Colonial Names
Names in colonial America were remarkably concentrated. In 17th-century New England, a handful of names such as Mary, Sarah, Elizabeth, John and Samuel covered a huge share of all children, and the rest came mostly from the Bible or from Puritan virtues like Patience and Thankful. This list gathers more than 100 authentic names of the colonial era, from Plymouth to Philadelphia to New Amsterdam.
The Puritan side is explored further on Puritan names. If you want names from a generation later, see 1800s names, and for scripture sources browse biblical names.
Most common colonial girl names
Probate records and church registers show the same names over and over in the colonies.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Mary | Possibly “beloved” or “bitter” | Hebrew |
| Sarah | “Princess” | Hebrew |
| Elizabeth | “My God is an oath” | Hebrew |
| Hannah | “Grace, favor” | Hebrew |
| Abigail | “My father is joy” | Hebrew |
| Susannah | “Lily” | Hebrew |
| Rebecca | “To tie, bind” | Hebrew |
| Anne | “Grace” | Hebrew, via French |
| Martha | “Lady” | Aramaic |
| Lydia | “Woman from Lydia” | Greek |
| Rachel | “Ewe” | Hebrew |
| Ruth | “Friend, companion” | Hebrew |
| Deborah | “Bee” | Hebrew |
| Esther | “Star” | Persian |
| Dorcas | “Gazelle” | Greek, Acts 9 |
| Phoebe | “Bright” | Greek, Romans 16 |
| Priscilla | “Ancient” | Latin, Acts 18 |
Most common colonial boy names
John was king. Boys were often named after their father or a recently deceased older brother.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| John | “God is gracious” | Hebrew |
| Samuel | “God has heard” | Hebrew |
| Thomas | “Twin” | Aramaic |
| Joseph | “God will add” | Hebrew |
| Benjamin | “Son of the right hand” | Hebrew |
| Jonathan | “God has given” | Hebrew |
| Nathaniel | “Gift of God” | Hebrew |
| Daniel | “God is my judge” | Hebrew |
| Ebenezer | “Stone of help” | Hebrew, 1 Samuel 7 |
| Josiah | “God supports” | Hebrew |
| Isaac | “He will laugh” | Hebrew |
| Jeremiah | “God will exalt” | Hebrew |
| Timothy | “Honoring God” | Greek |
| Stephen | “Crown” | Greek |
| Elijah | “My God is Yahweh” | Hebrew |
| Richard | “Brave ruler” | Germanic |
| Edward | “Wealthy guardian” | Old English |
| Henry | “Ruler of the home” | Germanic |
| Cotton | English surname honoring minister John Cotton | Cotton Mather, b. 1663 |
Puritan virtue names
Especially popular in the first generations of Massachusetts Bay. Most were given to girls. Compare names that mean hope.
| Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Prudence | Good judgment | Girl |
| Patience | Endurance | Girl |
| Mercy | Compassion | Girl; Mercy Otis Warren |
| Thankful | Gratitude to God | Girl |
| Charity | Christian love | Girl |
| Hope | Faith in the future | Girl |
| Silence | Quiet devotion | Girl |
| Desire | Longing for God | Girl; Desire Minter, Mayflower |
| Submit | Humility before God | Girl |
| Hopestill | Continuing faith | Either |
| Love | Christian love | Girl; Love Brewster (a boy), Mayflower |
| Wrestling | Struggle for faith | Boy; Wrestling Brewster |
| Increase | God’s favor grows | Boy; Increase Mather |
| Experience | Religious experience | Either |
| Constance | Steadfastness | Girl; Constance Hopkins, Mayflower |
| Fear | Reverence of God | Girl |
| Obedience | Following God’s will | Girl |
| Resolved | Firmness of faith | Boy; Resolved White, Mayflower |
Rare Old Testament names used by colonists
Puritan parents mined the Bible for obscure names, sometimes opening it at random.
