) of England.
  • Vega, for Servant of God Pablo Muñoz Vega (d. 1994) of Ecuador.
  • Venard, for St. Jean-Théophane Vénard (d. 1861) of France.
  • Vera, for Ven. Jacinto Vera y Durán (d. 1881) of Uruguay.
  • Verna, for Bl. Antonia Maria Verna (d. 1838) of Italy.
  • Vianney, for St. Jean Vianney (d. 1859) of France.
  • Ward, for St. Margaret Ward (d. 1588) of England.
  • Webster, for St. Augustine Webster (d. 1535) of England.
  • Wells, for St. Swithun Wells (d. 1591) of England.
  • Wharton, for Bl. Christopher Wharton (d. 1600) of England.
  • Whitaker, for Bl. Thomas Whitaker (d. 1646) of England.
  • Wilson, for Ven. Mary Jane Wilson (d. 1916) of British India.
  • Wright, for Bl. Peter Wright (d. 1651) of England.
  • Xavier, for St. Francis Xavier (d. 1552) of Spain.
  • Zaccaria, for St. Antonio Maria Zaccaria (d. 1539) of Italy.
  • Zola, for Bl. Giovanni Batista Zola (d. 1626) of Italy.

Which of the above do you like best?

And, what other saint-inspired surnames would make good baby names? I’m sure I missed a few. Let me know in the comments!

Popular baby names in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1866

19th-century Providence, Rhode Island
19th-century Providence

Last month we looked at the top Providence names of 1867, so today let’s check out the rankings from the year before — 1866.

First, some stats:

  • 1,633 babies were babies were born in Providence in 1866, by my count. (The number given by the author of the document is 1,632.)
  • 1,457 of these babies (707 girls and 750 boys) had names that were registered with the government at the time of publication. The other 176 babies got blank spaces.
  • 234 unique names (123 girl names and 108 boy names) were shared among these 1,457 babies.

And here’s some extra information I forgot to mention in the last post: In 1860, the city of Providence was home to 29.0% of Rhode Island’s population. In 1870, it was home to 31.7% of the population. So each of these 3 sets of rankings (1866, 1867, 1868) ought to account for roughly 30% of the residents of the state.

Now, on to the names…

Top 5

The top 5 girl names and boy names of 1866 were, unsurprisingly, very similar to the top names of 1867.

Top baby girl namesTop baby boy names
1. Mary
2. Catherine
3. Ellen
4. Margaret
5. Sarah		1. John
2. William
3. James
4. George
5. Thomas

The girls’ top 5 is identical, while the boys’ top 5 includes Thomas instead of George.

All Girl Names

As expected, Mary was the front-runner by a huge margin. And, while there were dozens of Catherines, and a single Catharine, there weren’t any Katherines.

  1. Mary, 149 baby girls
  2. Catherine, 43
  3. Ellen, 40
  4. Margaret, 37
  5. Sarah, 36
  6. Elizabeth, 32
  7. Alice, 18
  8. Annie, 15
  9. Anna & Eliza, 14 each (2-way tie)
  10. Clara, 13
  11. Ann, 11
  12. Carrie, Emma, Jane & Susan, 10 each (4-way tie)
  13. Grace & Ida, 9 each (2-way tie)
  14. Esther, Martha & Minnie, 7 each (3-way tie)
  15. Anne & Julia, 6 each (2-way tie)
  16. Agnes, Charlotte, Cora, Harriet, Jennie, Joanna, Maria & Rosanna, 5 each (8-way tie)
  17. Amelia, Bridget, Ella, Frances, Hattie, Lydia, Nellie & Theresa, 4 each (8-way tie)
  18. Abby, Emily, Florence, Josephine, Laura, Lillian, Lizzie, Louise & Marion, 3 each (9-way tie)
  19. Ada, Amy, Augusta, Deborah, Edith, Etta, Eva, Fannie, Georgianna, Hannah, Henrietta, Honora, Isabel, Isabella, Lottie, Lucy, Mabel, Marietta, Maud & Teresa, 2 each (20-way tie)
  20. Almira, Annette, Bertha, Catharine, Cedelia, Celia, Christina, Delia, Diana, Dora, Dorcas, Eldora, Eleanor, Elsie, Emeline, Etherine, Eugenie, Evangeline, Fanny, Flora, Geneva, Georgia, Gracie, Helen, Helena, Imogene, Janette, Jessie, Kate, Lena, Louisa, Lucia, Lucinda, Madelina, Marian, Marsalin, May, Millie, Mina, Mini, Minna, Neatah, Nettie, Phebe, Rebecca, Rosa, Roselia, Rosetta, Ruth, Sophia, Stella, Susanna, Susannah, Tillie & Winnifred, 1 each (55-way tie)

All Boy Names

John had an even more commanding lead in 1866 than in 1867.

