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.
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
My thanks to Genealogyintime for a master list.
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