Naming trends in the 17th Century

One of the best parts about working with parish registers is that I get to see the full range of names used by parents when baptising their children. From the Williams and Marys of the seventeenth century to the Lindas, Christines and Marks of the twentieth, I get to see it all.

So, if you were about to become a parent in the seventeenth century, what would you be naming your child and how does this compare to today?

To answer these questions, I have analysed all the names used in a small community in North Yorkshire between 1658 and 1678. The decades were chosen at random, with each entry transcribed and tallied up.

Just over 200 individuals were recorded, with a total of 71 unique names used—42 names for boys, 29 for girls.

The most popular names for males, as you might expect, were classics such as William, Thomas, and Joseph. John was the firm favourite, though, with 22 boys given this name. Abraham was a surprise entry in the top five, with parents choosing this for 4 boys. Surprisingly, though, many of the names are still very popular today—17 of the 42 feature in the ONS’s top 100 baby names in the UK for 2025. Names such as Benjamin, Caleb and Nathan all remain in the top 100, with some—such as Henry, William, Elias and Isaac—actually rising in popularity between 2024 and 2025.

Beyond the classics, parents were taking inspiration from the bible. Some of the more unusual ones include Manger, Israel, Emmanuel, and Abdon—none of which feature in the current top 100. In fact, neither Manger or Abdon feature at all in the list, while Emmanuel comes in at 279th—roughly 1 in 2,000 boys were given this name. Israel is even less common, ranking at 822nd, although it does seem to be rising in popularity in the UK, having moved up 159 places since 2024.

The most unusual choices are undoubtedly Dionis and Archelaus. The latter in particular is not a name I’ve come across before, and its origins are not clear. According to Google, it either stems from a Greek philosopher called Archelaus, or Herod Archelaus, a ruler of Judea. Dionis is perhaps clearer, which is likely named for the Greek God of wine and festivity. Unsurprisingly, neither feature in the ONS’s official name ranking, so if you’re expecting a baby boy and looking for a unique name, these are for you!

Other unusual choices include Ingram and Bossall—both probably family names. Bossall, for instance, is the name of a North Yorkshire village, while Ingram is a well-established Yorkshire name which literally means “Angle-Raven”.

Surnames as first names have been gaining in popularity in the 2010s and 2020s (Hunter, Jackson and Carter for the boys), but these often aren’t family names. So, if you’re struggling to decide whose surname to use for any future children, a good compromise could be to repurpose the mother’s maiden name and use it as a first name instead—that way everyone is included and your child ends up with a unique first name.

For the girls, Mary was the resounding favourite (21), with Elizabeth and Sarah rounding off the top three (11 and 7). In joint fourth, we have Ann, Grace, Hannah and Jane which were used 6 times each, and Margaret in fifth with 5 girls given this name.

In the middle sit Eleanor and Judith, with 4 sets of parents choosing them. Dorothy, Esther, and Ruth weren’t far behind and all tied in popularity, with 3 girls per name.

Again, there are influences from the bible, with some of the more unusual names including Dinah and Eden. In general, the names chosen for the girls were much more conventional, with fewer unusual choices. None of the girls seemed to be given surnames as first names, and this is seemingly a naming tradition reserved to the boys.

In contrast to the boys, however, fewer girls’ names remain popular today. Out of the 29, only six names feature in the ONS’s top 100 girls’ names: Pheobe, Eleanor, Grace, Alice, Elizabeth and Eden. Pheobe in particular is making a comeback, coming in at 14 in the 2025 ranking, while Eleanor has slowly been climbing the ranks in recent years (up 11 places from 2024).

Although a small sample, this quick analysis provides glimpses into seventeenth century naming patterns. Biblical names were favoured, and sons were more likely to be given unusual or rarer choices. Daughters, however, were given safer choices, though their names have not stood the test of time and are generally less popular today. Perhaps in fifty years they’ll have made a comeback, though, and we will have lots of Dinahs and Deborahs running about!

Full tabulation below (names have not been standardised into modern English):

		Male					Female
Rank		Name	Count				Name	Count
1		John	22				Mary	21
2		William	14				Elizabeth	11
3		Thomas	12				Sarah	7
4		Joseph	10				Ann	6
5		Abraham	4				Grace	6
6		Jacob	3				Hannah	6
7		Stephen	3				Jane	6
8		Christopher	2				Margret	5
9		Edward	2				Judith	4
10		George	2				Dorothy	3
11		Isaac	2				Esther	3
12		James	2				Ruth	3
13		Jonas	2				Ellinor	2
14		Manger	2				Susannah	2
15		Marmaduke	2				Abigail	1
16		Nathan	2				Alice	1
17		Peter	2				Anna	1
18		Robert	2				Christiana	1
19		Samuel	2				Deborah	1
20		Solomon	2				Dinah	1
21		Abdon	1				Eden	1
22		Amos	1				Ellenor	1
23		Anthony	1				Hellen	1
24		Archelaus	1				Lucy	1
25		Benjamin	1				Lydia	1
26		Bossall	1				Martha	1
27		Caleb	1				Phebe	1
28		Cornilius	1				Rachell	1
29		Daniel	1				Rebeckah	1
30		David	1
31		Dyonis	1
32		Elias	1
33		Emanuel	1
34		Francis	1
35		Henry	1
36		Ingram	1
37		Isarael	1
38		Jeremiah	1
39		Jonathan	1
40		Joshua	1
41		Richard	1
42		Rodger	1