Tag: John

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 →

11. Johns

John (from Old French Johan, which itself had an origin in Hebrew Johanan) was a popular medieval first name, this popularity boosted by John the Apostle. It was so popular in fact that, in the 1400s, John had become the most common male first name in Cornwall. Yet, it wasn’t the most common surname in … Continue reading 11. Johns →