German Names

In German society there was a first name and a calling name, so John Jacob would have that name on church records, deeds, etc., but for anything else, he would be known as Jacob.

There was a naming order for families. This was observed especially with the Mennonites.

• The first two sons were named after the child's Grandfathers. It was usually the father's side first honored unless the Mother's father had died before the Father's father and the Father's father was still living.
• The females were named in like order. They believed in honoring their fathers and mothers.

This naming order started to go out in the 1840's.

Nicknames can also cause confusion. These are some among the Pennsylvania Germans.

Anton (Anthony)	Tunis.
Barbara	Bevvy
Bernhare, Bernd, and Barnet	Bernard
Dietrich	Dieter
Elizabeth	Eliz, Eliza, or Lis
Johannans	Hans or Hannes
Magdalena	Matti, Matta, Lena, or Molly
Maria	Mary with the nickname of Polly or Molly
Nicholas (Nicholaus)	Nickel or Claus
Anna or Ann	Nancy or Nan
Catharina	Kate or Katie
Christoph (Christopher)	Stoffell and was confused with Christian whose nickname was Christ or Christli
Gottfried (Godfrey, Geofrey)	In English, was confused with Frederick and the nickname of Fritz
Margretha	Peggy or Maggie
Valentin (Valentine)	Felty
Fronika	Fanny
Ludwig	Luwick or Lewis

_____
Page content reviewed and/or updated by the Advisory Board 2022 Dec

---

Quick Links

• Home
• About Us
• Special Projects
• Research Tips
• Volunteer Support
• Website Support
• Search

Contact Us

Contact the National Coordinator with Project questions, suggestions, or concerns.

Contact any Web Management Team member for usgenweb.org website questions, suggestions, or concerns.

Please include a link if your inquiry is about a specific page or Project website.

---