[linda_22003]

True, although at the church I'm talking about, the triple barrelled names are often followed with a "III" or even "IV", so there's nothing "instant" about the lineage.

I don't know about Biblical names a generation ago; even two generations ago, I don't recall growing up with a lot of Hepzibahs or Ezekiels.

[Steve_Seattle]

"I don't know about Biblical names a generation ago; even two generations ago, I don't recall growing up with a lot of Hepzibahs or Ezekiels."

For some reason, Old Testament names were popular among blacks: Isaiah, Hosea, Aaron, Moses, etc. And among all groups, OT names like David, Sarah, Ruth, Rachel were common. And common names like John, James, Peter, Paul, Stephen, Luke, Philip, Matthew, Joseph, Andrew, Mary, Anne etc. all go back to Biblical times (of course, the spelling and pronunciation were different then because these are Anglicized versions of Greek and Hebrew names).