Yet Another Post About Cemeteries - Arroyo Grande Cemetery

Hello, readers!

You may have not read the first post I made about my new hobby - combing the local cemetery headstones for unexpected names. My first few forays into this world were less fruitful - but today's visit to the Arroyo Grande Cemetery proved to be an amazing look at local history!

I only went through two segments of an incredibly large area, but I found dozens of first names I hadn't seen before, as well as some I rarely see these days. Many Latino, Filipino, Italian, and Portuguese families were represented in this area, from as far back as the late 1800's. My own family emigrated from the Azores (Portugal) around 1900 or so, and I recognized many of the last names as local Portuguese families.

Common themes:

• Feminizations of traditionally male names: Albertine, Loydene, Haroldeene, Aloisia
• Unusual Marian names: Purificacion, Encarnacion, Rosarie, Epifinia
• Double names for women: Della Mae, Jimmie Lou, Lindy Lou, Wilda Rose
• Latinized forms of Greek names: Nemesio, Apolonio, Achille, Tranquillino
• Spanish virtue names: Esperanza, Felicitas, Modesta, Prudencio

What trends of yesteryear can you find?

Achille
Albertine
Albinia
Aloisia
Alta
Amacias
Amelda
Anella
Anetha
Apolonio
Aquilina
Areli
Arminta
Arvilla
Arza
Attilio
Balbino
Battista
Beden
Belford
Belmeda
Belmira
Bernabe
Bibiano
Bridie
Brigitte
Bulayong
Carmina
Castor
Cataldo
Catharina
Ceferina
Cipriano
Cleto
Clotilda
Cornelio
Crispina
Crispolo
Dalmacio
Darlyne
Della Mae
Delpha
Elario
Eleuteria
Eluira
Emeterio
Encarnacion
Endia
Enedina
Epifinia
Epitacio
Erlinda
Ernestine
Esabelo
Esperanza
Eugenie
Eustaquio
Felicitas
Fermin
Ferminia
Fidensio
Florencio
Fragedio
Gean
Genoveva
Geronimo
Glenna
Godofredo
Goldie
Gonzalo
Gregoria
Hameed
Hardie
Haroldeene
Herminia
Herschel
Honorio
Ildefonso
Ita
Jermana
Jesuina
Jimmie Lou
Jolynn
Jovita
Kennan
Kerwin
Lavonne
Lazaro
Lenwood
Leonardus
Leoncia
Leone
Leonora
Lidia
Lilla
Lindy Lou
Lodoska
Loramae
Loydene 
Ludovina
Maddalena
Marcial
Mariegold
Marquis "Marq"
Martiniano
Massey
Melitona
Millian
Modesta
Nedra
Nemesio
Nicanor
Nicolasa
Oda
Olegario
Oma
Ona
Oren
Orestes
Orvill
Ottavio
Pacifico
Pantaleon
Pasincia
Patrocinia
Perfecto
Prentiss
Primitiva
Pructoso
Prudencio
Purificacion
Reanee
Rizzie
Rodit
Roque
Rosarie
Rosendo
Rosina
Sabas
Saturnino
Selderico
Senon
Severiana
Shandon
Sidone 
Telesfora
Teodocia
Teodorico
Teodulo
Theophile
Tiburcio
Tirso
Tomasa
Tranquillino
Trenney
Tressia
Venancio
Umblino
Waldo
Waldron
Wilda Rose
Zelma
Zelpha
Zoilo

Tell me your favorites in the comments!

Somber cemetery selfie