# Old-timey abbreviations for first names
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-timey-abbreviations-for-first-names/542652
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [June 10, 2010, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-timey-abbreviations-for-first-names/542652 "2010-06-10T14:19:22Z")
**Posts on this page:** 12
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2010, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-timey-abbreviations-for-first-names/542652/1 "2010-06-10T14:19:22Z")
In many documents from The Past, one encounters seemingly standardized abbreviations for peoples’ first names, like Geo. for George, Chas. for Charles, Jos. for Joseph, and so on.
What are those called? And is there a list of them?
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### Author:  [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2010, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-timey-abbreviations-for-first-names/542652/2 "2010-06-10T14:41:04Z")
The Immigrant Ancestors Project does have a [list](http://familyhistory.byu.edu/Downloads/BritishNames.pdf) of them, but they’re just called “abbreviations of common Christian names”.
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### Author:  [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2010, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-timey-abbreviations-for-first-names/542652/3 "2010-06-10T14:58:05Z")
[Another list](http://www.woodgate.org/FAQs/socgbrit.html#FAQ12), from the Soc.genealogy,Britain FAQs
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### Author:  [@Gymnopithys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gymnopithys)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2010, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-timey-abbreviations-for-first-names/542652/4 "2010-06-10T15:49:25Z")
Like Wm Shakespeare, Queen Eliz…😉
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### Author:  [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2010, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-timey-abbreviations-for-first-names/542652/5 "2010-06-10T23:13:51Z")
Interesting! I knew about Wm. for William, which is the only one I ever see, but I hadn’t known there were so many others.
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### Author:  [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2010, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-timey-abbreviations-for-first-names/542652/6 "2010-06-10T23:36:09Z")
> [@Silver Tyger Girl](#):
>
> Interesting! I knew about Wm. for William, which is the only one I ever see, but I hadn’t known there were so many others.
A friend of mine likes to mention that he went to school at Wm. & My. Which he of course pronounces, “wimmy.”
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2010, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-timey-abbreviations-for-first-names/542652/7 "2010-06-10T23:45:47Z")
I like “Jno” for “John.” First of all, does the name “John” really necessitate an abbreviation? Second, it looks more like a typo than a legitimate shortening.
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### Author:  [@SoulFrost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoulFrost)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2010, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-timey-abbreviations-for-first-names/542652/8 "2010-06-10T23:46:58Z")
According to the [1990 Census data for males](http://www.census.gov/genealogy/www/data/1990surnames/dist.male.first), _Chas_ was more popular than _Elroy_ or _Jordon_, and _Wm_ was more popular than _Geoffrey_, _Robin_, or _Sylvester_.
_Chas_, could be due, in part, to a misspelling of _Chase_, I guess, but who the heck fills in their name as _Wm_ on official documents? (I know, I know… .033% of the male population…)
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### Author:  [@Loopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopus)
#### Post date: [June 12, 2010, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-timey-abbreviations-for-first-names/542652/9 "2010-06-12T01:26:38Z")
The dean of the business school at the university I attend abbreviates his first name as “Wm.” on the nameplate of his office. I always thought it was kinda weird. I didn’t think people used those anymore.
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### Author:  [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)
#### Post date: [June 12, 2010, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-timey-abbreviations-for-first-names/542652/10 "2010-06-12T02:15:06Z")
> [@pulykamell](#):
>
> I like “Jno” for “John.” First of all, does the name “John” really necessitate an abbreviation? Second, it looks more like a typo than a legitimate shortening.
Yeah, where did it come from? Johannes was a (the?) Latinized spelling, but the o isn’t in the right place there, either.
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### Author:  [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)
#### Post date: [June 12, 2010, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-timey-abbreviations-for-first-names/542652/11 "2010-06-12T02:19:56Z")
> [@SoulFrost](#):
>
> According to the [1990 Census data for males](http://www.census.gov/genealogy/www/data/1990surnames/dist.male.first), _Chas_ was more popular than _Elroy_ or _Jordon_, and _Wm_ was more popular than _Geoffrey_, _Robin_, or _Sylvester_.
>
> _Chas_, could be due, in part, to a misspelling of _Chase_, I guess, but who the heck fills in their name as _Wm_ on official documents? (I know, I know… .033% of the male population…)
Chas is a shortening of Charles.
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### Author:  [@SoulFrost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoulFrost)
#### Post date: [June 12, 2010, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-timey-abbreviations-for-first-names/542652/12 "2010-06-12T03:08:10Z")
> [@jayjay](#):
>
> Chas is a shortening of Charles.
Yeah, but the Census people go by spelling alone–to them, there’s no difference among _Chas_ as a short form of _Charles_, _Chas_ as a misspelling of _Chase_, and _Chas_ as an actual given name.