Two weeks ago I posted a list of arboreal names that provide possible name fodder. Only a few of the names are widely recognised, and many are so due to alternate associations (Holly, Clementine, Tara) or are considered of very "modern" usage (Bay, Rowan, Cassia). However, as usual, here is a Victorian family that prove they were way ahead of us all.
Let me introduced you to Scottish-born Peter McKay, a Travelling Draper, and his Welsh wife, Jane Smith Weight. The couple were married in 1873 in Newport and had a total of nine children together, seven surviving to adulthood.
The The McKay family on the 1901 census
1. James Wiseman McKay, born in Newport in 1874, was the couple's eldest son. He later worked as a clerk for The Daily News. It isn't clear where Wiseman came from, but surnames as middle names were very common, as shown by Jane herself who had the surname "Smith" as a middle name.
2. William Campbell McKay, born in Newport in 1878. Being a Scottish surname, it is not hard to imagine that Campbell was a surname in Peter's family. Earlier census records show that Peter had a younger brother named James, and it is tempting to assume that the marriage of a James Campbell McKay in 1875 in Newport shows that some of Peter's family moved to Wales with him.
3. Walter Weight McKay was born in 1881. By this point, the couple had moved to Cardiff -- Walter was the first child to be born there. They continued the tradition of using a surname as a middle name: this time using Jane's maiden name.
4. Laurel Campbell McKay was born 1886 in Cardiff, and was the couple's first daughter recorded on the census. She shares the same middle name as her brother William -- another clue that it was a notable surname in Peter's family. Once married, she went on to become a nurse.
5. Olive Raley McKay was born in 1888 in Cardiff. Given the previous pattern of middle names, we can perhaps assume that Raley was also a family surname, or perhaps given in honour of a family friend or godparent. Olive went on to become a professional singer as an adult.
6. Acacia Gavina R. McKay was born in 1892 in Cardiff. Gavina is a feminised form of Gavin, a Scottish form of Gawain, which was predominantly used only in Scotland, or to Scottish families, at the end of the 20th century. By the 1860s, the Birth Index only listed the first two given names fully. Any additional names were recorded as initials. We can only guess what Acacia's "R" stood for, but perhaps she also had Raley as a given name, like her sister Olive, if it was a family name. Acacia went on to became a teacher.
7. Cedar Isabelle V. McKay was the couple's youngest child, born in Cardiff in 1898. As cedar is a type of tree, her first name followed the same theme as her sisters, Laurel, Olive and Acacia.
