World-Wide Wednesday: Scandinavian Baby Names

This edition of World-Wide Wednesday focuses on the baby names of Scandinavia. This includes the three kingdoms of Norway, Denmark and Sweden. These three countries are also categorized as Nordic countries along with Finland, Greenland, Iceland and the Faroe islands. There is plenty of overlapping influence between the countries that sometimes is translated into their baby names. Most baby name sites group all of these together as one overall "origin" called Scandinavian names.

In general, surnames, or "heritable family names", weren't used often in Scandinavia until rather recently in comparison with some other countries. In Denmark, an act was passed in 1526 that made families of nobility have to begin using a heritable name. High class people followed suit during the next few centuries and finally everyone else did later. They followed a patronymic naming tradition that gave the father's name to the children with the suffix "-sen" added to the end. For example, the son of a man named Jens would be given the surname Jensen. 

There have been many naming acts passed since 1771, that made citizens have to give up traditional primary patronymics in favor of choosing a single patronymic surname to use as their heritable family name. What resulted was an overwhelming dominance of a few specific surnames. About one-third of the Danish population have one of the ten most common surnames. More than two-thirds of people have a patronymic name that end with -sen. However, in 2005, Denmark ruled that people could once again use patronymic surnames as a replacement for or in addition to traditional surnames. 

In Norway, the most common surnames were also patronymic and usually ended with either "-ssen", "-sson", "-sdatter", or "-sdotter" with the first two referring to a son and the last two referring to a daughter. For example, the daughter of Jon would be given the surname Jonsdotter while her brother would be called Jonsson. In more recent times, the extra S is often dropped: Hansen instead of Hanssen. 

In 1923, a law was passed that made each Norwegian family choose a single, hereditary last name. Any surname that is derived from a place name usually originated as a farm name that was sometimes taken instead of a patronymic one. However today, place names are much more common than a patronymic name. The popular farm names tend to include either Bakke/Bakken meaning "hill or rise", Berg/Berge meaning "mountain or hill", Haugen/Daugan meaning "hill or mound", Dahl/Dal meaning "valley", Lie meaning "side of a valley", Moen meaning "meadow" or Rud meaning "clearing". Since 2002, the option of using patronymic surnames was once again available.

Swedish surnames are originally patronymic with the most common ending being "-sson". However, in 1901, an act was passed that abolished the practice of handing down patronymic names. Everyone one had to have a specific family surname that was inherited by each generation. Swedish families tend to like names that have to do with nature. A few examples include Lind meaning "linden", Berg meaning "mountain", Dahl/Dahlin meaning "valley" or Alström/Ahlström meaning "alder + stream".  They sometimes build into the family name information about where the family came from. For example, the Strindberg family came from Strinne. There are also some family names that have to do with war such as Skarpsvärd meaning "sharp sword" or Sköld meaning "shield". Since 1982, they've been allowed to use patronymic names again.

In Iceland, they still use patronymic surnames almost exclusively. There are a few heritable surnames passed down, but nearly all Icelanders follow the patronymic method of naming. This includes giving sons the suffix -son and daughters get the suffix -dóttir.  Iceland is very specific and picky about which names parents are allowed to use. There is a Naming Committee that must approve names, especially new ones that have never been used in the country before. The names must be easily used in the Icelandic language and use their alphabet, and they have to be gender specific. Nearly everyone has their father's name incorporated into their last name, but occasionally, matronymic names are used instead. This occurs when the child is to have no social tie to the father or if the mother wishes to make a social statement.

Now that we've covered how naming traditions generally work now and in the past, let's take a look at some examples of Scandinavian baby names.

The following names are somewhat anglicized and therefore a little easier for American children to wear:

Girls: Annika                                Annelise Astrid Axelia Brigitta Cilla Dagny Elin Elsa Erika Freya Greta Heidi Helga Ingrid Johanna Kaia Kirsten Liv Magda Milla Novalie Oletta Selma Signy Sigrid Siri Sylvi Thora Tilda Tyra Ulrika Viveka

Boys: Anders Anton Ari Axel Bo Carl Casper Claus Erik Finn Gunnar Gustav Hans Hendrick Ivor Jannick Jensen Johan Kai Lars Leif Magnus Odin Otto Ralph Rasmus Sander Soren Stellan Thor Torsten Ulrik Viggo

If you're looking for some names that are very heavily influenced by the countries and languages of Scandinavia, here is a nice collection starting with the girls first:

Abelone                              Aili Aira Alfhild Anneli Arnhild Arvida Åse Asta Astri Aura Beata Bryndis Brynhild Brynja Dagmar Dagrun Ebba Edda Eila Eira Ellevi Ellisif Embla Eydis Fideli Frigg Gudrun Gyda Hallgjerd Hedda Hedvig Henrika Hildur Hillevi Hjordis Hulda Inari Ingeborg Ingegerd Ingvild Kaisa Kajsa Karelia Katri

Kjersti Lærke Lemmitty Lillevi Liva Lova Lumi Lykke Mæja Maiken Maila Merete Meri Metta Mieli Minea Moa Nemi Pernilla Ragna Ragnhild Saga Salla Sella Senni Sigrid Sigrun Silja Sini Sóley Solveig Sunniva Suvi Svea Synnøve Taina Tarina Tella Tordis Torny Tova Vanja Veslemøy Vigdis Ylva

And the boy names:

Åke                                     Albin Alrik Alvi Andor Ansgar Arne Arnfinn Arni Aro Arvid Asger Asker Audun Auvo Balder Birger Bjarte Dagfinn Eigil Einar Eivind Elof Emund Erlend Erling Esben Folke Freystein Geir Greger Gregers Gudmund Gunvor Hakon Haldor Halsten Halvar Hemming Henrik Ingemar Ingo Ingvar Jarl Jens

