Findings are based on information from the 1851 census: selecting only women who were born 1740-1820, and who were living in Bedfordshire in 1851. Total number of individuals included is 21 280.
The five most common names were:
Mary 17.3%
Elizabeth 15.4%
Sarah 12.8%
Ann 12.5%
Hannah 3.8%
Over half of the women were called Mary, Elizabeth, Sarah or Ann.
Over two-thirds of the women were called Mary, Elizabeth, Sarah, Ann, Hannah, Martha, Jane or Eliza.
2.8% (603) of the women had unusual names--those which were shared by 5 or fewer individuals. A handful of these appeared to be foreign immigrant names (Kerenhappwck, Carlotted), or men who had accidently been marked as female on the census return (Robert, Aaron).
 | Names | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Mary | 17.3% | |
| Elizabeth | 15.4% | |
| Sarah | 12.8% | |
| Ann | 12.5% | |
| Hannah, Martha, Jane or Eliza | 11.3% | |
| Charlotte, Rebecca, Mary Ann, Sophia, Susan, Maria or Catherine | 11.6% | |
| Frances, Lucy, Susanna, Fanny, Harriet, Emma, Ruth, Caroline, Alice, Lydia, Esther or Louisa | 8.7% | |
| Phoebe, Margaret, Rachel, Ellen, Edith, Betsy, Eleanor, Dinah, Amelia, Anna, Emily, Jemima, Deborah, Kezia, Judith, Leticia, Matilda, Rhoda, Amy, Kitty, Maryann, Priscilla, Naomi, Isabella, James, May/Mae, Julia, Abigail, Henrietta, Diana, Rose, Dorothy, Joanna, Selina, Thomas, Grace, Bridget, John, Leah, Nancy, Phillis, Sally, William, Agnes, Annie, Arabella, Charity, Charles, Heppzibah, Marianne, Dorcas, Helen, Marcy, Marian, Patience, Prudence, Samuel, Barbara, George, Hester, Ketty, Milly, Betty, Emila, Lettice, Marianna, Ursula, Zilpah | 7.6% | |
| Names shared by 5 people or fewer | 2.8% |
All names, ranked with the most popular first.
| Names \ year born | 1740-1759 | 1760-1779 | 1780-1799 | 1800-1820 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mary | 2 | 245 | 1177 | 2258 | 3682 |
| Elizabeth | 1 | 254 | 1178 | 1846 | 3279 |
| Sarah | - | 209 | 853 | 1654 | 2716 |
| Ann | 2 | 175 | 858 | 1619 | 2654 |
| Hannah | 1 | 42 | 254 | 510 | 807 |
| Martha | 1 | 24 | 174 | 367 | 566 |
| Jane | - | 33 | 132 | 361 | 526 |
| Eliza | 1 | 1 | 29 | 484 | 515 |
| Charlotte | - | 20 | 104 | 310 | 434 |
| Rebecca | 1 | 17 | 108 | 253 | 379 |
| Mary Ann | - | 5 | 44 | 305 | 354 |
| Sophia | 1 | 4 | 102 | 241 | 348 |
| Susan | - | 27 | 95 | 222 | 344 |
| Maria | - | 2 | 73 | 254 | 329 |
| Catherine | - | 10 | 100 | 171 | 281 |
| Frances | 1 | 19 | 75 | 142 | 237 |
| Lucy | - | 18 | 66 | 153 | 237 |
| Susanna | - | 18 | 76 | 140 | 234 |
| Fanny | - | 12 | 51 | 127 | 190 |
| Harriet | - | 4 | 22 | 135 | 161 |
| Emma | - | 3 | 7 | 118 | 128 |
| Ruth | - | 5 | 30 | 88 | 123 |
| Caroline | - | - | 21 | 96 | 117 |
| Alice | - | 10 | 38 | 68 | 116 |
| Lydia | 1 | 5 | 40 | 67 | 113 |
| Esther | - | 4 | 35 | 61 | 100 |
| Louisa | - | - | 9 | 91 | 100 |
| Phoebe | - | 6 | 24 | 64 | 94 |
| Margaret | 1 | 10 | 27 | 49 | 87 |
| Rachel | - | 4 | 24 | 59 | 87 |
| Ellen | - | 7 | 19 | 60 | 86 |
| Edith | - | 3 | 29 | 51 | 83 |
| Betsy | - | 1 | 12 | 59 | 72 |
| Eleanor | - | 6 | 18 | 41 | 65 |
| Dinah | - | 2 | 23 | 35 | 60 |
| Amelia | - | 2 | 12 | 37 | 51 |
