Revolutionary first names

I came across this article.  I had read that it was traditional to name children in the church after their name-day. The Catholic Church has a saint’s name or holiday for every day of the year. There was a decree that children should be named in the city hall according to the new calendar, as part of the campaign of secularism and anticlericalism. I’ve read many birth certificates, but have not noticed any Republican names. The law of 11 germinal year XI (April 1, 1803) stipulated that only the names of illustrious people and those used in the Catholic calendar could be received as first names in the civil status registers.  Names from the Republican calendar were thus prohibited. 

Revolutionary first names in Dordogne

Reading civil status records sometimes brings many surprises! Faced with an anomaly, we hesitate, we read again, we are surprised, then we try to understand...

This is the case with the birth registers of Limeuil during the revolutionary period:

LIMEUIL:

Until February 1794, children were normally named Antoine, Jean, Joseph, Pierre, Jeanne, Françoise, Marie or Marguerite, but after that date, things were spoiled and for almost a year, newborns received curious first names, names of flowers, animals or tools that correspond to the names of the days of the FABRE D'EGLANTINE calendar. It is remembered that this year 1794 corresponds to the period of Terror and mass executions. It is possible that some civil status officers, somewhat worried, have put pressure on parents to choose first names in the revolutionary line!

Here is the list of children boys (M) and girls (F) who were not lucky in Limeuil!

During the YEAR II:

Viollier Pourquery (M), born on 4 ventôse year II (22/02/1794)

Orme Deshautel (M), born on 9 ventose year II

Mirthill Laparre (M), born on 29 germinal year II

Sarcloir Février (F), born on 21 Floréal year II

Fritillaire Borderie (F), born on 22 Floréal year II

Carp Gineste (M), born on 25 Floréal year II

Onion Darnige (F), born on 3 Messidor year II

Absynthe Février (M), born on 9 Messidor year II: this act makes you smile since this little boy born on the day of the absynthe was the son of the cabaretier of Limeuil!

Véronique Chanut (M), born on 5 Messidor year II: Véronique, now a girl's first name, given to a boy!

Gesse Delprat (M), born on 20 Messidor year II

Mint Chapel (F), born on 21 Messidor year II

Vesce Faure (M) born on 30 Messidor year II

Chalémie Avezou (F), born on 30 Messidor year II

Epautre Geneste (M), born on 1 Thermidor year II

Cardière Brachet (M) born on 1 Fructidor year II

Prune Gontier (F), born on 1 Fructidor year II

Millet Couret (F), born on 2 Fructidor year II

Tuberose Theulet (F) born on 9 Fructidor year II

Opinion Lanseplenne (M), born the Quartidi of the sanculottide

Opinion Manié (F), born the Quintidi of the sanculottide

and this continues in AN III:

Jarland pumpkin (M), born on 13 Vendémiaire year III

Piment Barrau (M), born on 28 Vendémiaire year III

Pressoir Barrau (M), born on 11 Brumaire year III

Pressoir Laval (M), born on 11 Brumaire year III

Faisande Cousserand (F), born on the 25th Brumaire year III: the name of the day was "faisan", they tried to feminize it, by calling this little girl faisande and not faisane!

Bruyère Brachet (F), born on 24 Frimaire year III

Oseille Barret (F), born on 24 Frimaire year III

Cypress Héraud (M), born on 17 Frimaire year III (30/12/1794)

After this last date, the newborns received the traditional first names again.

These agricultural or fragrant first names have remained rare and Limeuil is the most important example I have found in the Dordogne.

And during that time, what was happening in Liorac? Fortunately, this fashion did not make an oil stain and in Liorac the civil status officers were reasonable enough not to impose these ridiculous first names. Thus during the period of validity of the Republican calendar, the newborns of Liorac were named with usual first names and during the year II, we find in Liorac 14 Jean, 2 Hélie, 1 Guillaume and 1 Etienne and for the girls, 4 Marie, 2 Marguerite, 2 Jeanne, 1 Catherine, 1 Marthe, 1 Pétronille, 1 Anne, 1 Peyro

In the villages near Liorac, we sometimes find an isolated example of a revolutionary first name but never a series like in Limeuil. Thus in Beaumont, a Catherine-Unity was born on the 4th of the year II, and an Egalité Rivière on the 18th ventose of the year II. In Monpazier, Bourache Boucher was born on 23 floreal year II, and Crible Lafage in ventose of year 2.

Nonidi, 19 Ventôse year CCXXXI, chervil day @ 4^h 62^m 30^s PMT