Jerrik Joar Jokum Karsten Keld Kjartan Kjell Kolben Konsta Magnar Melker Mika Mio Morten Njord Ordin Orvar Orvo Øystein Ragnar Ravn Reidar Rein Runar Rune Seved Sigurd Sigvid Solen Stein Stig Sven Tage Taran Thorfinn Thorvald Toivo Tollak Torben Torun Tyke Ulf Valo Vebjørn Yngve

If you're wondering what the most popular names per country are, I have that information too! For the year 2012, these were the Top 10 names per gender per country:

Top 10 Girl Names in Scandinavia in 2012:

Denmark         Sofia Ida Freja Emma Isabella Sofie Maja Laura Clara Mathilde

Sweden           Alice Elsa Julia Ella Maja Ebba Emma Linnea Molly Alva

Finland   Ella Sofia Emma Aada Aino Venla Helmi Emilia Siiri Sara

Norway Nora Emma Sofie Linnea/Linea Sara Emilie Ingrid Thea Leah Sofia

Top 10 Boy Names in Scandinavia in 2012:

Denmark    William Lucas Victor Noah Oscar Liam Frederik Emil Oliver Magnus

Sweden William Oscar Lucas Hugo Elias Alexander Liam Charlie Oliver Filip

Finland     Onni Elias Eetu Leo Aleksi Niilo Veeti Oliver Joona Eino

Norway Lucas Emil Mathias Jonas Alexander William Oskar Magnus Markus Oliver

What do you think of Scandinavian names? Do you have a favorite? Share your thoughts in the comments below!!

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[Note:] I am not Scandinavian and I've never been to that part of the world. If any of this information is incorrect or lacking, contact me so I can adjust it.

World-Wide Wednesday: Dutch Baby Names

Featured Dutch Names:
Diederick & Madelief

This month for our World-Wide Wednesday segment, we will be examining Dutch baby names. These are classified as names that are mostly found in the Netherlands as well as the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium known as Flanders.

Like many other countries, parents in  present-day Netherlands are attracted to internationally loved names like Emma and Luca: names that are a bit more anglicized and less traditionally Dutch.

While some things tend to change over time, there are still plenty of traditional names being given to Dutch babies. This article will focus on the interesting traditional choices available and how they were used in the past. However, many of these names are difficult for non-Dutch speakers to pronounce.

First, let's start with naming traditions. Like many other countries in the past, Dutch families tended to use and reuse the same few names over many generations. Patronymic names were big. According to DutchGenealogy.nl, the following naming conventions were most typically followed:

• In the case where one of the parents was a widower or widow, the first child of the gender of the deceased spouse was named after that spouse.
• The two eldest boys were named after the grandfathers and the two eldest girls were named after the grandmothers. In some regions only deceased grandparents were named. In most regions, the paternal grandfather and maternal grandmother were named first.
• If the first three children are all boys, sometimes a male version of the grandmother’s name is given to the third boy. If enough children are born, grandmother may have a girl named after her as well. The same is true vice versa, if the first three children are all girls.
• Children that had died were named. So if one son called Jan Hendrik died, the next one born would be called Jan Hendrik as well. Usually, if you see two children with the same name, the oldest one died before the youngest one was born. Be careful however, because if the two grandparents had the same first name, sometimes two children who were named after them ended up with the same first and last name!
• If all the grandparents, previous spouses and deceased children were named, siblings of the parents were named after, especially the ones who had died already.

Knowing this information can also prove useful when tracking down ancestry lines. For our purposes today, it is mostly meant to be interesting. I enjoy learning traditions of the past since many of them are no longer popularly practiced.

Even today, birthing traditions of old are still in place. Dutch parents tend to wait to find out the baby's gender until it is born. If they happen to discover it in advance, they won't reveal it. These days, more and more mothers are choosing to give birth in a hospital but the majority still follow tradition by having a natural home birth.

Since the 17th century, it is customary for people to celebrate with a special liquor called "Hansje in the cellar". When a baby is born, the new mother is treated to plenty of food and gifts from visitors. In return, the new parents  provide a kind of biscuits to their visitors. These snacks typically had a layer of butter and sugar sprinkles called muisjes. These sprinkles only come in pink, white and blue and are used to indicate the baby's gender.  The muisjes are aniseed sprinkles that are said to represent fertility and scare away evil spirits. It is also good for the mother's milk supply.

This snack is known as "Beschuit met meisjes". Muisjes literally means "little mice" and draws its name from the fact that the aniseeds sometimes look like they have little tails when dipped into sugar. This snack is still used to celebrate the arrival of a new baby today.

Now, let's get to the actual names! Wikipedia lists a whole lot of information about Dutch names. For the sake of time and space, I'll touch on the highlights you need to know:

Dutch children are sometimes given several names but not always. Half of them only receive one name, about 30% get two names, 17% have three names and only 2.5% of children receive four names. Rarely are there more given. The first name is usually the one used in daily life and will sometimes be shortened to a diminutive form as a nickname. The naming rules for the Dutch are loose. Nearly any name is allowed as long as it isn't too similar to an existing surname, or inappropriate.

Over time, Dutch names have evolved. There are four major periods of time that saw differing naming traditions:

1. Germanic names were highly used. (Migration Period and before until the High Middle Ages)
2. Medieval names derived from Christian saints replaced Germanic ones. (High middle ages until the Early Modern era)
3. Patronymic names were most common. Children were named after relatives. (Early Modern era–1945)
4. Less emphasis on religious names and family names. Foreign names were adopted.  (1945–Present)

In the first period of naming history, the Germanic names lasted the longest. Most Germanic names are composed of two elements. The second usually indicated the gender. These elements could be drawn from two names and combined to create a new one with an appealing meaning that also honored two people. For example, a father named Hildebrant and a mother named Gertrud might name their child Gerbrant or Hiltrud.

The second period of time began around the 12th century. Christian names were huge.  Some Germanic elements still remained if they happened to also be the name of a saint. However, it was not the church that initiated this naming transition. There were no regulations in place regarding names. Religion and various current events had a big influence on naming tradition. Christian names became fashionable as larger cities began to flourish. Citizens with wealth and influence became trend-setters. It was then that the more typical Dutch names emerged such as "Kees" (Cornelis), "Jan" (Johannes) and "Piet" (Petrus).

