Evolution of a Name

My maiden name is Petersen.  It is Danish, you know from Denmark.  I was looking at some family history stuff online and this is the paternal pattern of my name, meaning me, my dad, my grandpa, etc., as far back as there are names on Family Search.  You can see the pattern of naming children after the first name of their father.

Haley Quinn Petersen
Karl Dale Petersen
William Dewaine Petersen
Van Carl Petersen
Carl Ephraim Petersen (born in Ephraim, UT, but married a girl from Norway)
Hans Peter Petersen (born in Denmark, likely changed name from Pedersen to Petersen)
Peder Madsen
Mads Pedersen

Here are some other examples in my dad's family line:

Miranda Louise Ericksen (my great great grandma from Norway) was the daughter of Andreas Ericksen and Karoline Pedersen.  Andreas' paternal line stops there, but his father was likely Erick.  Karoline's line continues. (By the way, you'll notice Petersen's in both lines.  They could have been related, but one line is from Denmark and the other from Norway, so hopefully my great great grandparents aren't too close of cousins)

Karoline Pedersen (follow her father's line)
Peder Pedersen
Peder Pedersen
Peder Pedersen
Peder Svendsen
Svend Haagensen
Haagen Nielsen
Niels Haagensen

And then there are a few daughters also name for their fathers.

• Oleana Johansdatter was the daughter of Johan Jensen.  (Keep in mind that her brother's last name was Johansen.)

• Johanna Marie Magnussen was the daughter of Magnus Andersen (who was then the son of Anders Olsen, the son of Ole Baardsen, the son of Baard Olsen . . .)

There are many other examples, but I think you get the idea.

Also, my favorite name I found tonight looking at this was on a different line.  It was still through my dad, but instead of the Petersen line, it was through my Great Grandma Petersen's line, whose maiden name was Brown.  The Browns were from England.  Are you ready for the name . . . .  my 5th Great Grandmother was named . . .  Philadelphia Brisenden.  She was born in England in 1779.  Is it possible the news of the American Revolution made them so excited about their countries colonies gaining their independance that that they named their daughter Philadelphia? From what I can tell, she never came to the U.S., so maybe she wasn't all that happy about it.  

I don't know, but it was an interesting discovery.