'remember in those days it was normal to name first son born after father .... and similarly girls after their mother'

Not sure how true that was!!!!

Naming Patterns

There are a number of websites re this information including......

http://robsfamily.com/nampatt.php

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would be interested to know as my Husband/Son and his 3 boys/1 daughter carry various family names, but do have in a file, a very old message from Rootsweb, Gloucestershire re:

Naming Order of Children

England and Welsh - 1700 -1879

First daughter - name after the mother's mother (maternal grandmother)

Second daughter - named after the mother's father's mother

Third daughter - named after the mother

Fourth daughter - named after the mother's oldest sister

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First son - named after the father's father

Second son - named after the mother's father

Third son - named after the father

Fourth son - named after the father's eldest brother

Exceptions apply if there was a duplication of a given name. In that case the practice was to skip to the next name on the list.