Unusual Names of Revolutionary War Veterans from Virginia

Happy 4th of July!

Several months ago, I went into my favorite used bookstore and acquired a volume called “Revolutionary Soldiers and Sailors of the Commonwealth of Virginia,” which lists Virginia veterans who received “land bounty warrants” in the late 1700s after the American Revolution’s end. I love genealogical resources like this not just for the historical research potential but for the names! Books like this one are a goldmine for character and baby name inspiration…and to be completely honest, occasional snarking! Because of data limitations in the Social Security Administration birth database (which only extends to 1880) and the Census along with spotty records elsewhere and who knows what else, it’s challenging to conduct name research in certain eras and areas of the United States. And let’s face it, we don’t see very many widely-circulating lists of baby names before the Victorian era unless they’re poking fun at New England Puritans or (most recently) 18th-century Quakers.

Here is a list of unusual, unique, and occasionally weird or hilarious first names worn by Virginian veterans of the American Revolution! I don’t list surnames unless the full name is amusing (i.e., Hammer Tear) or tickles my fancy (i.e., Stapleton Crutchfield). I’ve kept spellings the same as listed in the book with one exception**, though I will note if another spelling is more standard and I do list variations. Anyway, If you’re looking for baby boys’ names from the 1700s, this list might just be for you!

