Common or Unusual?
The most popular name in my family tree is John. Then there is Stephen, Malcolm, Francis and Frances, Mary, and Sarah. Some of the more unusual women’s names in my tree are: Elvira, Orriminah, Otillia (nicknamed Tilly), Droucilla, Hawise, and Frethaesant. A few of the more unusual names for my male ancestors are: Elfreth, Servatius, Micajah, Minicus, Absalom, and Leonhard.
According to www.names.org, my name, Jacquelyn, means “may God protect.” It is the 732nd most popular girl’s name. From 1880-2019 the Social Security Administration has recorded 84,714 babies born with the first name Jacquelyn in the United States and 1951 was the year that my name was recorded the most times.
According to www.genealogybank.com, “most European surnames can be traced back to the Medieval times in the 13th and 14th centuries. During this period, last names were recorded as societies started collecting taxes and became more bureaucratic.” At this point, last names were chosen to be practical. They were often linked to “occupations, geographical features such as where your home was in the village, a nickname, physical feature or even a combination of the mother’s and father’s names.”
Here are the meanings of my four main ancestry lines:
Watkins – Welch: an s designates “son of” so Watkins means son of Watkin or possibly son of Walter.
Vandyke – Dutch: topographic name for someone who lived by any of the many thousands of dikes in the Netherlands.
McLeod – Scottish: mac means son of so McLeod is son of Leod. It is a Gaelic term from the Old Norse name Ljotr which means ugly. (According to Churchill, it means son of Clode from Claudius the second emperor “who through fear of death, buried himself alive, being plucked by the heels out of a hole to be set upon the throne.”)
Antony – German by way of a Roman Clan: (Antonius to Antony to Anthony) meaning praiseworthy or priceless.
When doing genealogical research, common names can be complicated. It can sometimes be challenging to find the “correct” person who is your ancestor. I am trying to find more information on my 2nd great grandmother who I believe is Mary Stewart. (My grandfather, Malcolm McLeod, was born to John McLeod and Sarah Liggett. John was born to Malcolm McLeod and “I think” Mary Stewart.) I found the name Mary connected to Malcolm and Stewart was listed as the mother’s maiden name on the California Death Index for John. Also, when John immigrated to the United States, John listed John Stewart as a cousin on the Manifest of Alien Passengers in the section titled “the name and complete address of nearest relative or friend in country whence alien came.” It’s logical that John Stewart was the cousin of Mary Stewart McLeod.
John McLeod in the California, U.S., Death Index, 1940-1997
| Name: | John McLeod |
| Gender: | Male |
| Birth Date: | 7 Sep 1863 |
| Birth Place: | Canada |
| Death Date: | 23 May 1942 |
| Death Place: | San Bernardino |
| Mother’s Maiden Name: | Stewart |
| Father’s Surname: | McLeod |
