The next level of linking patterns we will discuss are Sibling Links. The big key to the sibling links relates to the names of the children. When children are born today, many new parents select a name for the child based solely on personal preference. The same does not hold true for our ancestors. Throughout Protestant Europe our ancestors relied on firm naming patterns for their children. The typical rules are illustrated as follows:
| Child | Named After |
| First-born Son | Paternal Grandfather |
| Second-born Son | Maternal Grandfather |
| First-born Daughter | Maternal Grandmother |
| Second-born Daughter | Paternal Grandmother |
| Subsequent Children | Other Family Members |
The order of the grandparents may be switched, but the oldest two sons would be named for the grandfathers and the oldest two daughters would be named for the grandmothers. Subsequent children were named after aunts or uncles or other significant individuals in the family. Biblical names could also be used for later children. On occasion things get interesting and an Old Norse god may be recognized in the names of later children, like Thor or Freyja.
It was common practice to reuse a child’s name if he/she did not reach adulthood. This means you could see a family with a few sons named Peder, but don’t panic and think that you have grabbed children from another family. This is just a great hint that you need to search burial records for the first little Peders’ deaths.
When we are trying to assemble a family group, looking for these naming patterns is very useful. If the children’s names do not line up with the presumed grandparents, we may have the incorrect family line. That situation serves as a big red flag that we need to examine the proposed grandparents. We may have the incorrect christening record for the father or mother of a family if their children are not named for the grandparents.
Next week we will talk about chronological linking, which is closely related to the sibling linking.