Let me introduce you to William and Lucy Ann Wigley. William was a Primitive Methodist Minister, and during their twelve year marriage, from 1839 up until William's death in 1851, the couple produced seven children, all with unconventional names. The family moved around the country a great deal, and only two children were born in the same county.
The Wigley family on the 1851 UK census
1. Theophilus James Wigley was born in 1840 in Cornwall. Theophilus, from the Greek theos "God" and philos "friend, dear, beloved", was most famously borne by a character in the New Testament. In relative terms, Theophilus had the most common name of all the Wigley brood when he joined over 1,600 other males named Theophilus on the 1841 UK census.
2. Tryphena Ann Wigley was born in 1841 in Gloucestershire. Her name, taken from the Greek tryphe "delicate, dainty," was borne by another character in the New Testament.
3. Tryphosa Jane Wigley was born in 1843 in Hampshire. In the New Testament, Tryphosa was the sister of Tryphena whose name was also derived from the same source.
4. Philologus William Wigley was born in 1844 in Somerset. Another Greek name, Philologus derives from philo "friend, dear, beloved" and logos "word, reason" which later came to refer to The Word of God. St Philologus appears in the New Testament as the bishop of Sinope.
5. Lapidoth Stratton Wigley was born in 1846 in Berkshire. Her name appears to be masculine but I can confirm from further research that this Lapidoth was definitely female. Stratton was Lucy Ann's maiden name so, essentially, her middle name was for her mother. Lapidoth is more of a mystery. The name, derived from the Hebrew word lappid "torch, flame," can be found in the Old Testament. In the Book of Judges, Deborah is mentioned once as the "wife of Lapidoth" and, because of this, the name is often treated as masculine. Curiously, however, the name is rendered from a feminine plural, leading to a theory that "wife of Lapidoth" actually refers to Deborah herself, and has a meaning more akin to "woman of flames." Perhaps that is why the Wigleys bestowed the name on a daughter and not a son.
6. Philetus John Wigley was born in 1848, also in Berkshire. St. Philetus was a senator who was martyred under Emperor Hadrian.
7. Keturah Clauda Wigley was born in 1851 in Buckinghamshire. Keturah is a Hebrew name meaning "incense" which was borne by the second wife of Abraham. Her middle name is only recorded on her birth entry; it may be a mistranscription of Claudia, though Clauda is mentioned in the Bible as the name of an island off the coast of Crete.
