I saw this on FamilySearch – How to trace your Irish roots using this traditional Irish naming pattern: https://media.familysearch.org/how-to-trace-your-irish-roots-using-this-traditional-irish-naming-pattern/
SummaryA popular tradition in Irish names could help you trace your Irish roots.
Our ancestors in Ireland had a very strong tradition for naming the eldest children in each family. It’s really interesting to see this naming pattern in your own family tree, but it’s especially valuable to know for family history research.
This naming pattern was most prevalent from around the late 18th century to the middle of the 20th.
I would warn that just because it was a very strong tradition doesn’t mean it always holds true. There are generally a fair number of non-traditionalists in any society, country, or culture. Those would oppose the tradition just because it was a tradition. I have a friend who is very anti-traditionalist in some areas. In other areas, he is very much a traditionalist. He’s not Irish, but he has a family naming tradition as each of his children is named after someone in his or his wife’s family. I haven’t discerned a specific pattern, but it appears to be based on an ancestor who him or his wife respected. Often, it’s a combination of ancestors with the child’s first name being from one ancestor and the middle name being from a different ancestor.
Ups Downs Family History 