A quick look at our family tree and I can easily count 10 men whose first name is 'Johann.' The same goes for the women of which there are also 10 with the first name of Maria. Why so many Johann's and Maria's?
Well, there's a good reason or at least one that makes sense. It was common in the 17th and 18th centuries for parents to give their child a saint's name and a secular name. This custom originated in France and Germany during the Middle Ages. They saint's name would be their first name and would be used only for religious purposes, while the second name would be the secular name and would be the name they would be called by.
Johann is the German spelling for John, so all young men who are named Johann are named after Saint John. He was by far the most popular saint that parents named their sons after.
Our family, in particular, uses the names Johann Georg and Johann Adam frequently. The second names Georg and Adam would be repeated, as it is also German custom to name the children after their grandfather or father.
The same goes for the girls! The favorite saint that the girls in our line are named after is Saint Mary which in
German translates to Maria. Maria Barbara is without a doubt the most common names given in our family history, as we have 6 of them. We also have a Maria Dorothea, Maria Clara and a Maria Apollonia.
People of the Middle Ages were very religious, and so it was a normal part of life to name your child after a saint, with the hope that the saint would look over your child through life. It appears as though both the Catholics and Lutherans assumed this same custom.
So, now we see why the names 'Johann' and 'Maria' keep reappearing generation after generation. It does make it a bit difficult when researching names but they had no idea that 350 years later their descendants would be searching for them.
Well, there's a good reason or at least one that makes sense. It was common in the 17th and 18th centuries for parents to give their child a saint's name and a secular name. This custom originated in France and Germany during the Middle Ages. They saint's name would be their first name and would be used only for religious purposes, while the second name would be the secular name and would be the name they would be called by.
 |
| St. John |
Johann is the German spelling for John, so all young men who are named Johann are named after Saint John. He was by far the most popular saint that parents named their sons after.
Our family, in particular, uses the names Johann Georg and Johann Adam frequently. The second names Georg and Adam would be repeated, as it is also German custom to name the children after their grandfather or father.
The same goes for the girls! The favorite saint that the girls in our line are named after is Saint Mary which in
 |
| St. Mary |
People of the Middle Ages were very religious, and so it was a normal part of life to name your child after a saint, with the hope that the saint would look over your child through life. It appears as though both the Catholics and Lutherans assumed this same custom.
So, now we see why the names 'Johann' and 'Maria' keep reappearing generation after generation. It does make it a bit difficult when researching names but they had no idea that 350 years later their descendants would be searching for them.
