Arden is an area in the middle of England, in Warwickshire, bordered by the River Avon and the River Tame. There is a forest of Arden, which is part of what is left of the Ancient forest. As it is quite near Stratford on Avon there is a famous series of Shakespear texts published as theArden version. There are villages such as Henley-In-Arden, etc.
Les Ardènes or Les Ardennes - also a French regional name. I don't know if the English Arden was borrowed from Norman French or was from Sason English or from British Celtic / Gaelic sources. (Or Brittany in France, and France was formerly Gaul.) So three possible sources, I just don't recall the origin.
In the Early days of our New Amish order here in Virginia back in the 60's, Thomas was a popular name, even one of my own brothers is named Tom Or Thom and i was named Thomas. After i got Baptized my elders of the Family would introduce me as Thomas "He doubts not" as a joke. I've never met or heard of another Amish Thomas but a couple Thom's.
Wayne comes from the profession of being a wainwright....which is a wagon wheel maker...the wainwright was called "wain" or "Wayne" and evolved into a mans 1st name many many years ago...we just accept it as a normal 1st name now.
Hannes is indeed a shortened version of Johannes. It's very common in Afrikaans, so I would assume for Dutch too, for a son to be named Hannes if his father is named Johannes. Sometimes used just as a nickname, even though the full name was passed down. But often parents opt to just use the shortened version as a first name
Elmer was very popular in the thirties, in American society. Wow! Number 5, among the Amish. Maybe, I can forgive my grandparents. My dad was the only one in his family to have a name not found in grands or lineage.
It's one of relatively few male "Time Capsule" names along with Aidan and its' variants (from a much more recent time). A lot of names, especially Biblical and/or Celtic ones, had faded from use in mainstream society over the first half of the 20th century but have come back since the late '60s, and stuck.
Hannes is short for Johannes. (Jo- Hannes). It is, to this day, very popular in the German and Swiss regions the Amish originated from. But while the Amish cooking is still very south-west German and Swiss - most names are not any more. E.g. Eli is not common in this regions. It would be - Elias.
My favorite anabaptist names in our Indiana community were Carroll and Barbara. Not what I would call common but more than one or two. Also, the name Gascho is pronounced Ga Show as did correctly the first time you mentioned it.
Haha, my formerly Amish grandpa is named Eli. We’ve always wondered why his name isn’t Elijah, just “Eli.” I also have an uncle Elmer which I always thought is a goofy name.
Hannes and Hans are both short forms, nicknames, or their own full names, derived from Johannes, meaning John. -- Jan and Jens for men's names are from other languages, not German, but related like German and English are related. Jack as an English nickname for John comes from both John and Jean (French John) and Jacques (French for James, Jacob, Jack). Wollie -- maybe from Wally? But also maybe from names like Oswald, and from -wald and -wold as old root words. (I think -wold has to do with roots, wood, or a type of plant matter; I can't recall.) -wald, from Old English -weald, is something else, but was an ending used in Old English men's names, Oswald, Eadweald (Edwald, not Edward), and so on. There are German cognate roots.
In 1709, the British transported several thousand German Palatine refugees to Ireland, Today the use of Old Testament Biblical Names is still common among their descendants, particularly in the area around my home town.
Adams County Indiana has multiple Leander and Phenus(pronounced fee' nus by the way) and yes, I believe it comes from Phineas. One of the men I know has that particular spelling, but they pronounce it feenus.
I’ve heard the name Ora come up several times in videos about the Amish. I can’t find it mentioned as a man’s name, but it has a nice sound. Do you have any idea where it may have come from?
Common names of Andrew, Henry, Jacob, Joseph, Johann and Aden/Aidan run in my family that settled in Somerset, Pa from Germany in the 1760's, later migrating near Holmes Co, OH.
