Often times, when looking through historical records for you African American ancestors and elders, you’ll find that their names are abbreviated.
Here’s a non-exhaustive list of shorthand versions of names we've encountered over the years:
- Ada: Adelaide
- Ar: Arthur
- Bertie/Berty: Albert, Alberta, Bertha, Herbert, Robert, or Roberta
- Brid: Bridget
- Bx: Beatrice
- Car: Charles
- Chas: Charles
- Cilla/Silla: Priscilla, Drusilla
- Cis/Cissie/Cissy: Cecelia
- Danl: Daniel
- Ebenr: Ebenezer
- Edw: Edward
- El/Elis/Eliz/Elizth/Eliza: Elizabeth
- Eli: Elijah or Elisha
- Ell: Ellen
- Ella: Eleanor, Elinor, or Isabella
- Ellie: Alice
- Elnr: Eleanor
- Elsb: Elsbeth
- Elsie: Alice, Elisabeth, Elisa, or Elizabeth
- Eml: Emaline, Emeline
- Ez: Ezra or Ezekiel
- Gail: Abigail
- Geni: Genevie, Geneva
- Geo/Geo: George
- Gert/Gertie/Trudy: Gertrude
- Gottf: Gottfried
- Gottl: Gottlieb
- Guliel/Gul: William
- Gus: Augustus or Gustave
- Gussie/Gussy: Augusta, Gustavie
- Hank: Henry
- Hans: Johann or John (in German)
- Hattie: Harriett
- Ioh: John (I interchangeable with J)
- Isa/Isab/Isb ~ Isabel or Isabella
- Jas/Jas: James
- Jb: Jacob
- Jenny/Jennie: Jane, Jean, or Jennifer
- Jer/Jera/Jere/Jerma: Jeremiah
- Jos: Joseph, Josephine, Josiah
- Josh: Josiah
- Josie/Josy: Josephine
- Jro: Jerome
- Lawr/Laur/Laurie: Lawrence or Laurence
- Leo/Leon/Lend: Leonard
- Lk: Luke
- Liz: Elizabeth, Eliza, Virginia
- Ma: Maria
- Mab: Mabel
- Madge: Margaret
- Magd: Magdalena
- Mat/Matty/Mattie: Martha, Matilda, or Matthew
- May: Maria, Marie, or Mary
- Meta: Margaret
- Mgy: Margery, Margurite
- Ph/Phil: Phillip
- Polly: Mary, Pollyana
- Rb/Rob/Robt/Bobby: Robert
- Sal/Sallie/Sally: Sarah
- Thos/Tom: Thomas
- Wm/Will/Willie/Willy: William
- Winnie/Winny: Winifred
- Xper/Xr: Christopher
