[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Names, names, names

[Paul Rakow]

    I think the most important idea to understand about German names 
 is the "Rufname" - the name somebody is normally called by. (Jerry has 
 mentioned this briefly in one of his postings.) 

    In Britain and America you usually assume that middle names are 
 unimportant, and almost everyone is known by their first name. In Germany, 
 the name that is normally used could be any of the given names, there is
 no rule that it is usually the first (and also no rule that it can't be
 the first). The name that somebody normally uses is called their "Rufname".
 When I lived in Germany, forms usually said something like "Give your full
 name, and underline your Rufname." (I was rather shocked when I once got
 an official form which instead said "You may, if you wish, underline your
 Rufname" - it seemed a sign that German bureaucracy was going soft.) 

    When you are finding out about a German ancestor or relative, you
 should try to find out both their full name and their Rufname, otherwise
 you risk getting very confused. 

    Let's give a few examples. My great-grandmother had two brothers, 
    Johann Friedrich August Parlow
 and Franz Friedrich August Parlow.
 If I find some mention of August Parlow, which of these brothers is meant? 
 Because I've seen from other places that Franz Friedrich August had the
 Rufname Franz, and Johann Friedrich August used the Rufname August, I can
 keep the two straight. 

    Another example, my ancestor Christoph Rakow had three daughters, 
 Dorothea Caroline Wilhelmine (b 1794)
 Dorothea Louise (b 1795)
 Dorothea Eleonora (b 1804).
 If you just focus on the first name, and ignore the others, you'll think
 "how could he have three daughters, and call them all Dorothea?" But they
 could all have been called by different names. (The children's grandmother, 
 who also lived in the same house, was called Dorothea Louise. So I guess
 that all the little Dorotheas were probably named in her honour.) 

    Concentrating too much on first names can cause people to miss their
 ancestor. If you are looking for the birth record of your great-grandfather
 Charles, don't skip past a Johann Friedrich Carl - he could well be the 
 person you are looking for. 
     
     I'm sure most of you know about this already, but perhaps it will be
 useful for a few people. 

           Paul Rakow 
           rakow at ifh.de