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== Given Names == | == Given Names == | ||
*German given names are | *German given names are often derived from '''Biblical names''', such as Josef (Joseph); from the '''names of saints''', such as Joannes (Joan); or '''from Old German''', such as Siegfried. | ||
*With '''the Reformation''', the Protestant territories started to frown on names of saints being given to their children. The trend was now to choose names from the Old and New Testaments. Preferred were | *With '''the Reformation''', the Protestant territories started to frown on names of saints being given to their children. The trend was now to choose names from the Old and New Testaments. Preferred were Abraham, Rebekka, Esther, Lea, Salome. | ||
*When baptized, children were | *When baptized, children were often given '''two or more given names'''. Which name they actually went by can vary by location and time period. In many areas, however, it was common for the child to be called by the second name. For example, if the first two males born in a family were named Johann Christoph and Johann Friedrich, they were usually called Christoph and Friedrich. | ||
*If an elder child died young, the parents frequently '''reused the deceased child's exact name''' on the next born child of the same gender. This can be a good guide in terms of your research, but it is not an absolute.'' Do not assume ''the older child with the exact name died unless you find his/her death date. | *If an elder child died young, the parents frequently '''reused the deceased child's exact name''' on the next born child of the same gender. This can be a good guide in terms of your research, but it is not an absolute.'' Do not assume ''the older child with the exact name died unless you find his/her death date. | ||
*Some children received as many as four or more given names at baptism. Multiple given names were often the names of '''parents or other relatives'''. Many of these names were frequently dropped as the child matured. Thus, a person's '''later records do not always use the name he or she was given at birth.''' | *Some children received as many as four or more given names at baptism. Multiple given names were often the names of '''parents or other relatives'''. Many of these names were frequently dropped as the child matured. Thus, a person's '''later records do not always use the name he or she was given at birth.''' | ||