Thanksgiving Baby Name Ideas

My gift to you this Thanksgiving? Pilgrim names.

Doesn’t sound exciting? Trust me, the Pilgrims had some awesome names. Today, I bring you the list of passengers on the Mayflower. Sure there are 3 ELIZABETHs, 5 MARYs, 6 EDWARDs, 7 WILLIAMs and a whopping 13 JOHNs, but there are some one-of-a-kind gems here, too. Boys named LOVE and WRESTLING?! DAMARIS, DEGORY, and DESIRE! OCEANUS and PEREGRINE! Fabulous names for a true name aficionado.

This list is worth a read. Enjoy (and let me know your favorites).

FEMALE PILGRIM NAMES

• ALICE Mullins
• ALICE Rigsdale
• ANN Tilley
• CONSTANCE Hopkins
• DAMARIS Hopkins
• DESIRE Minter
• DOROTHY Bradford
• ELEANOR Billington
• ELIZABETH Hopkins
• ELIZABETH Tilley
• ELIZABETH Winslow
• ELLEN More
• HUMILITY Cooper
• JOAN Tilley
• KATHERINE Carver
• MARY Allerton
• MARY Brewster
• MARY Chilton
• MARY Martin
• MARY More
• PRISCILLA Mullins
• REMEMBER Allerton
• SARAH Eaton
• SUSANNA White

MALE PILGRIM NAMES

• BARTHOLOMEW Allerton
• CHRISTOPHER Martin
• DEGORY Priest
• EDMUND Margesson
• EDWARD Fuller
• EDWARD Leister
• EDWARD Planter Doty
• EDWARD Thompson
• EDWARD Tilley
• EDWARD Winslow
• ELIAS Story
• FRANCIS Billington
• FRANCIS Cooke
• FRANCIS Eaton
• GEORGE Soule
• GILBERT Winslow
• GILES Hopkins
• HENRY Samson
• ISAAC Allerton
• JAMES Chilton
• JASPER More
• JOHN Alden
• JOHN Allerton
• JOHN Billington
• JOHN Carver
• JOHN Cooke
• JOHN Crackstone
• JOHN Goodman
• JOHN Hooke
• JOHN Howland
• JOHN Langmore
• JOHN Rigsdale
• JOHN Tilley
• JOHN Turner
• JOSEPH Mullins
• JOSEPH Rogers
• LOVE Brewster
• MOSES Fletcher
• MYLES Standish
• OCEANUS Hopkins (born at sea!)
• PEREGRINE White
• PETER Browne
• RESOLVED White
• RICHARD Britteridge
• RICHARD Clarke
• RICHARD Gardinar
• RICHARD More
• RICHARD Warren
• ROBERT Carter
• ROGER Wilder
• SAMUEL Eaton
• SAMUEL Fuller
• SOLOMON Prower
• THOMAS English
• THOMAS Rogers
• THOMAS Tinker
• THOMAS Williams
• WILLIAM Brandord
• WILLIAM Brewster
• WILLIAM Button
• WILLIAM Holbeck
• WILLIAM Latham
• WILLIAM Mullins
• WILLIAM White
• WRESTLING Brewster

SOURCE: http://pilgrimhall.org/mayfpass.htm

CAN PILGRIM NAMES WORK FOR MODERN BABIES?

My faves? I love the name PRISCILLA. I can’t be alone. Who else likes this name? I know there may not be many of us, but I think it’s a very sweet name with great nickname potential – CILLA is adorable! Other nice picks are ALICE, ELIZABETH, and DAMARIS.

From the boys list, I like ISAAC, ELIAS, and BARTHOLOMEW (not crazy about Bart as a nickname though).

However, the real standouts from this list are the virtue names. Most of these are a little too off-the-beaten-path for modern parents, but they’re worth looking at. From the Mayflower we have CONSTANCE, DESIRE, REMEMBER, HUMILITY, LOVE, RESOLVED, and WRESTLING.

Love the idea of these virtue names, but worried your kids would never forgive you? Consider them for a middle name. As I always say, you can be a little more daring with the middle name.

That’s all for now. Have a very happy and safe Thanksgiving!

More Baby Name Ideas

For more baby name ideas, get a copy of my book Baby Names Made Easy.

Happy naming, ♥  Amanda