The third period of naming history was one of stability. Some parents just picked names that they liked because they could, or they'd choose something relevant to the family's occupation. For instance, a butcher who planned on training his son to also become a butcher would probably name him Sint Joris which is the Dutch version of Saint George, the patron saint of the butchers. At the time, there was even a strong superstition that a name had a bit of a reincarnation effect  which led to many naming children after a deceased relative.

The practice of passing down familial names gained momentum. They were generally given in this pattern:

• First-born son is named after paternal grandfather
• First-born daughter is named after maternal grandmother
• Second son is named after maternal grandfather
• Second daughter is named after paternal grandmother
• Subsequent children were often named after uncles and aunts

Once the first four were named, the pattern relaxed a bit and parents were afforded more liberties to choose any name they liked for the following children. Names were reused if one of the children were to die.

The fourth and last period of time extends to today. Once World War II ended, people found themselves a bit less tied to keeping to traditions. They grew less religious and stopped using Christian names as often. Many names became a bit more anglicized and children weren't named after relatives as much. Today, children might have a traditional official name for a middle name and a more modern choice for their first name. Boys tend to have traditional Dutch names more often than girls and are still given family names. Girls simply receive names based on the parents' taste and love for it.

If you'd like to learn more about how surnames are given, click here. I'm going to skip over that information to keep this article from growing too long.

There are many traditional names out there. I went through Behind the Name's collection of Dutch names and chose some that I liked most to share with you. If you'd like to view more, I suggest visiting their website for the extensive list. I'm going to focus on the names that are Dutch versions of names from other origins, and names that are only Dutch:

Boys:

Aart                   Adriaan Aldert Ambroos Andries Antoon Arie Arnoud Bartel Bastiaan Bonifaas Boudewijn Brecht Broos Cas Cees Christiaan Cobus Constantijn Cornelis Daan Damiaan Diede Diederick Elbert Elian Ewoud Faas Femme Filippus

Floris               Fons Frits Gerben Gerolt Gijsbert Gillis Godfried Gustaaf Hein Henny Hubrecht Huub Ignaas Izaak Jaap Jef Jeroen Joep Joord Joost Joris Jozua Jurgen Kees Kerneels Kobus Koert Laurens Lieven

Lodewijk         Lowie Ludo Luuk Maarten Maas Maikel Mannes Marijn Marnix Matthijs Maurits Meint Mozes Nicolaas Niek Niels Pauwel Pier Pieter Pim Quirijn Radboud Raf Reinier Reinout Rembrandt Rens Rien Robbe

Robrecht Roel Rogier Rutger Sebastiaan Servaas Sieuwerd Sjaak Sjors Staas Stef Stijn Teunis Theodoor Theun Thijs Tiede Tijn Tjaard Toon Tygo Wiebe Wilbert Wilhelmus Willem Wim Wouter Yorick Yvo Zef

Girls:

Aldegonda       Aleida Angelien Angelique Anneke Annelien Anouk Brechtje Carolien Cato Coba Cokkie Diantha Drika Elian Elsje Emmy Esmee Evelien Feline Femke Fenna Floor Floortje Geertje

Geertruida       Gerarda Gerdina Gertruida Godelieve Greetje Griet Gusta Hadewych Hannie Heintje Heleen Helma Hendrina Hennie Hilde Ima Jacintha Jacoba Jacomina Jenneke Jantje Jasmijn Jeltsje Jennigje

Jetta               Johanneke Jozefien Katelijne Katrien Klasina Leonie Lieke Lien Liesbeth Lieve Lisanne Liselot Loes Lysanne Maaike Madelief Margriet Marieke Marijke Marijse Marjan Marjolein Marloes Mechteld

Meintje Mieke Miep Myrthe Nicolet Noortje Paulien Pietronella Ria Roosje Sabien Saskia Stefana Sterre Stien Teuna Thera Thirza Tineke Trijntje Truus Veerke Willemijn Willemina Xandra

Can you tell what other names these are related to? Which do you like best? Let's take a look at the more modern-day top choices:

Girls                  1. Tess 2. Sophie 3. Julie 4. Emma 5. Lisa 6. Fenna 7. Mila 8. Sara 9. Lotte 10. Zoë 11. Eva 12. Anna 13. Fleur 14. Isa 15. Lynn 16. Evi 17. Lieke 18. Saar 19. Noa 20. Sanne

Boys 1. Sem 2. Levi 3. Bram 4. Daan 5. Finn 6. Milan 7. Lucas 8. Luuk 9. Jesse 10. Jayden 11. Tim 12. Thomas 13. Thijs 14. Noah 15. Julian 16. Ruben 17. Liam 18. Lars 19. Stijn 20. Sam

Which of 2013's Top 20 names in the Netherlands are your favorites? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

[Note: I am not Dutch nor have I ever been to the Netherlands. If any of this information seems incorrect, please let me know so it can be fixed. If you have further insight, do share!]

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World-Wide Wednesday: Italian Baby Names

Family is very important in Italy. So much so that there has been a very strong custom in place for how parents are expected to name their children.

• The first male is named after his paternal grandfather.
• The second male is named after his maternal grandfather.
• The first female is named after her paternal grandmother.
• The second female is named after her maternal grandmother.

Any further children would then be named either for their parents, for a favorite aunt or uncle, for a saint, or for a deceased relative. There are always exceptions to this custom but this is typically the pattern that has been traditionally in use. If there was a child who died at a young age, for instance the first born son Emilio, his name would probably be reused for the next boy that was born in order to honor his paternal grandfather Emilio again.

Sometimes if the first born was a girl, they'd use a female variation of the paternal grandfather's name. The pattern wasn't always followed in the exact same way from family to family. This makes predicting ancestry records a bit more complicated than you may expect.

