Simple Name Chart of Abbreviations

This is a list of first names that you will find abbreviated in old records. I supposed the harried clerks abbreviated the first names to save time. Many times the last letter was in superscript.

While this is not all of the names abbreviated, they will give you a good start in figuring out what name they were trying to write.

My thanks to Genealogyintime for a master list.

Ab or Abr -- Abraham

Abig -- Agigail

Adr -- Adrian, Adrien, Adrienne

Agn -- Agnes

Alb or Albt -- Albert

Alc -- Alice

Alex -- Alexander of various spellings

Alf or Alfd -- Alfred

Alph -- Alphonse or Alphonsine

Am -- Amanda

Amb -- Ambrose

And or Andw -- Andrew or Andre

An -- Ann, Anna, Anne

Ani -- Annie

Anth -- Anthony

Arch or Archd -- Archibald

Art or Arth -- Arthur

Aug -- August, Augustin, Augustine

Bart or Barth -- Bartholomew, Barthelemy

Bea -- Beatrice

Ben or Benj -- Benjamin

Car -- Caroline

Cath -- Catherine

Charlt -- Charlotte

Chas or Chs -- Charles

Chris -- Christopher

Clem -- Clement or Clementine

Cons or Const -- Constance

Corn or Cor'us -- Cornelius

Dan or Danl -- Daniel*\

Dav -- David

Deb -- Deborah

Dor or Dy -- Dorothy

Eben -- Ebenezer

Ed or Edw -- Edward

Edm -- Edmond, Edmund

Elis -- Elisabeth

Eliz, Eliza or Elizh -- Elizabeth

Em -- Emanuel, Emma or Emily

Ern -- Ernest or Ernestine

Eug -- Eugene or Eugenie

Ezek -- Ezekiel

Ferd -- Ferdinand

Flo or Flor -- Florence

Fred, Fredk -- Frederick

Fs -- Francis -- male

Frs -- Frances -- female

Geo -- George

Gert -- Gertrude

Gilbt -- Gilbert

Han -- Hannah

Har -- Harold

Hel -- Helen

Henr -- Henrietta

Herb or Herbt -- Herbert

Hub -- Hubert

Hum -- Humphrey

Hy -- Henry

Isab -- Isabelle, Isabella

Jas -- James

Jer or Jermh -- Jeremiah

Jn, Jno -- John

Jnthn or Jon -- Jonathan

Jos or Jsph- Joseph

Josh -- Joshua, Josiah

Kath -- Katherine

Law -- Lawrence

Ls -- Louis

Lse -- Louise

Marg or Margt -- Margaret

Mat or Math -- Matthias of all spellings

Mathw or Matt -- Mathew

Mgt -- Margaret

Mich or Michl -- Michael

My -- Mary

Nap -- Napoleon

Neh -- Nehemiah

Nic -- Nicholas

Ol -- Oliver

Pen -- Penelope

Pet -- Peter

Ph or Phil -- Phillip

Pris -- Priscilla

Pru -- Prudence

Rach -- Rachel

Ray or Rayd -- Raymond

Reb -- Rebecca

Reg or Regd -- Reginald

Ric, Rich, Richd -- Richard

Robt -- Robert

Rog -- Roger

Rph -- Ralph

Sar -- Sarah

Sim -- Simon

Sol -- Solomon

Sus -- Susan, Susanna

Theo -- Theodore

Tho, Thos or Ths -- Thomas

Urs -- Ursula

Val -- Valentine

Vic or Vinc -- Vincent

Wm -- William

Zach -- Zachariah