Was it common to use the same first name for several children?

Question

Four Johan's and two Anna's? Digs this short of thing happen frequently?

Comments

Yes, especially in the Bonesteel family name at the beginning.  The Johann was added to all the original names because from what I understand they took on the name of the King of that time period.   Do you descend from the Bonesteel family?

Answer 1

It's extremely common in German families. I've seen several 18th-century German families in Maryland where all the boys had the first name Johann and all the girls Anna or Maria; in daily life, they actually used their middle names.  The common first name was called a "love name"; I've read that it was to keep the devil from being able to harm the kids because he didn't know their real name, but don't know whether that was actually the reasoning.

Answer 2

That might be on the outside of frequency, but is was very common to continue to use a name when a child died.  This would mostly be in the 1600 and 1700s, I think.  It was probably more common with some nationalities than others.

Answer 3

I can tell you that my father in law (who's from Mexico) has two sisters who both have the first name Maria but different middle names.  I also know the boxer George Foreman named several of his sons George.  It's out there, but you can bet that none of them goes by their first name.

Answer 4

Very common in England in the 19th century.

Answer 5

Common also in New France, where whole families of daughters would have Marie as a first name.

Just at random, i picked one of my French Canadian ancestor couples.  Among their children we have 

* [[St-Pierre-51|Marie-Anne St-Pierre]] (1680–1756)

* [[St-Pierre-362|Marie Madeleine St-Pierre]] (1681–<1765)

* [[St-Pierre-17|Élisabeth St-Pierre]] (1682–1734)

* [[St-Pierre-24|Pierre St-Pierre]] (1683–1749)

* [[St-Pierre-724|Marie Barbe St-Pierre]] (1685–1752)

* [[Saint-Pierre-38|Ignace Saint-Pierre]] (1688–1772)

* [[St-Pierre-15|Marie-Thérèse St-Pierre]] (1690–1763)

* [[St-Pierre-8|Marie Louise St-Pierre]] (1692–1784)

* [[St-Pierre-727|Marie Françoise St-Pierre]] (1694–1750)

* [[St-Pierre-363|Charles St-Pierre]] (1696–1755)

* [[St-Pierre-729|Francois St-Pierre]] (<1697–~1699)

* [[St-Pierre-1201|Jacques St-Pierre]] (1699–1774)

* [[St-Pierre-13|Marie Ursule St-Pierre]] (1702–1777)

* [[Saint-Pierre-41|Alexandre Saint-Pierre]] (1703–1756)

Comments

so out of 8 daughters, 7 had Marie as a first name

I thought it was a religious convention, showing respect to the Virgin Mary in this case, and possibly asking her to watch over these young ladies