These traditions could be confusing when more than one of a man's sons named their first born sons after him. Then you'd have cousins with the same name. This happened frequently so to distinguish the boys from one another, nicknames were used. In some small towns where naming traditions are still upheld, the nickname trend is still in use. These nicknames tend to come from some kind of personal characteristic among other things.

If the above traditions weren't followed for some reason, you could probably bet money that the children all had a saint's name, especially if the family was Italian Catholic.

The majority of typical male Italian names end in -o but there are some that also end in -e, -a or -i like Salvatore, Luca or Giovanni. If it ever ends with a consonant, the origin is probably foreign such as Cristian or Oscar. Female names mostly end with -a but there are also some that end with -e or -i.  Often, names will have a diminutive ending on them such as -ino/-ina, -etto/-etta, -ello/-ella, or -uccio/-uccia. Many male names have the prefix Gian- (John) or Pier- (Peter) in names like Gianluca or Giancarlo and Pierpaolo or Pierangelo. The feminine name Maria was also occasionally given to boys like Gianmaria or Anton Maria.

Over time, the most common given names have been the following:

• For males: Marco, Giuseppe, Antonio, Luca, Alessandro, Giovanni, Roberto, Andrea, Stefano, Francesco, Mario, Luigi.
• For females: Anna, Maria, Sara, Laura, Valentina, Giulia, Rosa, Giuseppina, Angela, Giovanna.

Modern Italian names may have roots that come from ancient Latin names, but they tend to not be entirely equivalent. Most Latin-based origins such as Italian, Spanish, and French will have some correlation, of course, but there tends to be a big stylistic difference between names viewed as Italian and names considered Latin or Roman. Ancient Romans had a limited inventory of given names that they used so very few modern Italian names are actually derived directly from the classical Roman names.

As far as surnames go, Italians actually have the largest collection of surnames in the world. There are over 350,000 surnames in use. Men in ancient Rome began to inherit a specific surname around the year 1450. In 1564, it became mandatory to register baptismal names and marriages in parishes.

A very large amount of Italian surnames end with the letter -i. This is said to have started as a medieval habit of identifying a whole family by pluralizing their name with the letter -i on the end. Even if the family name was Ormanno, they were known as the Ormanni. So Lorenzo from the Ormanno family would be known as Lorenzo degli Ormanni which means "Lorenzo of the Ormannos". Eventually, the possessive portion of the name phrase that was used to identify someone ("of the") was dropped. They just remained pluralized: Lorenzo of the Ormannos was just Lorenzo Ormanni.  Many of these family names were originally rather patronymic indicating ancestry through the paternal line such as Francesco de Bernardo meaning "Francis the son of Bernard". He would later just be known as Francesco Bernardi.

Some surnames originated as place names. People would only have first names and they'd be known by where they lived, whether it was a town, a geographical marker like a mountain or some other landmark like a tower. For example, the Rosa who lived in the town of Vinci would eventually be named Rosa da Vinci. Sometimes, ancestors' occupations determined a surname: Contadino which means "farmer" or Marin which means "sea" and indicates a fisherman. Other times, physical characteristics gave rise to surnames: Rossi comes from rosso which means "redhead".  Occasionally, you'll find an Italian family surname that has preserved its Medieval Latin form such as De Laurentiis.

Now, as for modern baby names, here are the current Top 10 names per gender in Italy:

Girls                                                 1 Sofia 2 Giulia 3 Giorgia 4 Martina 5 Emma 6 Aurora 7 Sara 8 Chiara 9 Gaia 10 Alice

Boys 1 Francesco 2 Alessandro 3 Andrea 4 Lorenzo 5 Matteo 6 Mattia 7 Gabriele 8 Leonardo 9 Riccardo 10 Davide

What do you think of these Italian baby names? For an even more extensive list of traditional name ideas, be sure to look at Behind The Name's wonderful list.

[Note:] As far as I know, I am not Italian. I have never had the pleasure of visiting Italy and I unfortunately have never learned the language. If any of this information is incorrect or lacking, please let me know so corrections can be made. 

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World-Wide Wednesday: Irish Baby Names

Welcome to World-Wide Wednesday! Today we'll take a look at Irish baby names and naming traditions!

First, let's start with a bit of trivia.  Irish babies are typically named for their relatives, especially in the past. This trend may not be as prominent today as it once was, but there is a pattern that Irish families tended to follow:

• First born son named after his father's father
• Second born son named after his mother's father
• Third born son named after his father
• Fourth born son named after his father's oldest brother
• Fifth born son named after his father's 2nd oldest brother or his mother's oldest brother
• First born daughter named after her mother's mother
• Second born daughter named after her father's mother
• Third born daughter named after her mother
• Fourth born daughter named after her mother's oldest sister
• Fifth born daughter named after her mother's 2nd oldest sister or her father's oldest sister

Another fun tradition that is still carried out in recent years involves a "magic" handkerchief. On their wedding day, Irish brides are given a special white handkerchief to carry. When their first baby comes along, that handkerchief is turned into the baby's bonnet for their Christening.

The father's have traditions too. One called "Wetting the Baby's Head" is essentially a toast for the newborn's health and happiness. Traditionally, whiskey is used to commemorate the moment and is usually enjoyed by the father and his friends.

Other traditions may include placing a silver coin in the baby's hand during his Christening to ensure a prosperous life; and tying a red ribbon to the baby's cradle until their first birthday to keep away mischievous, baby-napping fairies. Of course, there's always plenty of Irish proverbs and blessings associated with pregnancy, childbirth and all the milestones a child will reach.

As far as actual baby names are concerned, a formal Irish personal name will consist of a given name and a surname. Irish surnames are rather patronymic and include O' meaning "grandson of" or Mac meaning "son of". A boy will usually have the same surname as his father. A girl's surname will replace the O' with Ni which indicates "daughter of the grandson of" or Nic which means "daughter of the son of".  A son of a man named Ó Dónaill would keep that surname, a daughter would be known as Ní Dhónaill. However, when it is anglicized, she would revert to the same name as her father and brother: Ó Dónaill.   There are other rules pertaining to a surname that begins with a vowel too; and sometimes the Normanic prefix Fitz will be used.

