[Facts] Dane as short form of Daniel
Nikola Tesla, an ethnic Serb, had a brother who died at age 12 whose name was Daniel, but he was called Dane. The only information on "Dane" on BtN is about the English surname-turned-first name. How would Dane Tesla`s name have been pronounced? Is there any information on the use of this diminutive of Daniel, particularly in the Balkans?
Replies
Dane (or Tane depending on voicing) is an ethnic name used as a name element and also independently as a first name since the fall of the Roman empire (and probably before). It was a popular name in early medieval Lombard families with ostensibly no connection to Denmark, but the English form Dene or Dæne was also fairly common in Anglo-Saxon Britain.
Danne (this spelling) prn. DAH-neh is the nickname for Daniel in Sweden.