Why did, naming your children after family members die out?

Question: Why did, naming your children after family members die out!?

since researching my family tree, I found that nearly all of them are named after their grandparents, aunts and unlces!. and it went like that for years!.

how come it suddenly changed and you have names like sky!? Tia!? shadez!? Www@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

Tastes and fashions change, that's all!. Imagine looking down at a tiny baby and naming it Brian, or Ethel!. That said, traditional names are very much in vogue!. Www@QuestionHome@Com

Two key factors at play here, I think!.

Firstly the the 1960s and the whole ethos of being less encumbered by tradition!. While there have always been fashions in names, before the 60s these tended to evolve slowly and followed factots such as the Royal Family - when a Royal was given a certain name there would be a huge increase in the number of babies with that name, for example!.

In the 60s, however, we all became more creative and 'old fashioned' names like Mabel, Bertram, Ethel etc became deeply unpopular!. The trend for making up names also began in earnest with celebrity babies being given unusual names like 'zowie' (david bowie's son) and Moon Unit (Frank Zappa's daughter)

Plus, probably around the same time, you had the demise of the extended family!. Very generally people became closely tied to their network of aunts and uncles, particularly - so were less likely to name children after them!.

It's also arguable that as couples tended to have children later in life they were less likely to succumb to the pressure of their own parents to maintain a family tradition or name children after parents or grandparents!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I'm named after a family member!. My middle name is Johanna, which is after my grandfather, Johannes, whose father was called Johann, whose father was also called Johannes!. My aunt also has the middle name Johanna and my cousin's middle name is Johannes too!. My sister's middle name is Elisabeth, after my grandfather's sister!.

I think it's a good tradition to have in the family, and I want to carry it on when I have children!. It's good that it's only used for middle names though, because then they have the choice whether or not to use them!. Www@QuestionHome@Com

In the days before photographs and home movie cameras there wasn't a lot to remember dead family members by except their name and some paperwork, so the tradition of naming new babies after past family members had more of an emotional connection!.

Nowadays that doesn't apply so much and the doors are open for people to name their baby whatever they want!. Unfortunately, that results in a LOT of stupidly named babies!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

For genealogists, this is as much as a hassle as patronymic names!. On my trees, I notice that sons often went by a middle name, so as not to be confused with their elders or cousins!. In some circumstances, they did it so as to not be confused even with their own brothers!. This shift of names from forename to middle or made-up names, starts in my family tree about 1740, and increases in the 19th Century, as the population and mobility of individuals increased!.

My mother was a bank teller in the 1940's; she refused to name us a "Jr!." to avoid bank account mistakes!.

In the "old days," you could easily name a kid in honor of a family member!. All the locals would know who he was by sight, and seldom would he venture away from the local area!. And generally, by the time he or she reached adulthood, his namesake would have been long dead!.

Increased population and mobility created the need for unique, standard surnames; likewise, a diversity in forenames became more useful as time has gone on!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

It didn't suddenly change!. In my research, it seems to have changed in most US lines about 1900 (some lines earlier, some later) when people began using more "romantic" Victorian names!. Part of that is that with modernization came a distancing from religion and traditional religious names!. Another reason is that with westward expansion came a disconnect from family!. Part of it is simply that more names were invented and put into use, and part of it is that names were taken from other cultures!. In strictly religious immigrant families, I see that same pattern, just faster!. When the family comes, their children are all given traditional names!. The next generation is a little more creative!.!.!. by the third or fourth generation, there is no rhyme or reason!. Now in the twenty first century, some names are horribly out of fashion (Percy, Henry, Esther, Bernice) while others are ridiculously common (John, Mary, William, Ann) at a time that individuality is valued!. Some are just never used any longer (Mehitable, Renesslar, etc)!. Another late twentieth century trend is that family culture is becoming less homogeneous!. A half-Swedish, half American Indian mother and an African American father who have one biological child and one adopted Korean child is not an unheard of family arrangement anymore, so it's no surprise to find that their names may take something from any of the cultures in their backgrounds or be wholly new!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I can assure you that it has not "died out" completely!.
My second name is Alicia, my mother was Alice, my Gt!. and 2x Gt!. grandmothers were both Eliza, my 3x Gt!. grandmother was Elizabeth, my 4x Gt!. grandmother was Alicia!. My grandson's 2nd name is Alex!. He also has a 3rd name which is Benjamin (many generations of Benjamins in mother's family) and a 4th one of Gil (my father was William and his family were French originally, so it is a short version of Guillaume)
I like and feel very proud to have a name which has been passed down generations - it makes me feel closer to the people without whom I would not exist!. I'm certainly glad that I have not been named something like "Southend-on-Sea" because that was where I might have been conceived nor have to go through life with a "fashionable" name which would date me, nor with one which was always being spelt incorrectly because it is a "made-up" name!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

naming your child after a family member was a tradition for along time!. It was what people did since there were fewer names that they might have been exposed to!. Now that our country is so much more integrated, the exposure the more exotic and unique names is the trend for younger parents!. I think that you'll find 'john' and 'mary' are less popular today then 'jennifer' and 'Aidan'!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

When families become more disparate then there is less of a link with the past!. In the old days aunts, uncles, cousins, parents all lived nearby!. Therefore the bond was greater!.

Nowadays people are forward looking and see the past as irrelevant to the future (always a mistake)!.

