Many of us take a passing interest in the publication of the most popular baby names each year.  You may know that Oliver and Olivia have headed the charts for several years in England and Wales.  Many parents have given their baby an unusual name which turns out to be the most common name in the class when their child starts school.  Were there similar fashions in the mid 19^th century?

A study of the infants on the 1851 census for Uttoxeter has revealed that William and Elizabeth were the most popular names at the time (see tables below).  Mary was also popular, especially when combined with Ann to give Mary Ann.  To receive a second first name was unusual, except in the wealthiest households, and few other babies were given more than one name.  Of course, at this time large families were common and many of these babies arrived at the end of a long string of children – one household had seven children and the last one was named Septimus.

The ONS survey for 2019 reveals that popular culture has an influence on naming, especially for mothers under the age of 25.  Following Dua Lipa’s first UK number one single in 2017, the number of girls named Dua doubled from 63 to 126 in 2019.  In 1851 one little girl in Uttoxeter was called Jenny Lind Richards, presumably with reference to the “Swedish Nightingale” who was one of the most highly regarded singers of the 19^th century.  However, this middle name did not figure in her baptism record, so may have been a nickname that she acquired in her first few months.   With that exception it is difficult to see a trend for naming babies after icons of popular culture in 1851 – royal names such as Henry, Charles, John and George were all in double figures, but there was only one Albert.  You might have expected someone to name their daughter after Victoria, who had been on the throne for 14 years, but this did not influence the parents of Uttoxeter.  Traditional names such as Sarah, Ann and Emily were more popular for girls and several boys had biblical names (Benjamin, Daniel, Eli and Joshua).  There were none of the unusual names that we see today.

Sources

Office for National Statistics – https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/

1851 Census for Uttoxeter