| Name | Meaning | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Zerubbabel | “Seed of Babylon” | Ezra 3 |
| Mehitable | “God makes happy” | Genesis 36 |
| Jerusha | “Possessed” | 2 Kings 15 |
| Keziah | “Cassia tree” | Job 42 |
| Hepzibah | “My delight is in her” | 2 Kings 21 |
| Azubah | “Forsaken” | 1 Kings 22 |
| Jabez | “Sorrow” | 1 Chronicles 4 |
| Peleg | “Division” | Genesis 10 |
| Zadok | “Righteous” | 2 Samuel 8 |
| Eliphalet | “God is deliverance” | 2 Samuel 5 |
| Gershom | “Stranger there” | Exodus 2 |
| Zipporah | “Bird” | Exodus 2 |
| Tryphena | “Delicate” | Romans 16 |
| Bathsheba | “Daughter of the oath” | 2 Samuel 11 |
| Tobias | “God is good” | Book of Tobit |
| Asahel | “God has made” | 2 Samuel 2 |
| Jemima | “Dove” | Job 42 |
| Obadiah | “Servant of God” | Book of Obadiah |
| Eunice | “Good victory” | 2 Timothy 1 |
Revolutionary-era names
Names of the founding generation, many worn by famous Patriots. Their surname-style names later became first names too.
| Name | Meaning | Famous bearer |
|---|---|---|
| George | “Farmer” | George Washington |
| Alexander | “Defender of men” | Alexander Hamilton |
| Benedict | “Blessed” | Benedict Arnold |
| Eliza | Pet form of Elizabeth | Eliza Hamilton |
| Paul | “Small, humble” | Paul Revere |
| Patrick | “Nobleman” | Patrick Henry |
| Betsy | Pet form of Elizabeth | Betsy Ross |
| Nathan | “He gave” | Nathan Hale |
| Dolley | Pet form of Dorothea | Dolley Madison |
| Crispus | “Curly-haired” | Crispus Attucks |
| Phillis | Greek “foliage” | Phillis Wheatley, poet |
| Ethan | “Firm, enduring” | Ethan Allen |
| Molly | Pet form of Mary | “Molly Pitcher” of Monmouth |
| Silas | “Of the forest” | Silas Deane |
| Aaron | Possibly “exalted” | Aaron Burr |
| Gouverneur | From his mother’s surname | Gouverneur Morris |
Dutch, Quaker and other colonial names
Not every colony was Puritan. New Netherland, Pennsylvania and New France had naming habits of their own. See also German names and French names.
| Name | Meaning | Community |
|---|---|---|
| Annetje | Dutch pet form of Anna | New Netherland |
| Pieter | Dutch form of Peter, “rock” | New Netherland |
| Cornelis | Dutch form of Cornelius | New Netherland |
| Geertruyd | Dutch form of Gertrude, “spear strength” | New Netherland |
| Stuyvesant | Surname of Peter Stuyvesant, used as first name | New York |
| Grietje | Dutch pet form of Margaret | New Netherland |
| Jannetje | Dutch pet form of Johanna | New Netherland |
| Hendrick | Dutch form of Henry | New Netherland |
| Johann | German form of John | Pennsylvania Germans |
| Christoph | German form of Christopher | Pennsylvania Germans |
| Gulielma | Latinized feminine of William | Gulielma Penn, Quaker |
| Mordecai | Possibly “servant of Marduk” | Colonial Jewish families; Mordecai Sheftall |
| Marguerite | French form of Margaret | New France |
| Jean-Baptiste | “John the Baptist” | New France |
| Pocahontas | “Playful one” (nickname) | Powhatan; also called Matoaka |
How to choose a colonial name
- The easiest colonial names for today are the biblical classics: Abigail, Hannah, Josiah, Eliza and Nathaniel feel timeless.
- Virtue names like Mercy, Hope and Constance modernize beautifully; Submit and Fear are better left in the history books.
- For fiction, remember naming patterns: firstborn sons were often named for their father, and names of children who died were reused for the next sibling.
- Surnames of founding families (Winthrop, Bradford, Adams) make distinctive first names with colonial flavor.
- Browse old-fashioned girl names and biblical boy names for close cousins.
Frequently asked questions
What were popular colonial girl names?
Mary, Sarah, Elizabeth, Hannah, Abigail and Susannah were the most common names for girls in colonial New England.
What were popular colonial boy names?
John dominated, followed by Samuel, Thomas, Joseph, Benjamin and Nathaniel.
What are Puritan virtue names?
Names that express a Christian quality, like Prudence, Patience, Mercy, Thankful and Increase. They were most popular among early New England Puritans.
Did the Mayflower passengers have unusual names?
Yes. Passengers included Love, Wrestling and Resolved, plus girls named Desire, Remember and Constance.
What names did Dutch colonists use?
New Netherland settlers used names like Pieter, Cornelis, Annetje and Grietje, often with patronymics such as Pietersen.