Research error or (sic)?

[Montauk6]

Do you ever come across surname websites where in the tree you have 2 siblings with the same name? I've only heard of this with George Foreman, who named all his sons George. But if ever you've encountered this, do you take it at face value or assume that the compiler just double-dipped?

[cornermouse]

1. Naming patterns are an interesting subject.

Try searching for "naming patterns" with the correct ethnicity and see what pops up.

One possible clue might be found here. This particular site if German, but the reason it is based on might not be limited to German ethnicity.

http://www.kerchner.com/germname.htm

"If a child died in infancy the name was often reused for the next child of the same gender. A rare twist occurred sometimes. A child's name would be reused when a spouse died and the surviving spouse remarried and had more children with the next spouse. I found this happened when a spouse had children in Germany and then his spouse died. He left his children behind in Germany, possibly with the grandparents, and then emigrated to Pennsylvania. Sometime after arrival he remarried and named his eldest son born in Pennsylvania by his new spouse with the same name as the son still living in Germany. This results in two adult children with the same name."

[bobbieinok]

2. some (internet) lists are pretty clear--early child dies age 4 or so

much later child has same name

[Cooley Hurd]

4. Good example of that is FDR's children...

FDR & Eleanor had two FDR Jr's (the first died in infancy, the second survived and died in 1988).:hi:

[sybylla]

3. I've had it and I don't necessarily assume it is an error

Certain cultures had naming conventions and some people stuck to them religiously.

My French-Canadian ancestors would use a name several times until the progeny finally survivied.

I have another New England ancestor who started the naming convention over again with the second wife so he has two sons with the same name but nearly 20 years apart in age.

But I've also found mistakes too numerous to count. So I take multiple offspring with a grain of salt until I see corroborating or contrary evidence.

[fudge stripe cookays]

5. Our Crittenden family did this.

They had about 4 or 5 daughters they named variations of Laura Fidelia or Laura something else. Unfortunately, ALL the daughters named Laura died. I think they finally got the hint that it was a cursed name in their family and picked some other names instead.

Laura, Salmon, and Beriah were all family names that kept getting re-used in one form or another. They didn't always make it past infancy, sadly.

[Rhiannon12866]

6. This wasn't uncommon in early families.

If a child died in infancy, and so many did back then, they'd give the next child the same name. I've run across this, myself.