When a woman marries, she can opt to take her husband's surname but instead of keeping his O', she would replace it with Bean Uí which indicates "wife of the grandson of". Instead of Mac, she'd use Bean Mhic or "wife of the son of".  Bean may be omitted in certain cases allowing her to simply use Uí or Mhic. A woman marrying a man named Ó Dónaill may choose to be use Bean Uí Dhónaill or Uí Dhónaill as her surname.

Typically, a family would look something like this:

Mac:
Husband: Seán Mac Mathúna
Wife:  Máire Mhic Mhathúna
Son: Cillian Mac Mathúna
Daughter: Aoife Nic Mhathúna

Ó/Ua:
Husband: Pól Ó Murchú
Wife: Mairéad Uí Mhurchú
Son:  Eoin Ó Murchú
Daughter: Gráinne Ní Mhurchú

In the case of first names, sometimes an adjective will be added to distinguish, for example, a son from his father like the English junior and senior. Mór ("big") and Óg ("young") are typically used in this case but instead of being placed at the end of a name, they'll be inserted between the given name and surname. So Seán Óg Ó Súilleabháin would be anglicized to "John O'Sullivan Jr." Sometimes the O' is dropped when it's been anglicized.  Other adjectives that could be applied to a person may simply indicate their hair color, but these are always informal like a nickname: Pádraig Rua ("red-haired Patrick"), Máire Bhán ("fair-haired Mary").

One more interesting possibility that I'll mention involves traditional Gaeltacht names in Irish-speaking areas.  They still customarily give a child a given name followed by his father's name and sometimes followed again by the paternal grandfather's name. For example: Seán Ó Cathasaigh (Sean O'Casey), son of Pól, son of Séamus, would be known as Seán Phóil Shéamuis. Sometimes a mother's name or a maternal grandfather's name could be substituted in there if they are well-known in the area. These types of names are not official but used more for distinguishing people who share a name and are living in the same area.

While most Irish people have a traditional Irish spelling for their name, many also opt to anglicize it, especially if they are somewhat famous. A fun example is that of former US President John Fitzgerald Kennedy. If he ever used it, his Irish name would be Seán Mac Gearailt Ó Cinnéide. He was born in the US but all four of his grandparents were the children of immigrants from Ireland.

Today, it isn't very clear how many people still strictly follow the familial naming patterns. The top names used on Irish babies in recent years seem to indicate that more parents prefer choosing a name that they love instead of adhering to traditions.

Names in 1963 were very traditional in an English sense. They're not traditional Irish names. The Top 5 looked like this:

Boys:
John  (3,892 births)
Patrick (2,302 births)
Michael (2,010 births)
Paul (1,867 births)
James (1,575 births)

Girls:
Mary (3,721 births)
Margaret (1,526 births)
Catherine (1,387 births)
Ann (927 births)
Anne (824 births)

Here is the current list of the Top baby names in Ireland for 2013:

Boys:
Jack (764 births)
James (746 births)
Daniel (678 births)
Conor (610 births)
Sean (609 births)

Girls:
Emily (625 births)
Emma (499 births)
Sophie (497 births)
Ella (478 births)
Amelia (429 births)

Notice how many of the Top names were given to babies in 1963 compared to the number of births for each Top name in 2013. This indicates an increase in the pool of names being used in general. I imagine there has been a lot of influence from England and the US.  To view the entire Top 100 names, visit this page and view the tables at the very bottom.

There are still some traditional Irish names being given today, even though some of them are in forms that are a bit more anglicized than their original counterparts. Here are the ones within the Top 100:

Boys:                       Oisin Cian Darragh Cillian Fionn Eoin Tadhg Cathal Senan Eoghan Odhran Ciaran Dara Donnacha Niall Ruairi

Girls: Aoife Caoimhe Saoirse Ciara Niamh Roisin Clodagh Aisling Eabha Aoibhinn Aine Sadhbh Aoibheann Fiadh Aoibhe Laoise

What do you think of Irish traditions of the past? Are you familiar with more modern traditions in baby naming? If so, please share your insight in the comment section!  Which of the above names is your favorite?

[Note:] My paternal ancestors come from Ireland but I have never been there. I have, however, learned quite a bit of the language. If any of this information seems incorrect, please let me know! 

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World-Wide Wednesday: Welsh Baby Names

Beaumaris Castle Anglesey Wales United Kingdom

Welsh baby names are very interesting. Traditional names have their own rules that may make the names complicated to pronounce for those who are not familiar with them.

I've found a website that studies Welsh names from medieval times and breaks down specific elements within the names. It was actually a bit over my head but I definitely want to share those links if you're interested in more of the etymology:  Link #1 | Link #2  | Link #3

Let's start with a bit of information about surnames in Wales. From the 15th century onward, families adopted a fixed family name. Before that, they used a patronymic naming system in which a "surname" was derived from the child's father's name. This kind of naming was especially telling for the male line throughout the generations. Typically, a person's baptismal name would be linked to their father's baptismal name by the letters ap or ab (son of) for a boy, and ferch (daughter of) for a girl. As an example, Evan son of Thomas would be known as Evan ap Thomas.

This naming method gave rise to boys whose surnames could be extremely long to incorporate the names of their fathers and grandfathers for several generations. For example, it was common to have a name that looked like this: Llewelyn ap Dafydd ab Ieuan ap Griffith ap Meredith. This was in place by Welsh law so that it was obvious to see how people descended from which ancestors. Later, these laws were abolished in the Middle Ages and replaced by a fixed family surname system that was easier to keep track of. However, there was still an element of patronymic names being used in varous forms until the early 19th century and especially in rural areas. Areas with strong English influence and wealth were the first the drop the patronymics system.