| Anna | - | 3 | 15 | 29 | 47 |
| Emily | - | - | 5 | 40 | 45 |
| Jemima | - | 6 | 17 | 14 | 37 |
| Deborah | - | - | 14 | 22 | 36 |
| Kezia | - | - | 11 | 25 | 36 |
| Judith | - | 2 | 13 | 15 | 30 |
| Leticia | - | 1 | 6 | 21 | 28 |
| Matilda | - | - | 3 | 25 | 28 |
| Rhoda | - | 1 | 3 | 24 | 28 |
| Amy | - | 1 | 11 | 15 | 27 |
| Kitty | - | 1 | 15 | 11 | 27 |
| Maryann | - | 2 | 4 | 18 | 24 |
| Priscilla | - | - | 5 | 18 | 23 |
| Naomi | - | - | 4 | 18 | 22 |
| Isabella | - | 2 | 5 | 14 | 21 |
| James | - | 1 | 5 | 15 | 21 |
| May/Mae | - | 2 | 6 | 13 | 21 |
| Julia | - | 1 | 4 | 14 | 19 |
| Abigail | - | 2 | 7 | 9 | 18 |
| Henrietta | - | 1 | 4 | 13 | 18 |
| Diana | - | - | 6 | 9 | 15 |
| Rose | - | 3 | 3 | 9 | 15 |
| Dorothy | - | 2 | 3 | 9 | 14 |
| Joanna | - | 1 | 4 | 8 | 13 |
| Selina | - | - | - | 13 | 13 |
| Thomas | - | 1 | 3 | 9 | 13 |
| Grace | - | 2 | 4 | 6 | 12 |
| Bridget | - | 2 | 6 | 3 | 11 |
| John | - | 1 | 8 | 2 | 11 |
| Leah | - | 1 | 1 | 9 | 11 |
| Nancy | - | 1 | 3 | 7 | 11 |
| Phillis | - | - | 4 | 7 | 11 |
| Sally | - | - | 3 | 8 | 11 |
| William | - | 2 | 1 | 8 | 11 |
| Agnes | - | - | 2 | 8 | 10 |
| Annie | - | 1 | 6 | 3 | 10 |
| Arabella | - | - | 4 | 6 | 10 |
| Charity | - | 1 | 2 | 7 | 10 |
| Charles; Marianne | - | - | 3 | 6 | 2 x 9 |
| Heppzibah | - | 1 | 2 | 6 | 9 |
| Dorcas; Patience | - | - | 2 | 6 | 2 x 8 |
| Helen; Marian | - | - | 2 | 6 | 2 x 8 |
| Marcy | - | 2 | 1 | 5 | 8 |
| Prudence | - | - | 1 | 7 | 8 |
| Samuel | - | - | 3 | 5 | 8 |
| Barbara | - | 1 | 4 | 2 | 7 |
| George | - | 1 | - | 6 | 7 |
| Hester | - | - | 1 | 6 | 7 |
| Ketty | - | - | 2 | 5 | 7 |
| Milly | - | - | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| Betty | - | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 |
| Emila | - | - | - | 6 | 6 |
| Lettice | - | - | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Marianna | - | - | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| Ursula; Zilpah | - | - | 2 | 4 | 2 x 6 |
| Augusta | - | - | - | 5 | 5 |
| Comfort | - | - | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Edie | - | - | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Eunice; Mercy | - | - | 2 | 3 | 2 x 5 |
| Penelope; Tamer | - | 1 | - | 4 | 2 x 5 |
| Rosanna | - | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| Allen; Drusilla; Georgiana; Meria | - | - | - | 4 | 4 x 4 |
| Christiana | - | - | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Ethel; Lovey | - | - | 3 | 1 | 2 x 4 |
| Letty; Zilphah | - | - | 1 | 3 | 2 x 4 |
| Alley; Hezia; Jemma | - | 1 | - | 2 | 3 x 3 |
| Am; Avis; Bertha; Catterine; Elija; Elize; Ether; Jame; Kate; Louise; Marie; Robert; Temperance; Tryphena | - | - | - | 3 | 14 x 3 |
| Annamaria; Bathsheba; Honour; Janet; Joseph; Leannah; Lois; True; Winnifred | - | - | 1 | 2 | 9 x 3 |
| Elvi; Everett; Isabel | - | - | 2 | 1 | 3 x 3 |
| Judy | - | 1 | 2 | - | 3 |
| Marly; Molly; Rosa; Sam | - | - | 3 | - | 4 x 3 |
| Peggy | - | 2 | 1 | - | 3 |
| Alethea; Ama; Bethia; Cathine; Cecilia; Epsebah; Ham; Helena; Jan; Janes; Jessie; Joyce; Lahannah; Marsha; Marthe; Millicent; Nan; Rosina; Sabber; Sydia; Tabitha; Therza | - | - | - | 2 | 22 x 2 |
