Categories: Names
The following are forenames (given names) that are/were common among Roman Catholic Creoles of Louisiana.
It is useful to note that, more often than not, the first name for Creoles until the 1910s, was a Roman Catholic/Christian Saint’s name. The second name, or middle name, was most often the name by which the individual was communally known. For men, quite often, Joseph was the saint/first name, followed by a second/common name; for women, Marie followed by a second/common name. After the 1910s, when English language became the norm in Roman Catholic and public schools, the trend reversed: Joseph and Marie became middle names, with English-speaking names used as first names. Often, Mary was used in place of Marie.
More interestingly, in terms of name-giving traditions, between the latter half of the Spanish period (1790-1803) and the beginning of Jim Crow Segregation (1893-1964), gallicized names of classical Greek and Roman origins dominated. This may be due, in whole, or in part, to the fact that New Orleans had North America’s (excluding Central America and the Caribbean) first Opera Houses and Theatres, owned, frequented and operated by Creoles from Louisiana, Cuba and Saint-Domingue/Haiti. I will place a (G) or an (R) next to these forenames below.
Note that some of the following forenames were more common in some parishes than in others and this list is based on the genealogies of this site, and is not an exhaustive list.
(G) = Ancient/Classical Greek
(R) = Ancient/Classical Roman
(S) = Roman Catholic Saint
FEMALE NAMES
Louisiana French | Louisiana Spanish
A
Adélaïde | Adelaida (S)
Adèle, Adelle | Adela (S)
Aimée | Amada (S)
Agathe | Ágata (G, S)
Aglaë | Aglaía (G)
Agnès | Inés (G, S)
Albertine | Alberta
Alexandrine | Alejandra
Alice | Alicia (S)
Alida
Aloÿsia (S)
Alozia, Alosia | Alosia (S)
Alphonsine | Alfonsia
Amandine | Amandina (S)
Ambroisine | Ambrosia (G)
Amélie | Amalia (R)
Amynthe, Aminthe | Amincia (G)
Anaïs, Anaïse | Anaisa
Anastasie | Anastasia (G, S)
Anathalie | Natalia
Ange | Angela (G)
Angèle, Angelle | Ángela (G)
Anne | Ana (Often interchanged with Nanette) (S)
Antoinette | Antonia (R)
Appoline | Paulina, Apolonia (G, S)
Archange | Arcángela (G)
Armance, Hermance (S)
Armantine | Armantina
Arsène | Arsena (G, S)
Arthémise | Artemisia (G)
Asélie | Aselia (S) (Often interchanged with Azélie)
Aspasie | Aspasia (G)
Athalante | Atalanta (G)
Athalie | Atalia (G)
Athénaïse | Atenasia (G)
Augustine | Agostina (R)
Aurélie, Orélie | Aurelia (R)
Aurore | Aurora (G)
B
Babet, Babette (Often interchanged with Élisabeth)
Barbe | Barba (S)
Bathilde | Batilda (S)
Béatrice | Beatrix, Beatriz (S)
Bernadette | Bernarda (S)
Bertille, Bertilde | Bertilda (S)
Berthe | Bertha
Brigitte (S)
C
Caliste, Calixte | Calista (G)
Camille | Camila (R)
Carmélite | Carmelita
Catherine | Catalina (S)
Cécile | Cecilia (R, S)
Céleste | Celestina (Often interchanged with Sélaisse)
Célestine | Celestina
Céline | Celina (S)
Charlotte | Carlata (S)
Christine | Cristina (S)
Claire | Clara (S)
Claudette | Claudia (R)
Claudine | Claudina (S)
Clélie | Clelia (R, S)
Clothilde, Clotilde | Clotilda (S)
Constance | Constanza (G)
Corine, Corinne | Corina (Often interchanged with Clarène) (G)
D
Delphine | Delfina (G)
Denise | Dionisia (S)
Desdouleurs | Dolores
Désirée | Desirada
Domitile, Domitilde | Domitilia, Domitilda (R, S)
Dominique | Dominga
Donatile, Donatilde | Donatilia, Donatilda (R)
Dorothée | Dorotea (G, S)
E
Edmée
Edwige, Edvige, Hedwige (S)
Eléonore | Eleonora (S) (Often interchanged with Léonore)
Élisabeth, Élizabeth | Isabel (S) (Often interchanged with Isabelle)
Élise | Elisa
Éliska
Élodie | Elodia
Émérente, Émérante | Esmeralda, Emerancia
