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Help[Facts] Re: Why are so many biblical names rarely used in continental Europe, unlike English-speaking countries?
in reply to a message by WilhelmReichelt
https://nvb.meertens.knaw.nl/topnamen/land/Nederland/1880
This is the oldest popularity list I know of for The Netherlands. It's from 1880.
The top names are very biblical. Just look at the number of usages of Johannes, Jan, Maria and Johanna which are all biblical names, compare to the germanic ones. Seriously, where on earth did you get the idea biblical names weren't traditionally used?! Also Jacob and Jacobus are both in the top 10 and that's an old testament name.
Or are you failing to realise that a name like Jan is biblical? I think also that germanic names were more of a thing for us that in England at the time. And of course a lot of children were named after saints, rather than a biblical character. You can find plenty of men named Franciscus or Frans or Nicolaas or Marinus or Cornelis or Kees, those are religious names. Possibly the Catholics preferred naming after saints rather than old testament characters?
Edit: and then people named their children after grandparents etc. I think that's partially why there were so many men called Jan (or Johannes "Jan") in The Netherlands
This is the oldest popularity list I know of for The Netherlands. It's from 1880.
The top names are very biblical. Just look at the number of usages of Johannes, Jan, Maria and Johanna which are all biblical names, compare to the germanic ones. Seriously, where on earth did you get the idea biblical names weren't traditionally used?! Also Jacob and Jacobus are both in the top 10 and that's an old testament name.
Or are you failing to realise that a name like Jan is biblical? I think also that germanic names were more of a thing for us that in England at the time. And of course a lot of children were named after saints, rather than a biblical character. You can find plenty of men named Franciscus or Frans or Nicolaas or Marinus or Cornelis or Kees, those are religious names. Possibly the Catholics preferred naming after saints rather than old testament characters?
Edit: and then people named their children after grandparents etc. I think that's partially why there were so many men called Jan (or Johannes "Jan") in The Netherlands
This message was edited 3/25/2025, 2:57 AM
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Replies
Jacobus is also a New Testament name, and a quite prominent one: There is a letter by Jacobus in the NT canon, and it was the name of the brother of Jesus.
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