A careful study of naming patterns can sometimes lead to great discoveries. This is no longer true with later generations but it certainly pays once you are researching circa 1940’s and earlier. In South African genealogy, the Afrikaans community adhered to tradition longer than any other group. The common naming pattern in South Africa was:
First son named after the father’s father
Second son named after the mother’s father
Third son named after the father
Fourth son named after the father’s eldest brother
Fifth son named after the father’s second eldest brother or the mother’s eldest brother
First daughter named after the mother’s mother
Second daughter named after the father’s mother
Third daughter named after the mother
Fourth daughter named after the mother’s eldest sister
Fifth daughter named after the mother’s second eldest sister or the father’s eldest sister
Later children were then named after remaining uncles or aunts. Thereafter, the names of the children’s great-grandparents would be used.