Anonymous wrote:Can somebody name an actual southern woman named Mary? A real person.

My sister, my grandmother, my first cousin, and at least twenty people from my high school. All Protestant. Do you want me to call me for verification? Why is it so hard for you to admit that you have little to no idea what you are talking about?

Anonymous wrote:I met a little girl named Adams the other day down south. I would never use a surname as a first name, but it was cute on her.

All 3 of my boys have surnames as first names. It's not uncommon

Anonymous wrote:LOL who is naming their daughter “Gentry”?! “Mary” is hardly a “Southern” name. And “Callaway” and “Saunders” are both last names. I didn’t realize the South had moved on from their “Hayden”, “Brayden”, “Cayden” phase. Not sure which is worse.

It's the part where "Mary" is PART of the name. Try to keep up

Anonymous wrote:NP. Do women with “double barreled” names get called by both names in every day conversation? Even in professional settings?

What kind of insensitive question is this? If a woman had a hyphenated surname you wouldn’t ask if she “goes by both.” Use the name people prefer you to use and don’t be a dick about it.

Anonymous wrote:I agree that names like Mary Elizabeth are used by Catholics, but they are also used by Southern Protestants. Even Mary Margaret (a classic Catholic name) has traditionally been used in the South by Protestants as well. I strongly suspect some of these experts commenting on this thread haven’t spent much time in the South (sorry - soap operas about Dallas don’t count).

This.
I’m like 800th generation Protestant southern (transplanted to DC) and every generation of family has a Mary Something, usually multiple Mary somethings. To the point it’s just confusing. And they all go by two names. Catholics don’t own Mary.

Anonymous wrote:

actually, no, texas is one of 34 states where catholic is the largest christian denomination

Woof. Catholic is not a denomination. Roman is a denomination. Maronite. Coptic. If you lump all Catholics together and compare them to the Assemblies of God or Methodists, yes they will outnumber them. They do not outnumber *Protestants* in Texas.

Or was this an attempt at humor? Surely no one actually thinks that in a country where half of all people identify as Protestants and less than a quarter as Catholics, Catholics outnumber Protestants in 2/3 of the states.

Mary Beth is popular in the South

I know a Southern girl named Wheeler. Not cute.

Anonymous wrote:Mary is like the most popular female name in American history. Outside the U.S., Maria/Marie is likely most popular female name ever. The south did not invent Maria/Marie/Mary

Maria is literally the most popular name on earth.

Anonymous wrote:NP. Do women with “double barreled” names get called by both names in every day conversation? Even in professional settings?

Typically, yes, because that’s their name.

NP. Do women with “double barreled” names get called by both names in every day conversation? Even in professional settings?

Anonymous wrote:Mary is like the most popular female name in American history. Outside the U.S., Maria/Marie is likely most popular female name ever. The south did not invent Maria/Marie/Mary

No one has claimed they did?

Mary is like the most popular female name in American history. Outside the U.S., Maria/Marie is likely most popular female name ever. The south did not invent Maria/Marie/Mary

I know a Mary Louise, a Mary Helen, a Mary Preston, a Mary Margaret, a Mary Scott and a Mary Kate. All are Southern and Protestant except the last one.

I know people with these names:

Mary Virginia

Mary Katherine

Mary Jordan

Mary Hayes

Mary Jane

Mary Louise

Mary Leigh

Mary Michael

Mary Grace

Mary Reed

I could probably think of more. Only some of these are Catholic; many/most aren't. It is a Southern thing.