Most Common Names

What follows are lists of the most common boys and girls names in forty English parishes during the decades specified. It is supposed to contain the top fifty names of each decade but it didn't quite turn out that way (but it's close). I am also assuming he includes all variant spellings under the standardised spellings.

These are contained in Appendix C of Names and Naming Patterns in England, 1538 - 1700, by Scott Smith-Bannister, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1997.

I have only reproduced the three decades from 1600 - 1629 as being the most likely decades in which Civil War era personas would be born. The lists in the original tables include the years 1538 - 1700 for anyone interested in names outside what I have reproduced.

The lists are in order of popularity (although some names were "ties" I see no reason to be that picky about reproducing the actual rankings).

Boy's Names

1600 - 1609
John
Thomas
William
Richard
Robert
Edward
George
Henry
James
Francis
Nicholas
Matthew
Christopher
Anthony
Samuel
Michael
Edmund
Ralph
Peter
Andrew
Stephen
Walter
Roger
Joseph
Daniel
Charles
Hugh
Leonard
Simon
Nathaniel
Alexander
Abraham
Philip
Bartholomew
Humphrey
Lawrence
Isaac
Arthur
Clement
Gilbert
Giles
David
Martin
Benjamin
Mark
Zachary
Bernard
1610 - 1619
John
William
Thomas
Richard
Robert
Edward
Henry
James
George
Nicholas
Francis
Anthony
Christopher
Edmund
Matthew
Ralph
Samuel
Peter
Stephen
Michael
Daniel
Andrew
Joseph
Roger
Philip
Charles
Simon
Walter
Humphrey
Nathaniel
Hugh
Alexander
Ellis
Mark
Valentine
Arthur
David
Lawrence
Bernard
Gregory
Leonard
Martin
Miles
Rowland
Abraham
Benjamin
Isaac
Bartholomew
Gabriel
Geoffrey
Jonas
Johnathan
1620 - 1629
John
Thomas
William
Richard
Robert
Edward
James
George
Henry
Francis
Nicholas
Samuel
Joseph
Anthony
Matthew
Edmund
Christopher
Andrew
Ralph
Michael
Peter
Philip
Daniel
Roger
Nathaniel
Charles
Walter
Humphrey
Alexander
Benjamin
Hugh
Stephen
Abraham
Bernard
Simon
Miles
Rowland
Arthur
Jonathan
Mark
Allen
Ellis
Martin
Cuthbert
David
Gabriel
Jonas
Lawrence

Girl's Names

1600 - 1609
Elizabeth
Mary
Anne
Margaret
Alice
Jane
Joan
Agnes
Catherine
Isabel
Susanna
Dorothy
Elinor
Ellen
Sarah
Frances
Grace
Bridget
Margery
Martha
Thomasin
Helen
Hester
Judith
Joyce
Janet
Millicent
Mabel
Lucy
Barbara
Priscilla
Rebecca
Cecily
Phyllis
Clemence
Hannah
Beatrice
Rose
Amy
Dorcas
Edith
Gillian
Rachel
Christian
Ursula
Emma
Florence
Prudence
Charity
Constance
Fortune
Philippa
1610 - 1619
Elizabeth
Mary
Anne
Margaret
Jane
Joan
Alice
Agnes
Susanna
Dorothy
Catherine
Isabel
Sarah
Elinor
Grace
Martha
Ellen
Frances
Bridget
Margery
Judith
Barbara
Rebecca
Joanna
Joyce
Helen
Cecily
Hester
Thomasin
Millicent
Hannah
Rachel
Ursula
Amy
Patience
Christian
Janet
Clemence
Edith
Esther
Mabel
Abigail
Emma
Florence
Honour
Lucy
Prudence
Deborah
Gertrude
Phyllis
Rosamund
Rose
Sybil
1620 - 1629
Elizabeth
Mary
Anne
Margaret
Alice
Jane
Joan
Agnes
Susanna
Dorothy
Catherine
Sarah
Grace
Isabel
Martha
Elinor
Ellen
Frances
Hannah
Bridget
Margery
Rebecca
Joyce
Barbara
Judith
Joanna
Hester
Thomasin
Cecily
Amy
Rachel
Helen
Janet
Christian
Temperance
Abigail
Charity
Deborah
Patience
Esther
Lucy
Ursula
Mabel
Marion
Millicent
Priscilla
Ruth
Faith
Sybil
Winifred

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Transcribed by G.Edward Godwin for research purposes.
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