  1. John, 109 baby boys
  2. William, 78
  3. James, 62
  4. George, 44
  5. Thomas, 41
  6. Charles, 36
  7. Edward, 28
  8. Joseph, 27
  9. Frederick, 20
  10. Henry, 18
  11. Frank, 17
  12. Michael, 15
  13. Francis, 14
  14. Daniel, 13
  15. Albert, Patrick & Robert, 12 each (3-way tie)
  16. Walter, 11
  17. Arthur, Peter & Samuel, 8 each (3-way tie)
  18. Alfred, Harry, Louis & Stephen, 7 each (4-way tie)
  19. Martin, 6
  20. Matthew, 5
  21. Christopher, Clarence, Herbert, Howard & Hugh, 4 each (5-way tie)
  22. Benjamin, Eugene, Ira & Jeremiah, 3 each (4-way tie)
  23. Aaron, Alvin, Arnold, Earl, Edgar, Elisha, Freddie, Harrison, Lewis, Marcus, Nicholas, Philip, Richard & Timothy, 2 each (14-way tie)
  24. Abner, Adam, Adolph, Alanson, Alden, Ambrose, Antonio, August, Augustavus*, Augustus, Bartholomew, Bernard, Bradford, Byron, Chauncey, Clinton, David, Duncan, Eben, Ebenezer, Edwin, Elias, Elliott, Ethan, Everett, Ezra, Ferdinand, Frederic, Fullerton, Gilbert, Gwynn, Harold, Herman, Isaac, Jesse, Josiah, Lauriston, Luther, Manuel, Marks, Maurice, Miles, Mortimer, Oliver, Olney, Oscar, Otto, Rana, Rectol, Salisbury, Shamball, Simon, Terence, Theodore, Victor, Willard, Willie & Wilton, 1 each (58-way tie)

(I didn’t combine any variant spellings, but I did lump the abbreviated names Chas., Benj., and Fred’k in with Charles, Benjamin and Frederick.)

*Does Augustavus = Augustus + Gustav?

Twins

I counted 19 pairs of twins born in Providence in 1866. I didn’t notice any triplets this year. (All of these names have already been accounted for above.)

Girl-girl twinsGirl-boy twinsBoy-boy twins
Agnes & Anna
Eldora & Ellen
Eliza & Mary
Elizabeth & Julia
Frances & Mary
Josephine & Mary
Mary & Sarah
Theresa & (blank)		Alice & Frederick
Alice & John
Annie & Stephen
Catherine & (blank)
Sarah & Samuel		Edgar & Oscar
Edward & James
Francis & James
James & John
John & Thomas
(blank) & (blank)

I’ll try to finish/post the final set of rankings before the end of the year.

Source: Snow, Edwin M. Alphabetical Lists of Persons Deceased, Born and Married in the City of Providence During the Year 1866. Providence: Hammond, Angell & Co., 1867.