Émérentienne | Emerenciana (S)
Émétile, Émétille, Émétilde | Emetilda
Émilie, Émélie | Emilia (Often interchanged with Amélie)
Émilienne | Emiliana
Émma | Emma (S)
Émmanuelle | Manuela
Émmeline | Emelina (R, S)
Épiphanie | Epifanía
Estelle | Estela (S)
Esther
Euchariste | Eucarista
Eudolie | Idolia (G)
Eugénie | Eugenia (G)
Eulalie | Eulalia (G, S)
Eunice (G)
Eusaïde, Euséide (Often interchanged with Zaïre)
Euphémie | Eufamia (G, S)
Evella, Yvella
F
Fabienne | Fabiana (R, S)
Fabiola
Fanélie | Fanelia
Faustine | Faustina (R)
Félice | Feliz
Félicie | Felicia
Félicité | Felicitas (S)
Félicianne | Feliciana
Félicienne | Feliciana
Flavie | Flavia (R)
Fleur | Flora (S)
Florence | Florencia (S)
Françoise | Francisca (S)
Frédérique | Federica
G
Gabrielle | Gabriela
Geneviève | Genoveva (S)
Georgie | Georgia
Georgette
Georgine
Germaine (R, S)
Gertrude | Gertrudis (S)
Grâce | Gracia (R)
Grâcianne | Graciana (R)
H
Hélène, Héleine | Elena (G, S)
Henriette | Enriqueta (S)
Hermine | Helmina (R)
Honorine | Honorina (S)
Hortense, Hortance, Ortance | Hortensia (R)
Hyacinthe, Hiacinthe | Jacinta (G, S)
Hydrope, Hitrope, Eutrope, Eutropie | Hidropia (G, S)
I
Idéa
Irène | Irene (G, S)
Isabelle | Isabel (S) (Often interchanged with Élisabeth)
Isaure | Izora
J
Jacqueline (S)
Jeanne | Juana (S)
Jeanette, Jeannette | Juanita
Joachine
Joëlle
Josèphe | Josefa
Joséphine | Josefina (S)
Josette | Josana
Julie | Julia (R, S)
Julienne | Juliana (R, S)
Juliette | Julia (R, S)
Justine | Justina (S)
L
Laure | Laura (S)
Laurence | Laurentia (R)
Laurentine | Lorentina
Léoncia | Leoncia
Léonie | Leonia (S)
Léonore | Lenora
Léopoldine | Leopaulina
Léontine, Éléontine | Leontina
Lise | Lisa
Lisette, Lizette | Lisa
Livie | Livia (R)
Louise | Luisa (S)
Louisianaise | Luisiana
Luce | Luz (R)
Lucie | Lucia (R, S)
Lucille | Lucilia (R)
Lucrèce | Lucretia (R)
M
Madeleine, Madelaine | Magdalena (S)
Magdeleine | Magdalena
Manette, Nanette
Manon, Magnon | Manón
Marcelle | Marcela (R, S)
Marcéline | Marcelina (R)
Marcélite | Marcelita (R)
Marguerite | Margarita (S)
Marianne | Mariana (R)
Marie | María (S)
Marine | Marina (R, S)
Marthe | Marta (S)
Martine | Martina (R)
Mathilde | Matilda
Maxine | Maxina (R)
Mélanie | Melania (G)
Mélisœur, Mélissaire | Melisa (G)
Mélite, Mélitte | Emelita (Often interchanged with Émilie, Amélie)
Michaëlle | Micaela
Michelle | Manuela
Modeste | Modesta
Monique | Mónica (S)
N
Nathalie | Natalia (S) (Often interchanged with Anathalie)
Nicole | Nicola
O
Octavie | Octavia (R)
Odette
Olive | Olivia
Olympie | Olympia (G)
Olympe | Olympia (G)
Ophélie | Ofelia/Ophelia
Oscalie | Oscalia
P
Paulette | Paulita (R)
Pauline | Paulina (R, S)
Pélagie | Pelagia (G, S)
Pétronille | Petronia (R, S)
Pouponne, Poupone
Présille, Procelle | Presilia (R)
Prudence | Prudencia
R
Régine | Regina
Rita (S) (Often interchanged with Érita, Éritha)
Rosalie | Rosalia (S)
Rose | Rosa (S)
Rosine | Rosina
Rosinée
S
Sabine | Sabina (R)
Scolastique, Scholastique | Escolástica (S)
Septime | Septima (R)
Séraphine | Serafina
Séverine | Severina (R)
Setular
Sophie | Sofía (G, S)
Stéphanie | Estefanía (Often interchanged with Esther-Fanny)
Susanne, Suzanne | Susana
Susette, Suzette
Sylvanie, Silvanie | Silvania
Sylvie, Silvie | Silvia (S)
T
Térencine, Thérencine | Terencina
Thérèse | Teresa (S)
U
Ulyssia
Ursule, Ursille | Ursula (G, S)
V
Valentine | Valentina (R)
Valérie | Valeria (R, S)
Vénus
Véronie, Véronique | Verónica (G, S)
Virginie | Virginia (R, S)
Y
Yolande | Yolanda (S)
Yvonne | Ivana
Z
Zaïre
Zoé, Zoée | Zoé (G)
Hyphenated-Names
Anne-Marie (S)
Anne-Suzette
Félicie-Anne, Félicianne
Marie-Anne
Marie-Claire
Marie-Fleur
Marie-Jeanne
Marie-Louise
Marie-Rose
Marie-Thérèse
Marthe-Anne, Martonne
Rose-Marie
