It is a truth universally acknowledged that our ancestors were less creative with their baby naming choices. Whilst the odd Philadelphia or Septimus may be found, these remain the exception and it was much more likely that their contemporaries were named John or William, Mary or Ann.
Of these boys' names, John was the most widespread.The forename features significantly in the Bible, making it a popular forename for our ancestors. The Office for National Statistics has collated naming patterns from 1904 onwards, and John holds its own for much of the 20th century. It was the number one choice of boys' names from the 1910s-1930s, but was in the top 10 until the 1970s. There followed a steep downwards curve as the popularity of this forename dropped. Whilst some boys' forenames which were popular in the early 20th century have recently regained popularity - George, William and Henry for instance - this has yet to be the case with the name John.
Looking back further in time, any genealogist will recognise the prevalence of Johns in their family tree, and research from the medieval period onwards consistently finds John the most common male name of our ancestors. This was certainly the case on 10th February 1805 in Manchester, when a total of 7 individuals of this name were baptised. 59 children were baptised that (very busy!) day, meaning 11% were named John. Helpfully the clerk chose to record the baptisms by forename:-
Whilst perhaps not seen as the most interesting of forenames, it is very likely that this will represent one of the most common male names in your family tree!