As this surname transition occurred, the new fixed surnames were morphed from the old system. For example, the surname Powell came from ap Hywel and Bowen came from ab Owen. Price comes from ap Rhys and Pritchard comes from ap Richard. The ap and ab were eventually dropped altogether in favor of simply adding an S to the end of a name like Jones, Roberts or Edwards. This was influenced by the English. It is also common that people with the same surname in an area are completely unrelated, having simply chosen the same surname. Jones, Williams and Thomas are among the most prevalent surnames. A survey estimated that about 9/10ths of the Welsh population have a total of just one hundred surnames.  Source.

As for Welsh first names, they are on their own level. If you were to look up Welsh names and browse a list of them, you'll noticed that most of then end with -yn, -on, -en, or -in. There are many that have Y's and W's in them as well.  Here are some examples of traditional Welsh boy names that may be unfamiliar to the non-Welsh:

Boys:                                                       Alwyn Arwel Bedwyr Bleddyn Braith Brynmor Cadfael Cadoc Cadwalader Caerwyn Caradoc Cledwyn Dafydd (David) Deiniol Delwyn Drystan Einion Eirian Emlyn Emrys (Ambrose) Ffransis Gawain Gethin Glyndwr Gruffudd Gwillym (William) Gwythyr (Victor)

Heddwyn Heulog Hywel Iago (Jacob) Idris Ieuan (John) Islwyn Llewellyn Macsen (Maximus) Madog Maredudd (Meredith) Meurig (Maurice) Neifion (Neptune) Owain (Eugene) Padrig (Patrick) Pedr (Peter) Rheinallt (Reynold) Rhisiart (Richard) Rhydderch Sawyl (Samuel) Siarl (Charles) Sieffre (Geoffrey) Siorus (George) Talfryn Tomos (Thomas) Urien Wynfor Yorath

And here are some examples of girl names with a Welsh origin:

Aderyn                                                   Aeronwen Afanen Alis (Alice) Anwen Bethan (Elizabeth) Betrys (Beatrice) Blodeuwedd Briallen Bronwen Carys Catrin (Katherine) Ceridwen Crystin (Christine) Deryn Disgleirio Efa (Eva) Eilwen Eirlys Elin (Helen) Enfys Esyllt (Isolde) Ffraid (Bridget) Gladys Glynis Gwen Gwendolen Gwyneth

Hefina Heulwen Hyledd Lleucu (Lucia) Llewella Lowri (Laura) Mair (Mary) Marged (Margaret) Megan Meinwen Morgan Morwen Myfanwy Nesta (Agnes) Nia (Niamh) Olwen Paderau Rhiannon Rhonwen Rhosyn Seren Sian (Jeanne) Sioned (Janet) Siwan (Joan) Tegan Tiwlip (Tulip) Winifred Wynne

What do you think of these Welsh names? Have you ever known someone with a name like this? Source. 

Of course, in modern day Wales, the most popular baby names tend to match up more with English tastes than with old tradition. In fact, most of the time, England/Wales are categorized together just like that. This means that most of the names being given to Welsh babies are English favorites like Harry and Amelia. 

Let me know what your thoughts are about Welsh baby names! If you're from Wales, feel free to offer some insight or more information regarding names. Note: I am not Welsh nor have I ever been to Wales, so if any of the above information is incorrect or lacking, please let me know!  Thanks for reading!

World-Wide Wednesday: German Baby Names

Moritzburg Castle, Germany
Featured German Names:
Alaric & Lorelei

This month's World-Wide Wednesday features baby naming customs from Germany.

Prior to the late 19th century, Germany was a vast territory that saw major differences in the way baby names were given across the land and in different time periods. Traditionally, most boys in central and southern Germany in the 1700s were named Johann or Johannes. (Hans was big in the 1600s). Sometimes they would go by a middle name to differentiate between them. Similarly, girls tended to be named Maria or Anna.

In the north and northeast, children in the mid-1800s received anywhere from three to five given names. This was a sign of nobility. The more names a person had, the more important they would appear. In records, ministers would often underline the preferred name, and sometimes marriage licenses would have the names in a slightly different order than what was on the birth record. They may have even been simplified or spelled differently.  Surnames weren't regularly used until the 1500s.

Up near Denmark in a place called Schelswig and a place called the duchy of Holstein, it was popular tradition to use patronymic names through to the 18th century. This means that most children were named for their fathers or grandfathers. For example, if a father was named Peter, his sons and daugthers would use the surname Petersen (and occasionally girls who were very near Denmark would follow those traditions and use Petersdatter as a surname instead). It wasn't until 1771 that this got to be rather confusing and a law was passed that required children to take a set surname, usually the same one their father had instead of basing a new one on his first name.

In Ostfriesland, which is in the northwestern corner of modern Germany, people followed a patronymic pattern that was very similar to that of their Dutch neighbors to the west. Instead of adding -sen or -datter to their father's name, boys and girls would simply add an -s. The confusing part about this tradition is that back in Schleswig most wives would take their husband's name and add -s to it. Depending on where you lived, your name would indicate whether you were the wife of Peter (in Schleswig and Denmark) or the daughter of Peter (in Ostfriesland).

As you can see, different areas had different customs that drew great influence from neighboring countries. Another example is that of the people of Westfalen which borders Hannover, Rheinland. Since medieval times, they had an entirely different naming method.  Surnames were called Hofname or "farm-names". The family living on that particular farm would take that particular surname. If a daughter inherited the farm and married, her husband would change his name to that of her farm. His old name would be listed with his new surname with a phrase such as genannt, vulgo, modo, sive, or alias listed between them meaning he had one surname but was called by another.

Today, there are still some faint remnants of these patronymic systems but they don't tend to form a child's official name. Names consist of one or several usually gender-specific given names and a set surname. Women traditionally adopt their husband's surname and hyphenate it with their own.

