Given Names

[Ken]

I am working on the Waller family and having some trouble with given names. There are births to a William Waller with mother stated as Ann, Agnus and Nanny. (Nanny is Nanny Bonson.)

Are these three given names adaptations of the same name?

Ken

[Lesley]

Hi there, Ken

Alan Bardsley's book, First Name Variants, is a brilliant source of answers on questions like this one. (I have the second edition, published by the Federation of Family History Societies in 1996.)

To answer your question, Ann is the 'source' for the name Nanny but Agnus is an entirely different name, derived from Agnes. Of course, there's nothing to prevent a woman calling herself whatever she chooses, whether or not it is 'correct', nor is there anything to prevent the official who is noting the name of the mother making a simple mistake, especially an elderly clerk/vicar who is a little hard of hearing perhaps!

I hope this helps, although I suspect it may deepen the mystery.

Lesley

[Ken]

Thanks for the reply. As an additional piece of information, since writing my note, I referenced one of the Wills transcribed on the Amsden site and it read in part "Elizabeth was originally Elizabeth Spensley, daughter of Henry Spensley the joiner of Muker, and Agnes (Nanny) Kilburn."

Ken