What's the difference ? One is Latin and the others German. E. Surkosky ----- Original Message ----- From: <JYoung6180@aol.com> To: <alsace-lorraine@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2012 4:31 AM Subject: Re: [A-L] naming > This has been my experience also --- that Johannes is a stand alone name > while Johan/Johann is used as a prename/saints name and is not used in > common > usage...the rufname/call name is used as the given name. > > Joan > > > In a message dated 10/24/2012 3:02:31 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, > brian@amason.net writes: > > This has been my experience also. If the name Johannes is given it > seldom, > I won't say never, is used with another name. > > I note that I didn't see anyone clarify the original question. > Joannes is the Latin form for both Johan(n) and Johannes. So, > without further records it is hard to know which of the four forms it > would have been in use, as the Latin form, Joannes, is itself is also a > possibility. But as noted, Johan and Johann when given first were often > not used in daily use. So those born say Johan Jacob would often appear > as > just Jacob in later records. > > It should also be noted Johan is not always the forname I have cases of > George, Jacob and many others. Mostly it is Johan (and variants). > > Brian > > > -- > Resources for Alsace-Lorraine list members: > http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~valorie/Alsace-Lorraine-L.htm > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > ALSACE-LORRAINE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

The Latin version is Joannes. The German forms are Johannes, Johan and Johann. The difference is one form represents John the Evangelist (Johan/Johann, IIRC), and the other, Johannes represents John the Baptist. I may have that backwards, but there you have it. This is only what I've been told by other researchers. My research mostly confirms this. It is rare to see Johannes used in speaking of John the Evangelist, but it does happen. The inverse is also true, normally Johannes refer to John the Baptist. This is also what I have seen when a German ancestor of mine moved to Alsace, and in his immigration papers Johannes became Jean-Baptiste. Hardly proof positive, but supportive. There are easy and famous exceptions Johanneskirche in Magdeburg (St John the Evangelist). Johanniskirche in another city for John the Baptist. The Latin version was also used by some people in daily life, but often seen used in vital records when converting from a Germanic name to a Latin form. Just seeing Joannes in a record doesn't tell you how it was spelled in normal usage. Brian On Wed, October 24, 2012 10:13 pm, Edward T. Surkosky wrote: > What's the difference ? One is Latin and the others German. > > E. Surkosky > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: <JYoung6180@aol.com> > To: <alsace-lorraine@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2012 4:31 AM > Subject: Re: [A-L] naming > > >> This has been my experience also --- that Johannes is a stand alone name >> while Johan/Johann is used as a prename/saints name and is not used in >> common >> usage...the rufname/call name is used as the given name. >> >> Joan >> >> >> In a message dated 10/24/2012 3:02:31 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, >> brian@amason.net writes: >> >> This has been my experience also. If the name Johannes is given it >> seldom, >> I won't say never, is used with another name. >> >> I note that I didn't see anyone clarify the original question. >> Joannes is the Latin form for both Johan(n) and Johannes. So, >> without further records it is hard to know which of the four forms it >> would have been in use, as the Latin form, Joannes, is itself is also a >> possibility. But as noted, Johan and Johann when given first were often >> not used in daily use. So those born say Johan Jacob would often appear >> as >> just Jacob in later records. >> >> It should also be noted Johan is not always the forname I have cases of >> George, Jacob and many others. Mostly it is Johan (and variants). >> >> Brian >> >> >> -- >> Resources for Alsace-Lorraine list members: >> http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~valorie/Alsace-Lorraine-L.htm >> >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> ALSACE-LORRAINE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without >> the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > -- > Resources for Alsace-Lorraine list members: > http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~valorie/Alsace-Lorraine-L.htm > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > ALSACE-LORRAINE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > >

There is a difference, I think, but a matter of tradition rather than linguistic - see various information on the Internet regarding the latter. As I mentioned in a personal situation a few mails ago, our second son, Hanns was named after a Lutheran German bishop friend. Actually this person always went by the name of Hanns, even in the books he authored, but his birth and legal name was Johannes. This was 20th century Germany. Gloria "Genealogy. An account of one's descent from an ancestor who did not particularly care to trace his own." Ambrose Bierce On Oct 25, 2012, at 12:13 PM, Edward T. Surkosky wrote: > What's the difference ? One is Latin and the others German. > > E. Surkosky > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: <JYoung6180@aol.com> > To: <alsace-lorraine@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2012 4:31 AM > Subject: Re: [A-L] naming > > >> This has been my experience also --- that Johannes is a stand alone name >> while Johan/Johann is used as a prename/saints name and is not used in >> common >> usage...the rufname/call name is used as the given name. >> >> Joan >> >> >>