My nephew has a very uncommon name. But he likes his name, he named one of his teddy bears after himself. And the name grew on me, he's 3 and 1/2 now. And my sister is expecting another boy, I wonder what she'll name him. John is common on both sides of my family. My friend gave her oldest son the name Samuel. I've heard of the name Amos, it's in the cemetery where a lot of my family is buried. There's a road name here with Vernon in it. There's an Elijah in this building where I live, I told him, that's a good name.
Leroy is literally from "le roi," the king, in French. The Norman French name Fitzroy is from "Fitz Roi," the Norman version of standard Parisian French "Fils Roi" meaning "son of the king." One of Henry VIII's illegitimate sons was named Henry Fitzroy. (Fitz, fils, means son. A daughter or a woman is une fille, but it is more polite to say one jejune-fille, a young lady, as just fille alone can carry some negative connotations, unless it's in the sense of a daughter. A filly, for a young female horse, comes from the same source.)
Wayne -- Wayne, Wagon, Wagner (a Wagon-er or wagon-maker), yes, from wæġen in Old English, pronounced like wagon today, or with the g as a y- sound like in yellow, so "wayen" with emphasis on that Y sound. (I don't know if Wayans is a variant, but it is probably either from Wagons or from Way. -- A wainwright was also a wagon-maker (a wright is a maker, like wrought iron, made of iron that's been sculpted and turned.) -- But another kind of wain, or swain, like a boatswain or coxswain, was a person doing a task. (Look up the root wain, I don't recall exactly.) Dwayne and Duane, however, are from an Irish/Scottish Gaelic source, and I should remember the meaning, but I don't. (Look up those names to find it.) DeWayne is also a source, but that combines French "de" (of/from/by) with the English Wayne name from the Norman French period (Middle English).
Mervin, Merfyn, Mervyn, Marvin, and Merwin are all related to the name Merlin and Marlin, from a Welsh source. Yes, the Merlin from the legends of King Arthur is that same name. The Arthurian legends started as Welsh and British Celtic sources, then were passed into Norman French and Saxon English and came into English folklore that way in the Middle Ages, from a legendary ro maybe semi-historical or maybe not, Britihs / Welsh kind or prince in the Roman Britain period, pre-Christian, then Christianized into the Middle Ages. So, wow, a lot there. I should recall what the meaning is, but you should be Abel to find it from those names. I think it was sea-king, sea-ruler, seaside-sweller, or something like that, but it's not the same root for the first part as Irwin and Erwin and Irving. Ervin and Erwin, Irwin, and Irving, if I remember right, are all from another word source, either that same British / Welsh origin or Saxon English or a fusion of both in a similar way to the Merlin and Mervin and Marvin thing. -- Irwin and Irving are supposed to be something like sea-king, sea-ruler.
Melbern is probably a form of Melbourne, Melburn, like the Australian city name or the English family name. -Bourne and -Burn are root words used in English names; and you can find the meaning, either "carried" (like to bear, borne) or another meaning (rock or hill, something? I forget). -- Bern and Behrn and Bjorn are all related to the English word Bear and Bearn. All those forms are from their common source further back in the history of the Germanic / Teutonic tribes, passed into English, German, Dutch, Danish, Viking / Norse / Norwegian / Swedish, and so on. (Bernhard and Bernard and Barnard and Barney, Bernie, are all "bear-hard, hardy as a bear."
Leander -- the name comes from an older source than that bishop's name. It was a common enough Greek name. I think it's used in the New Testament and as a Shakespeare chatter, along with Lysander. The Amish ancestors would have known German and Latin and Greek names, especially if they were common in the Bible and literature. Phenis -- I'm not sure on this one. Phoenis, maybe, or Phoenix? Phoebos gets passed down into Yiddish (German Jewish language and culture) as Feivel, if I remember right. But for Phenis, I'm not sure what that is. It looks like Greek or Latin source, though, maybe a respelling of something carried down in German? Not sure. (Someone is sound to know.)
