In searching for Irish ancestors remember that the Irish used a lot of shortened or alternative names for example Biddy for Bridget and Sally for Sarah.
Rootsireland has a good section on alternative first names.
This can be confusing. Below are some that I have come across:
Female christian names:
Abbey, Abigail, Deborah, Debby for Gobinet or Gobnait;
Anty or Anto for Anastatia;
Bessy, Betty, Beth for Elizabeth;
Biddy for Bridget; Cis for Cecelia;
Daisy for Mary;
Dot for Dorothy;
Fanny for Frances;
Judith for Johanna;
Kitty for Katharine;
May for Mary;
Minnie for Mary;
Mollie for Mary;
Nancy for ?;
Nanno for Honora;
Nellie for Ellen, Eleanor or Helen;
Nora for Hanora;
Peggy for Margaret;
Sally for Sarah;
Male Christain names:
Anto for Anthony;
Con and Connor for Cornelius;
Darby or Derby for Jeremiah
Edmund, Edward and Edmond are used for each other;
Ned for Edward.
This very old book “Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland” by Robert E Matheson 1901 can be read online at Archive.org. The following pages deal with alternative christian names.
