On Use of Names (General)

by rookancestrybest , United Kingdom, Friday, October 16, 2009, 21:14 (5591 days ago) @ lesleyr

Yes this practice of stating that only the names of saints could be used was very prevailent in R.C. baptisms (and still can be) but might well have been equally prominent in the Anglican Church (especially what is known as "The High Church" within Anglicanism)too. My grandfather's parents wanted to baptise him as Terrence but the priest insisted on a saint's name resulting in them having to change their minds about the name at the baptismal font!(They chose the name of the saint that the Church had!). I have found out that there might be a Saint Terrence but the particular priest in question must not have been aware of it. However the feminine or masculine version of a saint's name wasn't usually opposed. Harriet would therefore be acceptable as it is a derivation of Henry which is definitely a saint's name. In the same way as Eliza is a derivation of Elizabeth, the latter definitely being a saint's name.
My Goddaughter has a child named Bridie, and though the RC priest, less than a decade ago, did not oppose the use of the name he said "It's Bridget really so why don't you call her Bridget?" However he did Baptise her as Bridie.
Another practice which RC priests allow is a name which is not a saint's name as one name providing there is another name (middle or first) which is a saint's name e.g. Iris Mary would be accepted or preferably it would be Mary Iris but not Iris on its own (unless of course Iris is a saint's name). Though the preson would be then known by all as Iris she might be recorded as Mary in places.
The other thing to watch though is that many people in Britain have a first name and a second/middle name and might use one in one context and one in another, I have found that some census returns do not always have both names if a person had a first and a middle name. They quite often only have the first name. In one case in my family (not on the FOD side) there is a child called Grace but in the census return is referred to as Gracie. In the Forest of Dean side there is a child called Symphirosa (I looked it up and found it was a saint's name) but I can find no trace of her after a number of censuses and I am in a dilemma as to whether she might have been known as Rose or Rosa instead or might have died.
Another important use of names is the use of Confirmation names. i.e. the name of a saint chosen by the person for when they are Confirmed by the Bishop. Though these have no legal status and would probably not be recorded anywhere, not even by the church in most cases, there is evidence of people in my family of the RC faith, from the Forest of Dean using them at least as a middle name. ( I am assuming in the C of E people choose a Confirmation name too, but please correct me if I'm wrong, - I ought to know this with no fewer than 13 vicars in my father's family history!!!)
The other thing I have noticed that people in my family history from the Forest of Dean have done is to change their name to something similar e.g. one is referred to as Loui Jane in all the official documents but was always known as Louisa Jane and Ginny and always insisted on being called either Louisa or Ginny and not Loui. Though her best friend named her child Loui and had her as the child's Godmother! Louisa Jane was a highly literate person (a head teacher) who made a conscious decision to change the spelling and form of the name so it cannot be put down to anything other than personal choice in her case at least.