1. Absalom (x3) / Absolom
2. Achilles – This one is only semi-unusual today, but it probably wasn’t too common for English-speakers in the 1700s.
3. Addison
4. Alben
5. Albion – he was a Jr
6. Albridgton
7. Alman
8. Anderson (x2)
9. Angus (x2)
10. Anselin
11. Appoles
12. Aquilla / Acquilla – Aquila is now the standard spelling. This is an ancient Roman name meaning ‘eagle,’ though the probable namesake is an Aquila in the New Testament.
13. Archelaus (x2) – Rare Biblical and Greek mythological name.
14. Aries / Aris
15. Armand
16. Armstead (x4) – Full name of one was Armstead Long.
17. Artaxerxes** – Transcribed as Artax’s in accordance with the original document. Interestingly, I found another 18th-century Artaxerxes in England!
18. Arton
19. Baker (x2) – One’s last name was Angel. He was a sailor – Baker Angel the sailor. Love it!
20. Ballard
21. Bardill
22. Barker – Full name Barker Minter. Sounds like a command: “Bark her! Mint her!” Like ‘take the bark off a tree and mint it into coinage,’ which is amusingly nonsensical.
23. Barnabas (x2) – Barnabas Mars was the delightful full name of one.
24. Barney – Even the past can’t escape the purple dinosaur.
25. Bartholomew (x3)
26. Bartlett (x2)
27. Bassil – Perhaps a variation of Basil, or maybe a surname?
28. Baxter
29. Bazaleel – Usual spelling is Bezaleel. Biblical.
30. Benone (x2) – Variation of Benoni, the birth name of Benjamin in the Bible.
31. Beriah – Biblical
32. Berry – Full name Berry Carroll, which sounds a lot like Chuck Berry reversed!
33. Beverley (x3) / Beverly
34. Bluett – Full name Bluett Pasteur.
35. Bolling / Bowling – Bolling’s last name was Bolton. Talk about alliteration!
36. Boswell (x2)
37. Bradock
38. Bucham
39. Buckner
40. Burdett
41. Burgess (x2) – Probably started as a surname, but the House of Burgesses was Colonial Virginia’s governing body
42. Burtus – Full name Burtus Ringo.
43. Burwell (x2) – One was evidently related to someone named Ludwell, both names intertwined with connections of the Bacon family.
44. Cadwallader – Full name Cadwallader Jones. Cadwalader / Cadwaladr is an old Welsh name that means “battle leader.”
45. Caley
46. Calis
47. Callohill – Add that to the list of names starting with Cal!
48. Calvert
49. Carey
50. Casper
51. Chiswell
52. Churchill (x2)
53. Clairborne (x4) / Clairbourn / Claiborne / Clairborn – Though Clairborne was the most frequent spelling, Claiborne is the standard spelling.
54. Clanders
55. Clem
56. Clement (x3)
57. Cleon
58. Clough
59. Coldrop – When you have a cold and you slur your words while asking for medicine.
60. Conrod – Could be a variation of Conrad, a surname, or both.
61. Conway
62. Cosby
63. Craven – This word means “cowardly.”
64. Custus
65. Dabney
66. Dade (x2)
67. Darby (x2)
68. Darmon
69. Dedrick
70. Demsy
71. Dinwiddi – The usual spelling is Dinwiddie, as in Robert Dinwiddie or Dinwiddie County.
72. Drury (x8) – This isn’t the first time I’ve seen multiple people named Drury in early Virginia records, which leads me to believe it was relatively common in the 18th century (at least regionally) and is simply one of those archaic, forgotten baby names that’s dwindled to extinction. Possible meanings, derived from Old French, are “sweetheart” (in the romantic sense), “love,” and “loved one.”
73. Dudley
74. Ebenezer
75. Eliazer
76. Eliphalet
77. Elkanah
78. Eneas – Variation of Aeneas, the titular character of The Aeneid.
79. Enoch / Enock
80. Epaphroditus – Full name Epaphroditus Rudder. This is another one of those Greek-derived obscure New Testament names!
81. Ephraim
82. Eppa – Elsewhere I see a woman Eppa listed as an heiress. I suspect in the man’s case it could be a nickname for Ephraim.
83. Erasmus
84. Euclid
85. Evans – Full name Evans Long.
86. Everard
87. Evert
88. Ewel
89. Falvey
90. Farral
91. Ferdinand
92. Ferguson
93. Fielding
94. Florence
95. Fortunatus (x2) – This time, we have a Roman-derived obscure New Testament namesake. These gentlemen’s full names were Fortunatus Pope (amazing!) and Fortunatus Sydnor!
96. Frizzel – Makes me think of the Magic School Bus
97. Gaines
98. Garrott – Garrett is a lovely-sounding name. Garrott looks like “garotte,” which is violent.
99. Giles
100. Gilson
101. Godfrey
102. Goodrich
103. Granville
104. Green – May be two
105. Griffith (x2)
106. Gustavus
107. Hack – Full name Hack Poplar. Hacking a tree is ill-advised.
108. Hamilton
109. Hamlin (x2)
110. Hammer – Full name Hammer Tear.
111. Hardy
112. Hardyman
113. Harmon
114. Haynes
115. Henly
116. Hensley
117. Herbert
118. Higgins
119. Hildry
120. Holland
121. Holman (x2)
122. Hopewell – Hopewell Hull
123. Horatio – Horatio Gates was a famous general during the war, and incidentally, the single Horatio listed. Horatio is the Shakespearean English version of an old Roman name.
124. Howson
125. Hughes
126. Hutchens
127. Humphrey (x2)
128. Ironmonger – Full name Ironmonger Major; he was a private. Ironmonger appears to be a family surname.
129. Isham (x7) – An old surname baby name related to the area of Isham, Northamptonshire in England. Pronounce this “ish-um,” no matter how tempted you may be to say “is-Ham.” Might make a good name for a pet pig!
130. Iverson
131. Javan
132. Jeduthin / Jidethan – Jeduthun is an obscure Bible name. I found an early Congressman from New England named Jeduthun Wilcox.
133. Job
134. Justinian – Justinian Cartwright
135. Larkin (x5)
136. Laughlin – Think Lachlan or McLaughlin, not “laugh line.”
137. Leander
138. Lemuel (x2)
139. Leven
140. Lindsay
141. Lipscomb – Not to be pronounced “lips comb,” the true “lips come” pronunciation sounds even worse! Once distinguished and now vaguely vulgar, I suspect this isn’t even suitable as a middle name now.
142. Littleberry (x5) – One may be related to someone named Poindexter!
143. Littleton – Full name Littleton Cockrell.
144. Lodwick (x2) / Lodowick (x2) – I’m actually familiar with this name as I have a Lodwick in my own family tree, but I’ve never figured out if it’s related to Ludwig or if it’s some kind of surname.
145. Lot – Full name Lot Harcum. The story of Lot in Genesis is, well, a lot. Thankfully, I think (and hope) today’s parents have better sense than to name their children after incest.
146. Low
147. Ludwell (x3) – One was related to Burwell Bacon. There may have been a third Ludwell in the form of Lud. Philip Huffman.
148. Mace
149. Machen – German verb meaning “to make” or “to do.”
150. Mackness – Full name Mackness Bowman, which sounds like a village archer. I wonder…is Mackness a surname, or perhaps a variation of Magnus?
151. Mag
152. Mahlon
153. Major (x5) – Four were privates. One was a Sergeant, known in full by Major Lipscomb.
154. Mallory
155. Manlove
156. Markham – Full name Markham Marshall
157. Marks / Markes
158. Marquis
159. Massey
160. Maximillion (x2)
161. Mayo – I also spotted this as a middle name later on.
162. Meredith (x2)
163. Micajah (x2) – Biblical name that sometimes shortens to Cage.
164. Millington
165. Moody – Hmm
166. Moore
167. Mordecai – could be 2
168. Mosby
169. Moss
170. Mourning (x3) – One’s full name was Mourning Hay. I’ve spotted this on women too, so Mourning may have been the 1700s equivalent of a gender-neutral baby name. I’ve often wondered if it was a name used in cases when the father died before the birth or in similar grief situations. Nameberry mentions that the name was also used among enslaved Americans in the 1800s.
171. Munacan
172. Nabas
173. Newton
174. Ning
175. Notley
176. Obedience – Virginia isn’t famous for Puritan names, but the locally-preferred religious names still occasionally got hardcore.
177. Opie
178. Osburn
179. Otway
180. Peregrine – Possibly the same person as Perregrine.
181. Peyton
182. Philemon
183. Phillison
184. Pitman
185. Pleasant – This would be more pleasant if his full name weren’t Pleasant Cocke. Yes, that was his name!
186. Pratt
187. Presley (x6) / Presly
188. Pridaux
189. Radford
190. Raley
191. Randolph
192. Rawleigh
193. Read
194. Reaps – Reaps Mitchell
195. Redman
196. Rhodius
197. Rice – Looks like food, but when derived from the surname it’s a variation on Rhys or Reese.
198. Richardson
199. Roberson
200. Rodham (x5)
201. Rowland (x2)
202. Royal – Ironic; he fought the royals.
203. Rush – Full name Rush Hudson, which sounds like a 1950s movie star!
204. Sabred – A sabre is a type of sword. Does this mean he had a brother named “Stabbed?”
205. Sacker
206. Sampson
207. Sanders
208. Sawney – Full name Sawney Whistlor
209. Seaton
210. Segismond
211. Severn
212. Shadrack (x4) / Shadrach – Biblical
213. Shapleigh – Full name Shapleigh Waddy. Shapleigh is probably phonetic, but it’s funnier if you say it like “shapely.”
214. Sherod
215. Sherwood
216. Silvanus – Full name Silvanus Stokes.
217. Simmons
218. Southy
219. Spillsby
220. Stacey
221. Stapleton – Full name Stapleton Crutchfield. Sounds like a literary romantic hero!
222. Strother (x2)
223. Swann
224. Sydnor
225. Taliaferro – Note: The traditional pronunciation for Taliaferro is Tolliver. It’s an old Italian surname that’s been in Virginia since the 1600s, and just as the English get “Chumley-Fanshaw” from Cholmondeley-Featherstonhaugh, Virginians got Tolliver from Taliaferro. Nowadays you hear two very distinct pronunciations.
226. Tandy
227. Tapley
228. Tarlton (x2)
229. Tarpley
230. Thaddely – Full name Thaddely Kelly…it rhymes?
231. Theodorick (x2) – In case Theodore gets too popular for you! Note that Theodorick and Theodore are completely different names; Theodorick is the English spelling of Theodoric, a Gothic name that means “ruler of the people,” while Theodore is a Greek name that means “gift from God.” Today, Derek and Terry are probably the most popular forms of Theodoric.
232. Thompson
233. Thornberry – Full name Thornberry Bowling, which sounds like a new sport. Alternatively, it makes me think of Nigel Thornberry!
234. Tilman (x2)
235. Underwood
236. Uriah
237. Valentine (x4)
238. Venct
239. Warner
240. Warrington
241. Watts
242. Weedon
243. Wellcome – Full name Wellcome Miller
244. West
245. Westerbrook
246. Whitehead – Like a pimple?
247. Whitfield
248. Williamson (x2)
249. Williby – We’re more familiar with Willoughby now.
250. Willis (x2) – including a Willis Wilson
251. Wilmore – Full name Wilmore Wail.
252. Windel
253. Windsor
254. Winslow
255. Womack (x2)
256. Wright
257. Yancy
258. Zaddock
259. Zebediah
260. Zenas
261. Zephaniah

