Category: forenames

Female forenames in 1500

We’ve identified the most popular forenames given to boys in Cornwall around 1500. But to do the same for girls presents us with a data problem. The lay subsidy lists of 1524/25 that were used to identify male names include far fewer females. In fact, only 143 in the eight (out of nine) Cornish hundreds … Continue reading Female forenames in 1500 →

Choosing boys’names circa 1500: Part 2

A couple of observations can be made about the pattern of male forenames in the 1520s that was revealed in the previous post. First, there was a clear difference between west and north Cornwall. The pattern in west Cornwall was somewhat more diverse with a greater variety of forenames. This was almost certainly the result … Continue reading Choosing boys’names circa 1500: Part 2 →

Male first names in 16th century Cornwall

There’s a lot of material on this site about surnames, their type, their frequency, their geography and what they tell us about the Cornish language. But there’s not much about forenames or baptismal names. Forenames tell us nothing about those who bear them but can reveal considerable information about those who bestow them and on … Continue reading Male first names in 16th century Cornwall →