Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Colonial Names for Boys and Girls

The Freake Limner
(American Colonial Era Painter,
active 1670-c 1680)
Mrs Elizabeth Freake and Baby Mary 1674
British Colonial America was a very important time in our history. They are the ones that started it all with a sense of freedom and independence. The ones who made the voyage over were discovering a whole new land and developing their own rules in their own new towns.

They also had some interesting names, some of which you don't hear often today, and others that might just be cool enough to actually use again. These names were popular in colonial times, taken straight from the 18th century!

Some of these overlap with the Biblical names list, and they seem to be much different than the names popular in England during the Victorian era. If you're looking for some cool, historical choices, perhaps you'll find a name that you like here!
Boys:                             
Abel
Abiel
Abijah
Abimael
Abner
Abraham
Absalom
Adonijah
Ajax
Alden
Amias
Amiel
Ammiras
Amos
Amzi
Ansel
Archibald
Asa
Asahel
Azariah
Balthasar
Barnabas
Bartholomew
Bazel
Benajah
Boaz
Chauncey
Clement
Comfort
Constant
Cotton
Cyrus
Duncan
Ebenezer
Elbert
Eleazar
Eli
Eliab
Eliakim
Elias
Elihu
Elijah
Eliphalet
Elisha
Emanuel
Emory
Enoch
Enos
Ephraim
Experience
Ezekiel
Garvan
Gawen
Gerrard
Gideon

Hannibal
Hercules
Hezekiah
Hiram
Holmes
Homer
Horatio
Hosea
Increase
Isaac
Isaiah
Isham
Israel
Jabez
Jared
Jedidiah
Jehu
Jeremiah
Jethro
Job
Jonas
Josiah
Jothan
Kenelm
Lazarus
Lemuel
Levi
Linus
Matthias
Micajah
Miles
Nehemiah
Noble
Obadiah
Philo
Philomon
Phineas
Prosperity
Reason
Rufus
Salmon
Sampson
Seth
Silas
Simon
Solomon
Thaddeus
Theophilus
Truth
Zaccheus
Zachariah
Zadock
Zebulon
Zephaniah
Zophar
I noticed that there were a lot of Ab- and El- names. The list includes some biblical names that are common and even popular today like Elijah, Isaac, Josiah and Seth to name a few.

Click here to view an updated report on the 10 Best Colonial Names for Boys and Girls!

As for the girls, the list is a bit more limited. Again, there are some biblical names but also some virtue names that were popular with the puritans.
Girls:                      
Abigail
Abitha
Amity
Anne
Aphra
Aurinda
Azuba
Candace
Catherine
Charity
Charlotte
Chastity
Clarity
Comfort
Cornelia
Constance
Dorcas
Edith
Eleanor
Electa
Elizabeth
Emeline
Esther
Fanny
Fidelity
Georgine
Harriet
Hecuba
Helen
Henrietta
Hepzibah


Hester
Isabella
Jane
Joy
Judith
Keturah
Keziah
Lydia
Mahala
Martha
Mary
Mercy
Modesty
Patience
Phila
Phoebe
Primrose
Prudence
Rebekah
Remember
Rosanna
Sarah
Selah
Silence
Susanna
Tabitha
Temperance
Theodosia
Verity
Virginia
Zipporah
Do you find any of these names completely unusable for a modern baby? Which is your favorite?

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