Uncover historically inspired Puritan names that add depth, symbolism, and authenticity to your characters and storytelling.
Puritan given names generally reflect the group’s devout Christian faith.
Many used biblical names, such as Rebecca, Martha, and Josiah.
There were also virtue or grace names, where someone was named for a quality the parents hope they would embody. These include names we might use today, like Hope and Verity, but also some less familiar, like Abstinence.
Perhaps the most striking given names were hortatory names, which were complex compound names. These included “What-God-Will,” “Sorry-For-Sin,” and “Praise-God.”
It’s worth remembering, though, that there would have been significant regional differences in naming and that some of these practices, like hortatory naming, were only used by certain communities.
Puritan family/surnames were less distinctive on the whole and generally reflected naming trends in England at the time.
Here are examples inspired by real Puritan naming traditions:
Increase Brewster
Patience Goodwin
Resolve Caldwell
Hope Whitfield
Thankful Perkins
Amity Shepard
Loyal Townsend
Mercy Alden
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