Help with Female Ancestor First Names and Nicknames (+ Searchable Guide)
Knowing about female first names can come in handy during your research! For example, if your ancestor didn’t have one of these monikers listed below—the 19th century’s most popular, according to the Given Names Historical Project - you may have an easier time identifying her in databases, indexes and records.
1801-1810: Mary, Elizabeth, Sarah, Nancy, Ann, Catherine, Margaret, Jane, Susan, Hannah, Rebecca, Martha, Lucy, Betty, Sally
1841-1850: Mary, Sarah, Elizabeth, Martha, Margaret, Ann, Emily, Catherine, Nancy, Ellen, Susan Jane, Frances, Lucy, Harriet
1891-1900: Mary, Elizabeth, Ann, Helen, Margaret, Ellen, Catherine, Lily, Florence, Ada, Lou, Ethel, Emily, Ruth, Rose
And it can often get even more difficult if your ancestor used a nickname! Who knew your great-grandma Mary could go by at least seven nicknames in genealogical records? This link has a list of nicknames for more than 200 given names to figure out the various ways your female ancestor might appear in census, court, newspaper and other records. When searching databases, look for her under all possible nicknames. Note the same woman might show up with different nicknames in different records.
To access the entire article and use the searchable database click HERE