Most first names in the past were very traditionally Germanic, or they were biblical. Examples include:

Boys:                                       Carl Karl Wilhelm Otto Heinrich Friedrich Paul Hans Gustav Max Walter Walther Hermann Ernst Werner Heinz Curt Kurt Günter Günther Herbert Gerhard Helmuth Peter Claus Klaus Uwe Jürgen Dieter Horst Manfred Wolfgang Bernd Andreas Frank Stefan Jörg Torsten

Girls: Anna Martha Frieda Bertha Emma Maria Margarethe Erna Elsa Gertrud Hertha Käthe Elisabeth Hildegard Ilse Irmgard Gerda Lieselotte Elfriede Ursula Edith Helga Gisela Inge Ingrid Ingeborg Karin Renate Elke Monika Brigitte Angelika Sabine Martina Ute Keike Petra Birgit Anja

It is only since the 1970s or so that Germans have adopted more Westernized names such as:

Boys:                                       Thomas Michael Marcus Christian Oliver Matthias Sebastian Daniel Martin Dennis Alexander Tobias Patrick Marcel Philipp Lucas Ben Finn Jonas Maximilian Felix Leon Louis

Girls: Nicole Claudia Stephanie Andrea Susanne Julia Melanie Sandra Nadine Christina Sabrina Sarah Jennifer Lisa Katharina Jessica Laura Leah Hannah Michelle Lara Lena Mia Sophia Leonie

There was a bit of a pattern that many parents followed in order to properly honor saints and relatives in their children's names. Take a look at this chart for an example:

Source

If there were duplicate names in the pattern, they'd usually skip to the next name in the pattern. If a child were to die in infancy, their name would be reused for the next child of the same gender.

When the children were baptized, they were most often given one first name that was a spiritual name honoring that special saint or relative, and they'd receive a middle name or a "call name." They would go by this call name most often. Often, children were all given the same first name such as the very popular Johann. Three brothers might have the following names:

Johann Heinrich Schmidt
Johann Wilhelm Schmidt
Johann Gustav Schmidt

They would be known as Heinrich, Wilhelm and Gustav. Girls would have a similar situation but most commonly with the first name Anna or Maria. This occurrence did not always happen though. It did depend on the family and when and where they lived.

There is no official statistics for baby names in Germany but Knud Bielefeld (publisher of firstnamesgermany.com) has analysed approximately 182,300 German birth notifications and compiled a list of the most popular baby names in 2013. Borrowing graciously from him, here are the Top 10:

1. Ben                                         2. Luca / Luka 3. Paul 4. Jonas 5. Finn / Fynn 6. Leon 7. Luis / Louis 8. Lukas / Lucas 9. Maximilian 10. Felix

1. Mia 2. Emma 3. Hannah / Hanna 4. Sofia / Sophia 5. Anna 6. Lea / Leah 7. Emilia 8. Marie 9. Lena 10. Leonie

What do you think of the baby naming customs of Germany? Do you have any German relatives with names like these? Which traditionally German name is your favorite? Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in the comment section below or on our Facebook page!

Source | Source | Source | Source

[Note: I do have German blood but I've never been to Germany and don't speak German. If any of this information seems incorrect, please let me know so I can fix it!]

World-Wide Wednesday: French Baby Names

Featured French Names:
Olivier & Colette

This month's edition of World-Wide Wednesday will focus on French baby names.  The French were originally very limited in what names they could use for a child because France was very strict as far as which names were and were not allowed.

Traditionally, babies were only allowed to be named after Roman Catholic saints. Sometimes a child acquired the name of the saint who's National Saint Day fell on the day they were born. Today, that practice is not commonly used anymore, however most French people are still given the name of a saint or a version of a name of a saint. The Saint's Day associated with their name is then celebrated throughout their life as a second birthday.

The most common saint names that were used include Jacques (James), Jean (John), Michel (Michael), Pierre (Peter), or Jean-Baptiste (John the Baptist) for males; and Marie (Mary), Jeanne (Jane), Marguerite (Margaret), Françoise (Frances), or Élisabeth (Elizabeth) for females. Often these names would be hyphenated such as Jean-Pierre or Marie-Claude. This is still a popular naming style today.

When 1966 came around, the government decided to give parents a bit more freedom by allowing mythological names as well as some regional or foreign names. It wasn't until 1993 that parents gained even more freedom. In that year, most restrictions were lifted as long as the name was not deemed detrimental to the child's future. The birth registrar has the ultimate say and can refuse to allow a name that is thought to be harmful. If a name is rejected, the parents may be sent to a local court but this tends to be a rare occurrence.

Typically in the past, the French tended to have one given name that they use, (hyphenated names are considered one name) and a second and third name that are hardly mentioned beyond official documents. These latter names tend to honor godparents or grandparents and may be considered "out of fashion" for those reasons. These second and third names are similar to the Anglo-Saxon "middle name" that is rarely known or used. However, a French person may choose to be called by one of these more "hidden" names rather than the first one listed on the birth certificate. Nowadays, using more than one name on a daily basis is rather out of fashion, but they still tend to have multiple middle names.

Nearly all traditional given names are gender-specific. There are some cases where a name may appear unisex but actually be pronounced or spelled slightly differently for each gender such as Frederic (M) and Frederique (F).  When it comes to compound or hyphenated names, sometimes the second name can be that of the opposite gender; for example, a girl named Marie-George or a boy named Jean-Marie. It is the first name that denotes the gender.

As a result of the lifting of the baby naming restrictions, names that are being given today are drastically different than the names used even 40+ years ago.

For French-Canadians, there was a typical name structure in place up until the mid-1900s. Children were generally given three names. The first denoted the gender of the child, like Marie or Joseph. The second name was that of a godparent of the same gender. The third name is what the child was actually called by. It was even common for every sibling to receive the same sex appropriate first name, which brought about families whose children looked like this: Marie-Louise, Marie-Antoinette, Jean-Pierre and Jean-Paul. They would then either go by the second half of the hyphenated name or by a third name.

