Today’s post is the result of a mostly pointless, but possibly interesting exercise. I decided to see how many first names there are with two or more occurrences in my database of people with Casban, Casben, or Casbon surnames. Then I decided to list the earliest and latest instances of each name. Did you make the list? Great—that means you’re in good company! Didn’t make the list? Even better—you’re one of a kind!
| Name | No. | Earliest | Latest | Name | No. | Earliest | Latest | |
| Albert | 2 | 1885 | 1907 | Katherine, Kathryn, Katie | 4 | 1874 | 2003 | |
| Alfred | 2 | 1828 | 1843 | Kenneth | 2 | 1927 | 1947 | |
| Alice | 4 | 1871 | 1994 | Kristen Kristin | 2 | 1969 | 2000 | |
| Amy | 2 | 1971 | 1975 | Kyle | 2 | 1985 | 2003 | |
| Angela | 2 | 1960 | 1975 | Laura | 2 | 1888 | 1977 | |
| Ann, Anne, Anna | 3 | 1838 | 1876 | Lawrence | 2 | 1865 | 1875 | |
| Arthur | 5 | 1868 | 1918 | Leonard | 3 | 1874 | 1920 | |
| Barbara | 2 | 1922 | 1969 | Leslie | 2 | 1894 | 1923 | |
| Benjamin | 2 | 1985 | 1995 | Lewis | 2 | 1911 | 1927 | |
| Brian | 2 | 1937 | 1937 | Lillian, Lillie | 3 | 1870 | 1888 | |
| Brittany | 2 | 1986 | 1993 | Lindsey | 2 | 1964 | 1993 | |
| Carol, Carole | 4 | 1935 | 1954 | Louise. Louisa | 2 | 1887 | abt 1971 | |
| Catherine | 2 | 1920 | 1982 | Luke | 3 | 1985 | 2003 | |
| Charles | 10 | 1840 | 1968 | Lydia | 2 | 1761 | 1840 | |
| Christine, Christina | 3 | 1951 | 1982 | Lynn, Lynne | 2 | 1953 | 1958 | |
| Christopher | 4 | 1950 | 1995 | Marcia | 2 | 1939 | 1968 | |
| Dana | 2 | 1972 | 1987 | Margaret | 7 | 1864 | 1920 | |
| Daniel, Danny | 2 | 1961 | 1972 | Marjorie | 4 | 1918 | 1934 | |
| David | 8 | 1931 | 1974 | Mark | 3 | 1955 | 1968 | |
| Dawn | 2 | 1978 | 1978 | Martha | 2 | 1840 | 1855 | |
| Donald | 4 | 1913 | 1947 | Mary, Mary Ann(e) |
10 | 1798 | 1937 | |
| Doris | 4 | 1913 | 1937 | Matthew | 2 | 1970 | 1990 | |
| Edith | 4 | 1808 | 1885 | Michael | 7 | 1948 | 1985 | |
| Elizabeth | 8 | 1832 | 1924 | Mildred | 2 | 1886 | 1920 | |
| Emily | 2 | 1878 | 1883 | Nancy | 2 | 1800 | 1961 | |
| Emma | 6 | 1844 | 1984 | Nellie, Nelly | 2 | 1893 | 1914 | |
| Eric | 2 | 1915 | 1927 | Patricia | 2 | 1940 | 1956 | |
| Ernest | 2 | 1890 | 1932 | Paul | 2 | 1976 | 1984 | |
| Florence | 5 | 1864 | 1913 | Percy | 2 | 1899 | 1919 | |
| George | 9 | 1836 | 1942 | Peter | 3 | 1872 | 1938 | |
| Graham | 3 | 1912 | 1940 | Philip, Phillip | 3 | 1943 | 1965 | |
| Hannah | 2 | 1842 | 2001 | Richard | 2 | 1952 | 1980 | |
| Harriet | 3 | 1838 | 1904 | Robert | 4 | 1908 | 1960 | |
| Harry | 5 | 1867 | 1929 | Ronald | 5 | 1929 | 1947 | |
| Helen, Helena | 4 | 1887 | 1958 | Ruth | 3 | 1794 | 1959 | |
| Henry | 4 | 1882 | 1910 | Samuel | 5 | 1851 | 1997 | |
| Herbert | 2 | 1896 | 1910 | Sarah | 9 | 1834 | abt 1972 | |
| Ian | 2 | 1961 | 1974 | Scott | 2 | 1970 | 1975 | |
| James | 10 | 1772 | 1978 | Sharon | 3 | 1947 | 1962 | |
| Jane | 3 | 1803 | 1858 | Shirley | 2 | 1939 | 1952 | |
| Jason | 2 | 1970 | 1985 | Stanley | 2 | 1914 | 1924 | |
| Jerry, Gerald | 3 | 1945 | 1972 | Stephen, Steven | 3 | 1900 | 1978 | |
| Jesse (male) | 4 | 1843 | 1953 | Susan, Susanne, Suzanne | 5 | 1961 | 1993 | |
| John, Jon | 19 | 1778 | 1980 | Sylvester | 2 | 1837 | 1906 | |
| Joseph, Joe | 4 | 1811 | 1994 | Thomas | 11 | 1743 | 1954 | |
| Joyce | 3 | 1927 | 1949 | Walter | 4 | 1856 | 1919 | |
| Julia, Julie, Juliette | 4 | 1866 | Abt 1952 | William | 15 | 1805 | 2004 |
The most frequent names are:
| Men | Women | ||||
| John or Jon: | 19 | Mary or Mary Anne(e): | 10 | ||
| William: | 15 | Sarah: | 9 | ||
| Thomas: | 11 | Elizabeth: | 8 | ||
| Charles: | 10 | Margaret: | 7 | ||
| James: | 10 | Emma: | 6 | ||
| George: | 9 | Florence: | 5 | ||
| David: | 8 | Susan, Susanne, or Suzanne: | 5 | ||
| Michael: | 7 | Alice: | 4 | ||
| Arthur: | 5 | Carol or Carole: | 4 | ||
| Harry: | 5 | Doris: | 4 | ||
| Ronald: | 5 | Edith: | 4 | ||
| Samuel: | 5 | Helen or Helena: | 4 | ||
| Julia, Julie, or Juliette: | 4 | ||||
| Katherine, Kathryn, or Kate: | 4 | ||||
| Marjorie | 4 |
I suppose it says a little bit about how names come and go in fashion. Some have withstood the test of time, others were only popular for a short period. Some have declined and others have made revivals in recent years.
Our names are a unique element of our identities. They outlast our bodies and remain in the memories of others. They provide something for family historians to grab onto in their quest to revive the past. Each one is a potential story waiting to be told.
Do you have any favorite names or stories to go with them?