I’ve always been curious as to what names actually first graced Plymouth Rock, and the Mayflower Passenger list sheds some light on what names were stylish among the Puritan pilgrims of the time period. The passenger list was written by Governor William Bradford about 30 years after the ship docked, or rather, collided, on the legendary boulder. So today, I’m reviewing some of the names of interest, including dramatic word names, monikers with a surprisingly contemporary feel, and even taking a quick look at the often shocking sibsets aboard. Happy Thanksgiving, Name Warehouse readers, and let’s begin!
Remember Allerton- Remember is blooming with nickname opportunities, particularly more modern ones like Remy, Ember, and Emmy. Strikingly original but with a familiar undertone thanks to her word name status and similarity to Ember, Remember is a bold yet intriguing choice for a daughter or fantasy book character. Remember Allerton married a man called Moses Maverick, which sounds like it would fit seamlessly into today’s celebaby scene to me. The little Remember on the Mayflower boarded the ship at around 5 years old with her 7 and 4 year old siblings, the younger of which was her sister. The name of a little sister to Remember? Mary.
Love Brewster- A 9-year old boy called Love landed in Plymouth with his parents, Mary and William, and his little brother, whose name we’ll also go over, in 1620. Although his name represents a positive emotion, Love has definitely faded into obscurity for both genders. And even if Love were to have a resurrection, the sounds would favor the girls, thanks to mini moniker Liv that has come to become an adorable nickname for mainstream Olivia. However, as a middle name to balance out a more masculine name, a girl middle or bold first name, or even as a name for a male pet or character, Love would work wonders in some name combos or stories.
Wrestling Brewster- And you thought Mary and Remember was a wacky sibset. The peaceful and serene Love was paired with a name with more violent connotation: Wrestling. A 6-year old boy who never had any children of his own, Wrestling is probably far beyond the line of acceptable for modern day usage. Not only does the name have strange associations today, even if you were to have a take on the tackling and fighting connections as a symbol of bravery and strength, the -ling ending has never been in style, and likely won’t be in the near future. However, Love apparently liked his brother’s name enough to pass it on to his own son.
Humility Cooper- Humility arrived in Plymouth at the age of 1, the daughter of a man called Robert Cooper. However, she was sent over to the New World with her Aunt and Uncle Edward and Agnes, likely because her mother had died. Her name is a bold word name that has the -lity ending similar to that of other virtue names like Amity, Verity, and Felicity that seem perfectly usable for a modern day child. And yet, her similarity to the words humidity and humiliation make her sound unappealing and strange. If you did wish to use Humility, though, Millie is an adorable nickname.
Damaris Hopkins- A 2-year old little girl when the Mayflower docked in the New World, her name was quite the favorite among the Puritan groups of the time. This is thanks to the charitable Damaris, who was said to have been converted to Christianity by St. Paul. Damaris is a biblical name, and a stunning one for this modern day and age, in my opinion. She’s biblical, has a soft -maris ending, but is absolutely free from frills. Shockingly, Damaris fails to rank in the top 1000, but her strong and confident meaning is “dominant woman.” Now that Daenerys is on parents' radar, Damaris sounds familiar and current enough to fit a modern day baby girl. The only issue? She does sound a little like demerit. Damaris Hopkins was the little sister of Constance and Giles Hopkins, and the older sister to the baby boy born on the voyage: Oceanus.
Myles Standish- Although we tend to think of Miles/Myles as an incredibly contemporary and recently invented boy name, it was actually quite popular in the days of the pilgrims. While Miles seems more appropriate for a boy today, as most people read -ys in the name instead of -is (Rylee, Sydney, Kamryn) as girl names, Myles is still a valid way to spell the name. It’s actually an English form of the name Milo, which is white hot trendy right now, so I think that Myles could be a nice alternative if there’s already a Milo in your social circle or your other children have names that end in -o. The Myles Standish that arrived on the Mayflower was 33 when the ship landed, and over his lifespan had 7 children and 2 wives.
Elias Story- Elias’s story is shrouded in mystery, but he was likely young and died early in Plymouth. His name, however, has lived on for generations, and has begun to get trendy thanks to the success of Elijah and Elliot. He ranks the highest of any name on this list today, at an astonishing #60, and is completely an appropriate-not to mention adorable-name for a little baby boy born in 2020. The name means “Yahweh is God,” just like his brother's name, Elijah, and actually stems from the Greek version of Elijah. Even though Story wasn’t his middle name, Elias Story is a strikingly handsome combo, the perfect blend of familiar and different, soft and strong, wordy and meaningful.
Resolved White- I’m a big nay-sayer when it comes to rare word names that are very obviously words with surnames that echo that sentiment, so Resolved White is already not my favorite. When taking a look at one of the definitions of the word resolved, though, it is positive. A firm conviction and determination is a quality that many people look for and want to instill in their children, so that portion of the name is good. But Resolved isn’t a lovely or flowing sound either. It’s choppy and rough, making me doubt that the name has any possibility of becoming a modern day option. Resolved White was about 5 when his family landed in Plymouth, and was the brother of a boy born on the ship, Peregrine White, whose name was chosen thanks to the significant meaning: traveller.
I hope you enjoyed this little look at what pilgrims named their children, and maybe even gained some inspiration for what you might name yours! Happy Thanksgiving, friends.
Sincerely,
~Delphina Moon
Which names surprised you? Which ones would you consider for a child? Let me know in the comments below!