If I remember right, Absalom was a son of King Saul and was David's best friend. Absalom pledged lifelong loyalty and friendship to David. When they were young, they were both riding horses and Absalom was killed when his neck was caught in a low tree branch. David mourned deeply, and Saul blamed and pursued David for this, even though it wasn't his fault. That's my recall of the Biblical story, and I hope I've remembered it right. So Absalonm would be a good Biblical name. Why it's not more popular in English, I don't know. It's said to be more used as a Hebrew and Jewish name, but it is used in other European countries, including in the form, Absalon with an N at the end. I've heard the nickname Abs for this, but I think there are other nicknames.
How about Levi? or Ivan ( Russian for John......may be passed down thru Russian Mennonite community) Elton? Theron? Adriel? Milo? Just a few suggestions
Some of the names you said are Hebrew are actually the English translation of those names. My family is Jewish so I would know. Samuel is actually Shmuel in Hebrew, Jacob is Yaakov in Hebrew, Johnathon is Yonathan in Hebrew, and Elijah is Eliyau in Hebrew.
I work where several Amish come in each week, near Seymour, MO. Many of them use their middle initials also. Like "John GL" or "Sam JP". Is that common in other Amish communities?
Absalom was King David's son in the Old Testament who rebelled against his father and was killed in a battle. That's why you don't hear about it because it's the name of someone who wasn't very good in Scripture. Similar to Jezebel, Eve, Bathsheba, Judas, Haman...all biblical names you aren't likely to hear being given to children.
Despite what you might think (Weird Al song:)), it's not a name you'll see much of. In fact I don't believe I've ever come across an Amish Jebediah, and I've met a lot of Amish and been through a lot of their church guides. But, that doesn't mean there is no Amish Jebediah out there somewhere... :)
About Vernon: The little man Vernon Troyer, who plays Mini Me in the Austin Powers films, is from an Amish family, who left the church.
Arden is an area in the middle of England, in Warwickshire, bordered by the River Avon and the River Tame. There is a forest of Arden, which is part of what is left of the Ancient forest. As it is quite near Stratford on Avon there is a famous series of Shakespear texts published as theArden version. There are villages such as Henley-In-Arden, etc.
Les Ardènes or Les Ardennes - also a French regional name. I don't know if the English Arden was borrowed from Norman French or was from Sason English or from British Celtic / Gaelic sources. (Or Brittany in France, and France was formerly Gaul.) So three possible sources, I just don't recall the origin.
It is so nice to be able to put a face to the name. I use to follow your other posting but love the pictures now also.
Glad you found it Nancy! I'm enjoying it and I'm fortunate to have some great photo sources :)
In Wisconsin the most common male names are Amos, Abe, Eli, Daniel, John and Melvin
In the Early days of our New Amish order here in Virginia back in the 60's, Thomas was a popular name, even one of my own brothers is named Tom Or Thom and i was named Thomas. After i got Baptized my elders of the Family would introduce me as Thomas "He doubts not" as a joke. I've never met or heard of another Amish Thomas but a couple Thom's.
Wayne comes from the profession of being a wainwright....which is a wagon wheel maker...the wainwright was called "wain" or "Wayne" and evolved into a mans 1st name many many years ago...we just accept it as a normal 1st name now.
Hannes is indeed a shortened version of Johannes. It's very common in Afrikaans, so I would assume for Dutch too, for a son to be named Hannes if his father is named Johannes. Sometimes used just as a nickname, even though the full name was passed down. But often parents opt to just use the shortened version as a first name
Hannes was very common in German, too.
When I lived in Iowa I learned that in any random group of 10 Amish men, at *least* 2 or 3 were named *Sam* *Yoder.* _( ..no joke.. )_
Elmer was very popular in the thirties, in American society.
Wow! Number 5, among the Amish. Maybe, I can forgive my grandparents. My dad was the only one in his family to have a name not found in grands or lineage.
It's one of relatively few male "Time Capsule" names along with Aidan and its' variants (from a much more recent time). A lot of names, especially Biblical and/or Celtic ones, had faded from use in mainstream society over the first half of the 20th century but have come back since the late '60s, and stuck.
