"Old Naming Patterns"

Though not an invariant tradition, but it may give a clue about the name 
of an elusive ancestor.
? The first son was named after the father's father.
? The second son was named after the mother's father.
? The third son was named after the father or the father's paternal      
grandfather.
? The fourth son was named after the father's oldest brother or the 
     mother's paternal grandfather.
? The fifth son was named after the mother's oldest brother or the 
     father's maternal grandfather.
? The sixth son was named after the mother's second oldest brother or 
     the mother's maternal grandfather.


? The first daughter was named after the mother's mother.
? The second daughter was named after the father's mother.
? The third daughter was named after the mother or the mother's 
     maternal grandmother.
? The fourth daughter was named after the mother's oldest sister or 
     the father's paternal grandmother.
? The fifth daughter was named after the father's oldest sister or for
     the mother's paternal grandmother.
? The sixth daughter was named after the mother's second oldest 
     sister or the father's paternal grandmother. 

Pg. 2  Old Naming Patterns 

It was customary to name the next daughter/son born with in a second
marriage for the deceased husband/wife.
If the father died before the child was born, the child was often named
after him. 
If the mother died in childbirth, that child, if a girl, was usually named
for her mother.
When a child died another child, born later, was commonly named for
that child.   

Conclusion
With people being what they are, there were all sorts of variations to
the above.  Some covered by other "rules", some by family decisions. 
These "pattern's" were followed in some families of Scottish, Irish and
English origin. 


Source:  
1. North Carolina Gene. Soc. Newsletter by Pauline Landrum.
2. Genealogy on the Internet. http://members.aol.com/johnf14246/internet.html

File:
F:\Leighton\Old Naming Patterns - Dec 1999