My German Catholic ancestors of the 1800's who lived in the area south of Cologne and west of Bonn were always given the name of their godparent of the same sex. The records were written in Latin, in German script. Ethel ----- Original Message ----- From: "Robert Lipprandt" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, August 03, 2009 9:05 AM Subject: Re: [PRUSSIA-ROOTS] name query Just to add Cathy... Most German/Prussian families were baptized with three to four 'given' names. Only the baptismal records will indicate these. In Catholic families, usually named after saints that their parents, grandparents etc. so the name will appear and keep reappearing. Dates are very important! In Protestant/Lutheran families, could have been given saint names but most likely the names of witnesses or a favorite relative/ancestor at the baptismal event. Throw out the window the idea that just because a name came first on the baptismal registry, does not mean the child much cared for it and may have used one of the others... and then changed their mind when they aged. Then.... throw in nick names! Just to add to your search, Gustav would most likely be spelled as Gustaw because of the pronunciation of 'v' and 'w.' Or Gustave... Carl could also be Karl or the English version Charles. A bevy of choices, that's for sure. Bob~~ ------------------ Subject: Re: [PRUSSIA-ROOTS] name query Thankyou David, for your comments I realize that August is not a true translation of Gustav, but in my case my great-grandfather seemed to have used both names. Nicknames are chosen sometimes for ease of use, or otherwise to help people blend into a new country. My great-grandfather's name was Gustav Carl, but he often went by August. I'm sure my Otto had another first name, but I have yet to determine what it was Cathy in Canada Subject: Re: [PRUSSIA-ROOTS] name query Cathy, My British born, ethnically German maternal grandfather changed his name from Otto August Wilhelm Kunde to Oswald Arthur William Cundy during the Great War. (Cundy being an ancient Anglo-Saxon name that reflects the English pronunciation of Kunde). You say that "Gustav was August when he came to (the) United States". There is a straight forward English equivalent of August and that is Augustus. So your Gustav was probably "August Gustav", August being his first given name and Gustav a middle name by which he went in everyday life, a common practice with Germans. (My Grandfather was known as "Bill" from his third given name). I should add that August and Gustav are entirely separate names, August coming from Cæsar Augustus (after whom the month is named in the Julian calendar), and Gustav having a Germanic origin. So it could be that Otto was a middle given name, not the first given name of your great uncle. David Armstrong Maylands, Western Australia ----- Original Message ----- From: Cathy Hawinkels To: [email protected] Sent: Sunday, August 02, 2009 11:07 AM Subject: Re: [PRUSSIA-ROOTS] name query Greetings all I am trying to find a great-uncle by the name of Otto Feldkamp who homesteaded in Alberta after emigrating from Germany. There is no sign of him so far, even in Canadian census. My question is what other name would an Otto be named. For example, Gustav was August when he came to United States. Thankyou, Cathy, in Canada ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message