Hannes is short for Johannes. (Jo- Hannes). It is, to this day, very popular in the German and Swiss regions the Amish originated from.
But while the Amish cooking is still very south-west German and Swiss - most names are not any more.
E.g. Eli is not common in this regions. It would be - Elias.
The two Amish stores we shop at are owned by Millers. One is named Neal and the other is Leonard.
Really surprised that Jacob is not amongst the most popular Amish names.
This is only a sample of 10 - there are a good number and Jacob is among them
The Welsh "Merfyn" is pronounced the same as "Mervyn". A single letter F in Welsh is pronounced as a letter V in English. :)
My favorite anabaptist names in our Indiana community were Carroll and Barbara. Not what I would call common but more than one or two. Also, the name Gascho is pronounced Ga Show as did correctly the first time you mentioned it.
Unless I missed it in your list, Mose seems to be common of the Ethridge Amish men.
Mose would make a good addition to the list. Usually it's "Mose" and not Moses
Henry, Roman, Tyrone, Trey, Victor, Zeke (Ezekiel)…
Haha, my formerly Amish grandpa is named Eli. We’ve always wondered why his name isn’t Elijah, just “Eli.” I also have an uncle Elmer which I always thought is a goofy name.
I have a friend named Phenis Eicher he left the Amish as a young man.
Hannes and Hans are both short forms, nicknames, or their own full names, derived from Johannes, meaning John. -- Jan and Jens for men's names are from other languages, not German, but related like German and English are related. Jack as an English nickname for John comes from both John and Jean (French John) and Jacques (French for James, Jacob, Jack).
Wollie -- maybe from Wally? But also maybe from names like Oswald, and from -wald and -wold as old root words. (I think -wold has to do with roots, wood, or a type of plant matter; I can't recall.) -wald, from Old English -weald, is something else, but was an ending used in Old English men's names, Oswald, Eadweald (Edwald, not Edward), and so on. There are German cognate roots.
Hans also is the short form of Johann
In Upstate NY, I hear Joseph, Rufus, Barbara, Nancy and Salina as Amish male and female names which you did not mention.
Great informative videos. I have watched them all.
Thanks Linda, I do appreciate hearing that.
Hannes short for Johannes. Ised in The Netherlands too
Leander is a kind of plant
Arden, love that name! Jetro too
My son is a "Jan", which in the end means John. :) ♡
Arden? Maybe you visited the community in Virginia.
That one grew up in our community.
In 1709, the British transported several thousand German Palatine refugees to Ireland, Today the use of Old Testament Biblical Names is still common among their descendants, particularly in the area around my home town.
Adams County Indiana has multiple Leander and Phenus(pronounced fee' nus by the way) and yes, I believe it comes from Phineas. One of the men I know has that particular spelling, but they pronounce it feenus.
In the Ethridge community, Ura and Mahlon are common. Interestingly, Ura is pronounced Youra and Youree by differing members of the community.
I wonder if the name 'Melburn' was inspired by the city of Melbourne in Australia.? Pronounced exactly the same.!
I'm surprised Daniel and Danielle aren't in these lists. Daniel and the lion in the Bible.
I’ve heard the name Ora come up several times in videos about the Amish. I can’t find it mentioned as a man’s name, but it has a nice sound. Do you have any idea where it may have come from?
Wain / Wayne means wagon. Wainwright is a wagon maker.
Surprised I didn't see the names: Joseph, Josiah, Matthew, William, Levi, Andrew or Abel
Moses was a common name and btw, there are many counties with large Amish and Mennonite communities in Pennsylvania, not only Lancaster.
Common names of Andrew, Henry, Jacob, Joseph, Johann and Aden/Aidan run in my family that settled in Somerset, Pa from Germany in the 1760's, later migrating near Holmes Co, OH.
In Portuguese we have Leandro but not Leander.