Names popular during the Victorian Era

Photo of a Victorian-era baby

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 NamesVictorian 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
  • Elvira
  • Emma
  • Esther
  • Ethel
  • Eudora
  • Eva
  • Fidelia
  • Frances / Fanny
  • Flora
  • Florence
  • Geneve
  • Genevieve
  • Georgia
  • Gertrude / Gertie
  • Gladys
  • Grace
  • Hannah
  • Hattie
  • Helen
  • Helene
  • Henrietta / Hettie / Ettie
  • Hester
  • Hope
  • Hortence
  • Isabell / Isabella
  • Jane
  • Jennie
  • Jessamine
  • Josephine
  • Judith
  • Julia
  • Juliet
  • Katherine / Kate
  • Laura
  • Leah
  • Lenora
  • Letitia
  • Lila
  • Lilly
  • Lorena
  • Lorraine
  • Lottie
  • Louise / Louisa
  • Lucy
  • Lulu
  • Lydia
  • Mahulda
  • Margaret / Peggie
  • Mary / Molly / Polly
  • Mary Elizabeth
  • Mary Frances
  • Martha
  • Matilda / Mattie
  • Maude
  • Maxine / Maxie
  • Mercy
  • Mildred
  • Minerva
  • Missouri
  • Myrtle
  • Nancy
  • Natalie
  • Nellie / Nelly
  • Nettie
  • Nora
  • Orpha
  • Patsy
  • Parthena
  • Permelia
  • Phoebe
  • Philomena
  • Preshea
  • Rachel
  • Rebecca / Becky
  • Rhoda / Rhody
  • Rowena
  • Rufina
  • Ruth
  • Samantha
  • Sally
  • Sarah
  • Sarah Ann
  • Sarah Elizabeth
  • Savannah
  • Selina
  • Sophronia
  • Stella
  • Theodosia / Theda
  • Vertiline / Verd
  • Victoria
  • Virginia / Ginny
  • Vivian
  • Winnifred / Winnie
  • Zona
  • Zylphia
  • Aaron
  • Abraham / Abe
  • Alan / Allen
  • Albert
  • Alexander
  • Alonzo
  • Ambrose
  • Amon
  • Amos
  • Andrew / Drew / Andy
  • Aquilla
  • Archibald / Archie
  • Arnold
  • Asa
  • August / Augustus / Gus
  • Barnabas / Barney
  • Bartholomew / Bart
  • Benjamin
  • Bennet
  • Benedict
  • Bernard
  • Bertram / Bert
  • Buford
  • Byron
  • Calvin
  • Cephas
  • Charles / Charley / Charlie
  • Christopher
  • Christopher Columbus
  • Clarence
  • Clement / Clem
  • Clinton / Clint
  • Cole
  • Columbus / Lom / Lum
  • Commodore Perry
  • Daniel / Dan
  • David
  • Edmund
  • Edward / Ned
  • Edwin
  • Eldon
  • Eli
  • Elijah
  • Elisha
  • Emmett
  • Enoch
  • Ezekiel / Zeke
  • Ezra
  • Francis / Frank
  • Franklin
  • Frederick / Fred
  • Gabriel / Gabe
  • Garrett
  • George
  • George Washington
  • Gideon
  • Gilbert / Gil
  • Granville
  • Harland
  • Harrison
  • Harold / Harry
  • Harvey
  • Henry / Hank
  • Hiram
  • Horace
  • Horatio
  • Hugh
  • Isaiah
  • Israel
  • Isaac / Ike
  • Isaac Newton
  • Jacob / Jake
  • James / Jim
  • Jasper
  • Jefferson / Jeff
  • Jedediah / Jed
  • Jeptha
  • Jesse
  • Joel
  • John / Jack
  • John Paul
  • John Wesley
  • Jonathan
  • Joseph / Josephus
  • Josiah
  • Joshua
  • Julian
  • Julius
  • Lafayette / Lafe
  • Lawrence / Larry
  • Leander
  • Les / Lester / Leslie
  • Lewis / Lew / Louis
  • Levi
  • Lucas
  • Lucian
  • Lucius
  • Luke
  • Luther
  • Louis
  • Levi
  • Lucas
  • Lucian
  • Lucius
  • Luke
  • Luther
  • Matthew
  • Marcellus
  • Mark
  • Martin
  • Martin Luther
  • Masheck
  • Maurice
  • Maxwell
  • Merrill
  • Meriwether
  • Meriwether Lewis
  • Michael / Mike
  • Micajah / Cage
  • Mordecai
  • Morgan
  • Morris
  • Nathaniel / Nathan / Nate / Nat
  • Newton / Newt
  • Nicholas / Nick
  • Nimrod
  • Ninian
  • Obediah
  • Octavius
  • Ora / Oral
  • Orville
  • Oscar
  • Owen
  • Paul
  • Patrick / Pat
  • Patrick Henry
  • Paul
  • Perry
  • Peter
  • Pleasant
  • Ralph
  • Raymond
  • Reuben
  • Robert / Bob
  • Robert Lee
  • Richard / Rich / Dick
  • Roderick
  • Rudolph
  • Rufus
  • Samuel
  • Sam Houston
  • Seth
  • Silas
  • Simon
  • Simeon
  • Stanley / Stan
  • Stephen
  • Thaddeus
  • Thomas / Tom
  • Thomas Jefferson
  • Theodore / Ted
  • Timothy / Tim
  • Ulysses
  • Uriah
  • Victor
  • Walter
  • Warren
  • Washington
  • Wilfred
  • William / Will / Bill / Billy
  • Willie
  • Zachariah
  • Zebulon
  • Zedock

Which female name and male name do you like best?

Source: Victorian Era Names, A Writer’s Guide