There are still a few families who do though!. You quite often find it lurking as a middle name!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

people are animals of habit, and are likely to follow the majority rule!. then there is the explosion of civil rights, and a new generation promoting 'follow your own thing'!. You can make a difference:) wonder what your children will be named!?!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

I couldn't name my kids after any of my family members cause we already have like 4 Pauls and like 5 Cesars and more!. So when we are at a family event we call one name and at least 4 people turn around!. That is why we didn't want to put any family names!. Www@QuestionHome@Com

in some cases it hasn't died out !. like in my family we usually name our descendants after ourselves like my name is Thomas andrew after my farther or be it second name's!. lol

can you answer mine please!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

1!. John became to common a name
2!. Jr causes a mix up in Identity
3!. Soap opera's use such fascinating names
4!. People wanted individuality for their offspringWww@QuestionHome@Com

My family in Germany used Adolf a lot as first and middle names you can guess why they stopped using that oneWww@QuestionHome@Com

I don't know!. I guess it makes them more unique!.!. I wouldn't name my children after family members!.!.maybe middle names yes but it wouldn't feel nice to be named Richard III lol
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DO NOT KNOW: however i will tell you this when my daughter failed to name my grandson after members of the family I WROTE HER OUT OF MY WILL !!Www@QuestionHome@Com

my little boy is called robert, his dad is robert, his dad is robert, his dad was robert, his dad!.!.!.!.!.!.!.etc etc etc!.!.!.all the way back to the first one who was bobby shafto!.!.!.!.!.!.!.

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ppl want to be unique! They don't want to be like everybody else!Www@QuestionHome@Com

cos people got imaginations!. and less religious!. Www@QuestionHome@Com

In Greece it's still the practice!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I don't think the tradition has died out!. My husband and my children have 'inherited' namesWww@QuestionHome@Com

!.!.others like to be unique!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Would you want a name like!.!.!."Zachius Zacharius"!? Neither did my great grandpa!!!Www@QuestionHome@Com

I don't know if the tradition has entirely died out!.
I don't think people use their father's complete name to name their sons and add Jr!. as much as they did in times past!. To tell you the truth I am sort of glad!. It seems like they want to make the boy a carbon copy of his father!.

Given names run in fads!. We never had any Brittanys or Tiffanys when I was growing up!.
There are some old names that have been around for eons and they come and they go out of fashion and come back again!. For instance, my father had an aunt and a great aunt named Savannah!. Now, you hear Savannah every now and then!. Sarah had sort of died out of fashion but some people are using it now!.

Then there might have been a time when you laugh at some of the old names!. One branch of my father's family named their girls for states, Georgia, Virginia, Louisiana, Indiana, Missouri!. Georgia and Virginia are not all that rare!. When I look at census records in the 19th century girls being named for states wasn't all that unusual!.
I have even seen Arkansas!. We laugh but the day will come when people will be laughing at Brittany and Tiffany!.

I was born in the Shirley Temple era!. My mother claimed she didn't name me for her but for a little neighbor girl she thought was very pretty!.
When I went to school there were Shirleys everywhere!. Now, it is hardly used!.

My nephew is named for his father and his grandfather!. So, the family name was used for him!.

My sister thought she was picking out an unusual name 38 years ago when she named by niece Heather!. Now, there are Heathers everywhere and it was a name unheard of when I went to school!. I can usually tell a female is 40 years or younger if her name is Heather, at least in the U!.S!.

Arthur Godfrey many years ago had Carmel Quinn on his TV show and at Christmas they had beautiful boy from an orphanage named Kevin!.
Until then you hardly ever heard of the name Kevin in the U!. S!. It is an Irish name for an Irish saint but it wasn't commonly used here like it is today!.

Naming a child Ethel will probably come back though it is not so cutesy today and a lot of young mothers wouldn't select it!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Computer record keeping is probably one of the reasons that naming children after family members died out, although I only have my own personal experiences to cite as proof!. I'm a 56-year-old woman who bears my mother's first name but a middle name that is unique within my family!. Growing up and in college, I went by my middle name; my brother was a III, and almost all my cousins received family names!.

However, early in my adult life, I discovered that having the same name of a still living parent or grandparent could cause identity problems!. Even when I lived half way across the country from my mother, for example, I would sometimes receive her mail!. Meanwhile, employers insisted on issuing me ID's labeled with my first name only!.

Many parents, however, still give their children a middle name that comes from a relative or ancestor!. For example, three of my four nieces and nephews bear a middle name that comes from a grandparent or great grandparent!. They also received very traditional first names like Catherine or Daniel!.

Interestingly enough, I understand that traditional names are more popular in the Northeastern United States while more individualistic names are found in the Western states, or at least so an article that discussed Sarah Palin's name choices for her children informed me!.

Social class and ethnic background also influence whether a child is given a traditional or unique name!. The inner city school district where I teach is about evenly divided between Mexican-American and African-American students!. Most of the Hispanic children have very traditonal names, such as Jorge, Juan, Magdalena, or their English equivalents, while many of the African-American children have names that are unique to themselves--Tanisha, Devon, Chrishard!. The few European-American children enrolled in my district (less than 10 percent of the total) tend to have trendy, but semi-traditional names, such as Ashley, Courtney, Cody, and Jason!.Www@QuestionHome@Com