Along with my direct line, I thought I would add a little information about German naming patterns. Although these patterns aren't always the case, it does help to explain all the family members with the same names.
It was a common practice in some German families to name the first born son after the child's paternal grandfather and the second born son after the maternal grandfather. Here are several more detailed naming patterns practiced by some families.
1st son after the father's father
2nd son after the mother's father
3rd son after the father
4th son after the father's father's father
5th son after the mother's father's father
6th son after the father's mother's father
7th son after the mother's mother's father
1st daughter after the mother's mother
2nd daughter after the father's mother
3rd daughter after the mother
4th daughter after the father's father's mother
5th daughter after the mother's father's mother
6th daughter after the father's mother's mother
7th daughter after the mother's mother's mother
When German boys or girls were baptized, they were generally given middle names, although, at times, they were not. When they were given a middle name, however, they were known by that name and not by their first name for the rest of their lives.
Whenever a duplicate name occurred in these patterns, the next name in the series was used. If a child died in infancy the name was often reused for the next child of the same gender. |