Baptism records often listed only the child's first name and sometimes the second name. The third was virtually ignored. However, the family bible would list all of the names. Records sometimes got confusing, especially when the children were all given the same first names. This would lead to plenty of mistaken identities in genealogical records. Occasionally there was also a practice up until the 1930s in which the name of a deceased child would be reused again for the next child. That no longer happens but it definitely led to even more confusion on official records.

As of 2011, popular baby names in France were much different than those in America. One source even mentioned that using an "American" name is not fashionable and can sometimes indicate a lower class family. This is because the French overused "American" names in the 1990s so they currently shy away from our trends. But they definitely have their own. If the name is not French in origin, it may be Italian, Greek, Spanish or Irish instead, which are all being commonly used these days. There is plenty of debate about whether a foreign name could hurt the child's future job prospects since the country had very limited choices for so long. It is feared that if a name is too unique, the child may not fare well.

Recent trends have included using shorter names like Lucas and Clara rather than using long ones like Alexandre or Nathalie. Girls are increasingly being given names that end with -a rather than the more usual -e endings.  Boys are seeing more names ending in -o.

       Top Names in France for 2013:

Boys:             Nathan Lucas Léo Enzo Louis Gabriel Jules Timéo Hugo Arthur Ethan Raphaël Maël Tom Noah Mathis Théo Adam Nolan Clément

Girls: Emma Lola Chloé Inès Léa Jade Manon Louise Zoé Lilou Léna Sarah Camille Maëlys Lina Eva Louna Clara Alice Romane

For a much longer list of names that are used in France, check out the top names from 2011. It is a bit older but it is more complete than the above.  Which name on the list is your favorite?

[Note: I know very basic French but I've never been to France or Quebec or any other French-speaking country. If I have misinterpreted any information, please let me know!]

Source | Source | Source | Source | Source \ Source | Source

World-Wide Wednesday: Romanian Names

By request, this edition of World-Wide Wednesday will zoom in on the naming traditions used in Romania and Moldova in eastern Europe.

In Romania, there are customs that revolve around man's three most essential human events: birth, marriage and death.  We're going to focus just on the birth customs and those surrounding children, their parents and their names.

TravelGuideRomania.com says: "Birth related customs regard the grown-ups: besides parents, there are the midwife and the godparents. When the baby suffered from an illness or faced danger, the custom was to change the baby’s name into “The Bear” (Ursu) or “The Wolf” (Lupu), in hope of avoiding the risk of being “recognized” again by that danger in future. This custom also implies the idea of the baby’s “death and resurrection”." It is interesting that they would change the child's name to avoid dangers. This is a new concept that I had never come across before. That site also discusses the other customs and daily life if you're interested in learning more.

Then there is the more ancient customs found in Romanian Folk beliefs. Many of the specific things are no doubt dated and not commonly practiced today, but this article from folklore.ee is full of information regarding these practices. It mentions the birth customs this way:  "The Romanians, as well as other nations have always expressed joy about the arrival of a new-born child in the world. An old proverb said: `The more children, the richer the Romanian'. So, one of the most ardent desires of the newlyweds, especially the bride's, is for the mighty God to bless them with sons and daughters."

Then it describes the very important guidelines that a pregnant woman needed to follow to remain healthy and avoid any harm falling upon her and the baby, whether it was physical or spiritual. There was much fear regarding evil spirits and becoming bewitched; these things would be blamed if the child were lost. Some of these practices may sound a bit strange to us in the modern day, but these were taken extremely seriously in order to protect the child.

Now as far as names go, I found this excellent "naming practice guide" for many different countries. Under the Romanian category, it states that depending on the occasion, names can be given in different orders:

• Personal Name + family name is typically used in conversation.
• Family name + personal name is typically used in official documents.
• A Romanian will often introduce himself with his family name first, particularly in any official context. 

Common endings for Romanian family names include: -escu (meaning "son of"), -eanu, and -aru.

Traditionally, it is appropriate for a wife to take her husband's family name. Very few woman choose to keep their maiden name instead, but it does happen. Also, children do inherit their father's family name.

There are many baby names that are listed as usable in Romania along with many other counties. However, I'd like to list the names that are a bit more specific to the country. Here are some names that BehindTheName lists as strictly Romanian:

Girls: Anca                                   Andreea Brândușa Camelia Cătălina Catina Constanța Cosmina Crina Daciana Doina Dorina Ecaterina Elisabeta Georgeta Ilinca

Ionela Lenuța Luminița Mădălina Miruna Nicoleta Oana Raluca Rodica Ruxandra Sanda Sorina Ștefania Stela Vasilica Viorica

There happen to be a lot more "Romanian Only" names for boys than there were for girls. However, that does not mean that the girls' names are limited. There are so many more listed for common usage in Romania but they are also used in other countries. I only included the ones that are strictly Romanian.

Boys:                                     Alexandru Alin Carol Cătălin Cezar Ciprian Claudiu Constantin Cornel Corneliu Cosmin Costache Costel Costică Costin Cristi Dănuț Decebal Dinu Dionisie Dorin Doru Dragos Dumitru Emilian Fane Flaviu Florin Ghenadie Gheorghe Grigore Haralamb Horațiu Horea Horia Iancu Ilie

Ionel Ionuț Iulian Iuliu Laurențiu Liviu Mihai Mahăiță Mircea Mitica Neculai Nelu Nicolae Nicu Nicușor Ovidiu Petrica Pompiliu Radu Râzvan Sandu Serghei Sergiu Silviu Simion Sorin Stan Ștefan Stelian Tiberiu Traian Tudor Valeriu Vali Vasile Veaceslav Viorel Virgiliu

If you would like to see the other names that are commonly used in Romania or learn more about the listed names above, I encourage you to view BehindTheName's extensive list!   Which of these Romanian names do you like best? Do you have any thoughts about any of them?


[Note: I am not Romanian nor have I ever traveled to Romania. If any of this information seems incorrect, please let me know so I can correct it. Thanks!]