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Help[Facts] Re: What's the origin behind the James Earl combo?
in reply to a message by ClaudiaS
It could be any of a few historical figures such as the historian James Ray (1700s), James Ray (governor, b. 1794), or James Ray (politician, b. 1874).
Or, it could just be a popular combo that people heard and liked. James is a popular first name (top 20s in the SSA since 1900). Ray is a popular middle name (top 80's in the SSA since 1900). It stands that they will commonly be paired together. Its like the thousands of kids named Olivia Grace, Isabella Rose, Michael Lee running around. They're all popular names and thus popular combos.
(ETA: Oops, sorry, looked up James Ray not James Earl, but the theory still stands)
Or, it could just be a popular combo that people heard and liked. James is a popular first name (top 20s in the SSA since 1900). Ray is a popular middle name (top 80's in the SSA since 1900). It stands that they will commonly be paired together. Its like the thousands of kids named Olivia Grace, Isabella Rose, Michael Lee running around. They're all popular names and thus popular combos.
(ETA: Oops, sorry, looked up James Ray not James Earl, but the theory still stands)
This message was edited 1/26/2024, 9:57 PM
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Replies
I second this theory. Earl was a popular name in the 1920s and 1930s, and being a one syllable name I imagine it would have made a popular middle name.
A brief search of Wikipedia using first names that were also popular at the time shows several instances of man named "Robert Earl", "John Earl", "William Earl", "Richard Earl" and "George Earl". This seems to suggest that Earl was once a fairly common middle name. So it's no surprise that "James Earl" is a common combination.
A brief search of Wikipedia using first names that were also popular at the time shows several instances of man named "Robert Earl", "John Earl", "William Earl", "Richard Earl" and "George Earl". This seems to suggest that Earl was once a fairly common middle name. So it's no surprise that "James Earl" is a common combination.
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