| Alicia; Elbert; Elithabeth; Hetty; Mina; Rush; Settie | - | - | 2 | - | 7 x 2 |
| Arah; Avery; Bessy; Cassandra; Dennis; Farah; Georgina; Hanns; Harry; Henriette; Juliana; Kerenhappwck; Lomie; Lucretia; Melicent; Olivia; Paulina; Phala; Reba; Salome; Sim | - | - | 1 | 1 | 21 x 2 |
| Dinnie | - | 1 | - | 1 | 2 |
| Jenny; Juda | - | 1 | 1 | - | 2 x 2 |
| Adelaide; Beatrice; Christian; Haynes; Humah; Justianna; Loyce; Marcilla; Marshall; Orland; Pagey; Patsy; Sark; Seb; Sudea; Warboys | - | 1 | - | - | 16 x 1 |
| Abby; Angelleta; Aron; Arza; Barber; Britannin; Buchel; Came; Carlotted; Catherina; Catterina; Charline; Charlotto; Clarissa; Cornelia; Covey; Cris; Diand; Dinorah; Duiah; Edse; Evie; Fortune; Frederica; Glelicent; Grajely; Hanny; Harrietta; Henry; Hersilla; House; Joan; Josaphin; Joyer; Judita; Justin; Justith; Kilby; Laura; Lawrence; Lehemes; Leonard; Lethser; Lizabeth; Lolle; Lusarah; Mable; Maia; Mathew; Mavey; Mayr; Mvican; Nabart; Nanny; Oliver; Parhent; Ransford; Reborah; Reevy; Relly; Rhode; Robina; Rosetta; Safe; Sall; Sanna; Scary; Sebinah; Setitia; Spicer; Theodosia; Thillis; Trush; Walter | - | - | 1 | - | 74 x 1 |
| Aaron; Abeel; Adah; Adahlina; Alaric; Aline; Allesein; Alutha; Amas; Amida; Amos; Angelina; Annise; Arlotto; Arns; Athiel; Atrjail; Attie; Augustas; Aurora; Barberg; Barbery; Becky; Benedicta; Bethian; Bett; Bettraih; Beulah; Blanche; Bully; Buth; Cady; Caleb; Cane; Carloni; Cassandrew; Cath; Cather; Cathern; Catton; Celia; Charlotta; Chen; Christiania; Christina; Clara; Clementina; Clemont; Clevie; Constant; Dancus; Decima; Delvina; Dolpha; Dora; Dose; Doveas; Duty; Eade; Eather; Eder; Eilene; Elia; Elizabet; Elizabetha; Elma; Eloina; Elona; Elsia; Elvia; Emers; Faith; Flora; Florice; Foundy; Fransek; Fred; Frederick; Fremers; Galidnnal; Georgeanne; Ggodests; Glemina; Habeita; Hagar; Haomi; Harin; Harnah; Harriath; Harrick; Harris; Hegell; Heino; Hemty; Henditta; Heneritta; Howneatt; Hriza; Ida; Irene; Ismina; Ivy; Jafsanat; Jeffry; Joll; Jone; Junetta; Justina; Kareen; Kegia; Kelly; Kezin; Krabella; Krarz; Lanford; Laos; Laurafauct; Leat; Lelpah; Lepher; Leuzer; Levi; Lilia; Liliana; Lilpha; Lizza; Loasa; Loniza; Lottan; Lotty; Louisia; Lourie; Lovelina; Luch; Lucky; Ludie; Lullia; Lylphah; Mahali; Malaha; Mana; Mane; Mann; Mara; Mardling; Marica; Marin; Marja; Marna; Marnea; Massey; Matha; Maya; Meller; Mellia; Menewa; Mereuer; Meriel; Mira; Miria; Moni; Mory; Mully; Murtha; Naona; Netty; Obriene; Octavie; Olive; Pamela; Pane; Parke; Pateina; Pationes; Pehorah; Pency; Perthaney; Pleasant; Plera; Prescotta; Racihd; Rathercha; Ratiente; Rattsheter; Reabea; Reas; Reeche; Regey; Rheda; Richard; Ritty; Rosabella; Roseanne; Rosehanan; Rudolphus; Ruke; Samser; Saphia; Senah; Sereno; Shaw; Shyatesa; Silvey; Sophice; Sophie; Sophin; Sotina; Soueear; Suey; Suhaymah; Sun; Supanah; Sutton; Sydda; Tanny; Telenia; Theoba; Theresa; Tolarr; Tomas; Tomaz; Usler; Venilop; Wilhelmna; Winnish; Zillah | - | - | - | 1 | 226 x 1 |
| Total | 13 | 1286 | 6362 | 13619 | 21280 |
My analysis is presented with thanks to ancestry.co.uk whose free online access to basic 1851 census data allowed me to complete this study.