These were almost certainly all men, though occasionally I’d spot a woman’s name when someone inherited from or represented the named soldier. Ephemia and Theodocia were interesting.

My favorite name combination here is Fortunatus Pope, but Pleasant Cocke is all kinds of (unfortunately) funny. There are some more “normal-sounding” names that also gave me a chuckle:

• Austin Lawless – Makes me think of Texas cowboys or Wild West lawlessness.
• Richard Long
• Tucker Rest – “Tuck her rest?” “Tuck Arrest?”
• John Conner
• Robert Flippin – Shorten to “Bob” and you get “Bob Flippin,” like flipping one’s hair.
• Richard Joy

Overall, most of the soldiers bore timeless names like William and James, while others frequently had semi-common names like Archibald, Obadiah, and Reuben. Biblical names were fairly popular, and occasionally parents combined religious learning with Classical Mythology to name their sons epic oddities like Epaphroditus. And if this list is anything to go by, the 18th century was a popular time for “last names as first names.” Some things never change!

What are your favorite names from this list? And once again, happy 4th!

Source: Wilson, Samuel M. 1913. Catalogue of Revolutionary Soldiers and Sailors of the Commonwealth of Virginia to whom Land Bounty Warrants Were Granted by Virginia for Military Services in the War for Independence. Originally published in Year Book of the Kentucky Society Sons of the Revolution in 1913 and last reprinted in 1993 for Clearfield Company, Inc., by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. of Baltimore, MD.