State Your Name

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – Week 31: Favorite Name

People sometime ridicule celebrities for the “unusual” names they choose for their children. Clearly, they haven’t looked at some ancestral names, like “Strange Powers” or “Preserved Fish.” Who’s name in your family tree makes you smile? (Of course, you can interpret this theme however you’d like!)

I am not sure I have a favorite name, but I have enjoyed seeing some of the “trends” that have come and gone in baby-naming. One such “fad” was naming children after states.

In my own tree, I have made a count of these names.

• Alabama: female-3
• Alaska: female-1
• Arizona: female-7 “Zona”
• Arkansas: female-3; male-1. This includes one Arkansas Minerva Irby (1851-1878) who went by “Kansas”, so I’ve counted her twice!
• California: female-4 “Callie”
• Colorado: 0
• Connecticut: 0
• Delaware: male-2

• Florida: female-5
• Georgia: over 150 (but obviously not only a name of a state)
• Hawaii: 0
• Idaho: 0
• Illinois: 0
• Indiana: female-5
• Iowa: 0
• Kansas: female-5
• Kentucky: 0

• Louisiana: female-5
• Maine: 0
• Maryland: 0
• Massachusetts: 0
• Michigan: 0
• Minnesota: female-2
• Mississippi: 0
• Missouri: female-29 “Zue” “Zude” “Zudie”
• Montana: female-2

• Nebraska: male-2
• Nevada: female-7 “Vada” “Vadie” “Neva”
• New Hampshire: 0
• New Jersey: 0
• New Mexico: 0 (but two males named “Mexico.”)
• New York: 0
• North Carolina: 0 (but 15 females named “Carolina,” as opposed to “Caroline” or “Carolyn.”)
• North Dakota: 0 (but one male named “Dakota”)
• Ohio: 0
• Oklahoma: 0 (but one female named “Okla” who was of Cherokee descent and lived in Sequoyah County, Oklahoma all of her life.)
• Oregon: 0
• Pennsylvania: female-1 “Pensy”
• Rhode Island: 0
• South Carolina: 0 (but 15 females named “Carolina”, as opposed to “Caroline” or “Carolyn.”)
• South Dakota: 0 (but 1 male named “Dakota”)

• Tennessee: female-10; male-1 “Tennie”
• Texas: female-3 “Texanna” “Texa” “Texie”
• Utah: male-1
• Vermont: 0
• Washington: N/A (common name)
• West Virginia: 0
• Wisconsin: 0
• Wyoming: 0