It was traditional in times past for children to be named as follows:-

First boy named after father’s father
First girl named after mother’s mother
Second boy named after mother’s father
Second girl after father’s mother

And then of course there were the 'family names': names which by tradition were given to a subsequent child. This naming convention was the general rule, but not always adhered to. Like today, sometimes the mother’s maiden name was given as a second name for one or more of the children. In the Master tree you can find an example of a family that not only did not follow the rule but also used the mother’s maiden name for a child.

Paul Mort (10 Jul 1851) married Emma Howell Scholes and they named their first child, a son, Thomas Scholes Mort. Paul’s father was William.

When there were many siblings in the one family, this could result in many of the children being given the same names. The children of later siblings were more likely not to be named according to the naming convention.

By the later part of the 19th century this naming convention was falling out of use and new names began to emerge. Some of these early names seem quite modern. However there has been quite a range of names from the earliest records.

Just as today, fashions change when choosing names. Catholics were often named after a Saint and forenames from the Bible remain popular even in the 21st century.