The naming of orphans in France during World War One: A study of a nationwide cohort of pupilles de la Nation. Issue 2 (3rd April 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Todd, Nicolas; Valleron, Alain-Jacques; Bougnères, Pierre
• Is Part Of: Historical methods. Volume 51:Issue 2(2018)
• Page Start: 82
• Page End: 91
• Publication Date: 2018-04-03
• Subjects: World War One -- bereavement -- maternal behavior -- child naming -- Generalized Additive Models; Social sciences -- Periodicals; Onderzoeksmethoden; Electronic journals; Périodique électronique (Descripteur de forme); Ressource Internet (Descripteur de forme); 300.5
• DOI: 10.1080/01615440.2018.1425171
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0161-5440

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The investigation of a simple behavior, child naming, can provide insights into the varying reactions of families confronted by the extraordinary war losses of the First World War. The current study analyses names given in a large cohort of French orphans born 1914–1916, constructed thanks to the linkage of civil registers with a nationwide database of soldiers who died during the War. It shows that a prenatal loss of father was associated with a strong increase in father's name transmission. The phenomenon was twice as intense in officers' offspring. Regression analysis suggests the precise timing of the father's death controlled this change in naming behavior: father's name transmission was at a maximum when the father died at the very beginning of pregnancy.