List of abbreviations for names
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This List of abbreviations for names shows common abbreviations of English given names.
Many historical records utilise standard abbreviations of given names in order to save time and paper. This was possible in English speaking countries due to the relatively small number of personal names in use until relatively recently. Although very rare now, knowledge of these abbreviations is essential for genealogists when consulting very old records that list many names, such as parish registers.
Many of these abbreviations do not look like their full name equivalent. This is because the abbreviation is often derived from the Latin form of the English name.
[edit] Common abbreviations for English given names
Note:
- Those abbreviations without punctuation are contractions, ending with the last letter of the full name, e.g. Josh / Josiah
- Abbreviations with punctuation do not include the end of the full name, e.g. Josh. / Joshua
