Name variants

I am aware that there are many variants of given names in the nineteenth century in Scotland and England. I am more familiar with Scottish names but will try and include English ones too.

This is to help you unravel who is who in censuses and vital records, for example Jessie and Janet were interchangeable names in the past. I spent a long time hunting for a birth record for a Janet who was registered as Jessie.  Nowadays Jessie could be short for Jessica.

In Scotland there was a fairly limited set of used given names. Perhaps for that reason people liked to vary them, to distinguish them from their cousin or aunt/uncle of the same name.

In the Highlands, in particular, it was common to add an -ina to a male name eg Donaldina, Mathewina, Williamina so Ina could stand for any of those.

Often the initial letter would be changed eg Meg or Peg (Margaret), Molly or Polly (Mary), Maisie or Daisy (Margaret), Bob or Rob (Robert), Billy or Willie (William),  Dick or Rick for Richard.

I do not claim this list to be complete or fool proof. Families often do their own thing. We have a Helen who was also twice recorded as Alice. My husband has an uncle Wug!  Please feel free to share your family's pet names in the Comments below.


Girls' names

Name	for Name	Notes
Annie	Ann Anne
Bel, Belle, Bella	Isabella, Isabel
Betsy	Elizabeth
Betty	Elizabeth
Christian	Christina	old Scottish variant of Christina
Cissy	Sarah, Catherine
Daisy	Margaret
Ella	Helen, Ellen
Eppie* Etta	Henrietta
Euphan	Euphemia	old Scottish, interchangeable
Fanny	Frances
Grizzel, Grissal	Grace	old Scottish variant of Grace
Hannah	Ann	English, interchangeable
Hattie	Harriet
Hettie	Henrietta
Ina	Williamina, Donaldina etc
Janet	Janette, Jeanette
Jean	Jane	Scottish, interchangeable.
Jeanie	Jean, Jane
Jennie	Jennifer, Janet
Jessie	Janet	Scottish, interchangeable.
Kate, Katie	Katherine, Catherine, Kathleen
Kitty	Katherine, Catherine, Kathleen	English
Lizzie, Liz	Elizabeth
Madge	Margaret, Marjory, Margery	English
Maggie	Margaret
Maisie	Margaret	Scottish
Mary Ann	Marian, Marion	spelling variation
May	Mary	Scottish variant of Mary or a name in its own right
Meg	Margaret
Mina	Williamina, Wilhelmina
Minnie	Marian, Marion
Molly	Mary
Nan	Agnes, Ann
Nancy	Agnes
Nell, Nellie	Helen, Ellen
Nessie	Agnes
Netta, Nettie	Janet
Peg, Peggy	Margaret
Polly	Mary
Rena	Catherine
Rita	Margaret
Sadie	Sarah
Senga	Agnes	Senga is a modern 20th C variant. It is Agnes backwards!

*Eppie for Elspeth

Boys' names

Name	for name	Notes
Alex, Alec, Eck	Alexander
Andy	Andrew
Archie	Archibald
Bert, Bertie	Robert
Bill, Billy	William
Bob, Bobby	Robert
Drew	Andrew	modern
Ed, Ted, Ned	Edward	modern
Harry	Henry, Harold
Jack	James
Jim	James
Patrick	Peter	Irish/Scottish interchangeable
Rab, Rabbie, Rob, Robbie	Robert
Sandy	Andrew
Shug	Hugh
Will, Willie, Wull, Wullie	William

A boy named Ruth?

I was puzzled to find a son named Ruth McConnell in the 1881 census. "Ancestry" is confused about this, too, and thinks it is a girl. I looked at the original and it definitely says Ruth and son. Strange!

I was looking at a Dreghorn family called both McConnell and Connell. Some of the children called themselves Connell and others McConnell. I have see this sort of thing previously before standardisation of spelling. The father David was a coal miner (1851 census and on 1858 marriage cert of daughter) ) who became a seaman (1861 census wife at home as "seaman's wife"). This is quite an unusual change of occupation. One of his sons, Allan Bone McConnell, became a sea captain.

Seamen can be hard to track as they are often at sea during the censuses. Sometimes you can find them with "vessels" as a location but it is hard to be sure since they are not with other family members. Allan B McConnell, since he was a captain, was easier to find. Masters and mates certificates can be viewed via the ancestry website. They give date of birth, address and vessels sailed on.
He started off on the City of Ningpu in Feb 1866 and served on the City of Glasgow and the City of Florence to gain his Second Mate's certificate on 1 April 1871. His address was West Portland Street Troon which is also what is on the 1871 census. He was living with his mother, the seaman's wife.
He continued on the City of Florence and gained his First Mate's certificate in November 1872.
In 1876 he was living in Glasgow when he gained his Master's certificate. He had also served on the City of Benares, City of Cambridge and City of Poonah.

Pictures of some of the ships of the SG line on which Allan served:
http://www.findboatpics.net/zpsg.html

In 1881 census he is married with children and living in Bristol
In 1891 census the family in in Falmouth with son "Ruth" 3 months, born at sea. Being born at sea makes it impossible to find a birth record.
I can't find the family in the censuses after 1891. But I do find Allan's sister living with a nephew Ruthwell in 1901 in Barrhead, near Glasgow. So it is definitely a boy! But where did the name Ruthwell come from?

The answer I find in another mariner's record. In 1891 Allan reapplies for his master's certicifate. it seems the original one was lost when he abandoned his ship the SV Wamphray on 19 Oct 1891. Listed amongst ships he had sailed on was the Ruthwell from Aug 1885 to 31 Dec 1890.   Baby "Ruth" was named after the ship he was born on.

The address on the 1892 certificate is 12 Corunna Street, Glasgow. Allan died in 1918 in Glasgow. Son Ruthwell registered the death.

As for the abandonment of the SV Wamphray, it seems it was carrying coal from Glasgow to San Francisco and went on fire in the Weddell Sea near Cape Horn. The crew were all picked up by another vessel.
http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?195656