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Help[Opinions] Re: Swedish BAs
in reply to a message by Sofia
Yeah, Pontus is common. It was on the top 100 for newborns until 2008, and is the 88th most common first name for the whole male population.
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Do you know why it's so popular considering the Bible bearer isn't exactly a positive namesake? Here it would be the same as naming your son Judas.
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It seems it came here with a French nobleman, Ponce de la Gardie, who latinized his name to Pontus when he moved to Sweden in the 1500s. The de la Gardie family then held many important positions and was close to the Swedish royal family for centuries, and several family members were called Pontus, which must have inspired people. It didn't get common until the 1800s though.
This message was edited 10/4/2012, 9:01 AM
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