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A little knowledge about naming patterns can help you guess at missing children or even the name of previous generations. For instance, if you know the names of the children of a couple, you can make an intelligent guess at the names of the couple’s parents. These patterns varied widely by ethnic and religious groups, but bearing in mind these numerous exceptions, it is still possible to identify a common pattern found prior to the latter half of the 20th century:

1st son = father’s father
2nd son = mother’s father
3rd son = father
4th son = father’s oldest brother
5th son = father’s 2nd oldest brother or mother’s oldest brother
1st dau = mother’s mother
2nd dau = father’s mother
3rd dau = mother
4th dau = mother’s oldest sister
5th dau = mother’s 2nd oldest sister or father’s oldest sister
2nd wife’s oldest daughter = named after first wife, using full name

Our ancestors often used the above naming procedure when picking out a name for a new child. This explains why certain names are very common in a given family line. Watching for these patterns can help in your genealogy research.

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