So, I'm always on the look out for fascinating southern names. Since most of the characters from my novel are from Virginia, I try to find authentic names that would be fitting from the era without resorting to "the biblical classics" all the time. That being said, I've sifted through a lot of muster rolls. (Those are lists of soldiers in a given regiment). In doing so, I've picked up some cool names to use, but I've also found some real whoppers. Now, I'm not making these names up. They really did come off muster rolls from Virginia regiments during the Civil War. This batch came from the 12th, 24th, 42nd, 50th, 51st, 54th, and 58th VA.
First and last name combinations that are worth noting:
Coon Spangler
Dexterity Varner
Peter Handy
Tazewell Gallington Wells
Costly Belcher
Josiah Waddle
Green Penn
Nimrod Poteet
Ham Belton
Green Berry Luster (he sounds like a crayon...)
Fountain Gille
Cpt. Hiram Demosthense Pridemore
Doctor Puckett
Forest Sargent
Peachy Hopkins
Edward Snodgrass
Peter Cockram
Calvin Unthank
Algernon Rhinehart
Cyrus Bushrod
Constance Canidy
Archibald Hunsucker
German Wood
Littington Cool
Lafayette Livesay
Squire Asbury Blakemore
Nasham Cap
Nathanial Swordcox
Atlantic Ocean Crook
Green Berry Compton
Hezekiah Head
Elihu Vermillion Litton
Zion Parsons
Wales Wellington Wallace Peters (try embroider'n THAT on a hanky)
Phew! In addition to my growing collection of "fascinate'n names" there is also my list of first names that I deem to be just plain cool.
Sterling
Valentine
Winsome
Lexington
Crockett (Gotta love Don Johnson)
Clayton
Pendleton
Swift
Peyton
Commodore
Lucian
Now, it was quite common to name your son "Doctor" or "General" or as you saw, "Commadore". Pretty weird, if you think of it in childhood terms. "Haha, Doctor Puckett just peed his pants!" Another common naming technique back in the Victorian era was giving your (son, mostly) the full name of a hero from history as his first name. For example, Thomas Jefferson Jones. A pretty famous one, and due entirely to the family connection, would be George Washington Custis Lee, General Robert E. Lee's first born son. (And naturally, following the Civil War, many children were named for generals, including Robert E. Lee). My personal favorite in this category is the first name Patrick Henry because he was a mouthy bad ass who didn't give a shit about what people thought, was all about rebelling, and any dude who locks his crazy wife in a basement is all right by me!
This has been today's lesson in Victorian names. Believe me, the list will continue growing as I continue learning! I hope you found it interesting!
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