In a message dated 6/30/2005 8:10:53 AM Eastern Standard Time, deweinhold@juno.com writes: The First maybe "stuck" with John or Hans, and Maria, Mary or even Polly, meaning the same thing (for the girl,s, of course). The change being due to the English language. Ernest- While what you wrote is pretty accurate it doesn't work exactly that way. One son might be named Johannes as his full given name--but mostly sons and daughters are given a "prename" or saints name such as Johan or Maria and this is never intended to serve as the equivalent of an English given name. It is for official religious purposes mostly. The "middle" name they are given is called the "rufname" in German and that is the actual call name or given name. The same is true of French names--like Jean Pierre, the equivalent of Johan Peter. So it isn't that they changed the usage to accomodate the English language--it is merely that they followed German naming customs. Joan