My nephew has a very uncommon name. But he likes his name, he named one of his teddy bears after himself. And the name grew on me, he's 3 and 1/2 now. And my sister is expecting another boy, I wonder what she'll name him. John is common on both sides of my family. My friend gave her oldest son the name Samuel. I've heard of the name Amos, it's in the cemetery where a lot of my family is buried. There's a road name here with Vernon in it. There's an Elijah in this building where I live, I told him, that's a good name.
There is a village in NYS called Vernon with a milk processing plant in it.
You find lots of Galen in Kansas in the Mennonite communities.
"Is this a typo?" 😅 heehee
Leroy is literally from "le roi," the king, in French. The Norman French name Fitzroy is from "Fitz Roi," the Norman version of standard Parisian French "Fils Roi" meaning "son of the king." One of Henry VIII's illegitimate sons was named Henry Fitzroy. (Fitz, fils, means son. A daughter or a woman is une fille, but it is more polite to say one jejune-fille, a young lady, as just fille alone can carry some negative connotations, unless it's in the sense of a daughter. A filly, for a young female horse, comes from the same source.)
Wayne -- Wayne, Wagon, Wagner (a Wagon-er or wagon-maker), yes, from wæġen in Old English, pronounced like wagon today, or with the g as a y- sound like in yellow, so "wayen" with emphasis on that Y sound. (I don't know if Wayans is a variant, but it is probably either from Wagons or from Way. -- A wainwright was also a wagon-maker (a wright is a maker, like wrought iron, made of iron that's been sculpted and turned.) -- But another kind of wain, or swain, like a boatswain or coxswain, was a person doing a task. (Look up the root wain, I don't recall exactly.) Dwayne and Duane, however, are from an Irish/Scottish Gaelic source, and I should remember the meaning, but I don't. (Look up those names to find it.) DeWayne is also a source, but that combines French "de" (of/from/by) with the English Wayne name from the Norman French period (Middle English).
Mervin, Merfyn, Mervyn, Marvin, and Merwin are all related to the name Merlin and Marlin, from a Welsh source. Yes, the Merlin from the legends of King Arthur is that same name. The Arthurian legends started as Welsh and British Celtic sources, then were passed into Norman French and Saxon English and came into English folklore that way in the Middle Ages, from a legendary ro maybe semi-historical or maybe not, Britihs / Welsh kind or prince in the Roman Britain period, pre-Christian, then Christianized into the Middle Ages. So, wow, a lot there. I should recall what the meaning is, but you should be Abel to find it from those names. I think it was sea-king, sea-ruler, seaside-sweller, or something like that, but it's not the same root for the first part as Irwin and Erwin and Irving.
Ervin and Erwin, Irwin, and Irving, if I remember right, are all from another word source, either that same British / Welsh origin or Saxon English or a fusion of both in a similar way to the Merlin and Mervin and Marvin thing. -- Irwin and Irving are supposed to be something like sea-king, sea-ruler.
Melbern is probably a form of Melbourne, Melburn, like the Australian city name or the English family name. -Bourne and -Burn are root words used in English names; and you can find the meaning, either "carried" (like to bear, borne) or another meaning (rock or hill, something? I forget). -- Bern and Behrn and Bjorn are all related to the English word Bear and Bearn. All those forms are from their common source further back in the history of the Germanic / Teutonic tribes, passed into English, German, Dutch, Danish, Viking / Norse / Norwegian / Swedish, and so on. (Bernhard and Bernard and Barnard and Barney, Bernie, are all "bear-hard, hardy as a bear."
Leander -- the name comes from an older source than that bishop's name. It was a common enough Greek name. I think it's used in the New Testament and as a Shakespeare chatter, along with Lysander. The Amish ancestors would have known German and Latin and Greek names, especially if they were common in the Bible and literature.
Phenis -- I'm not sure on this one. Phoenis, maybe, or Phoenix? Phoebos gets passed down into Yiddish (German Jewish language and culture) as Feivel, if I remember right. But for Phenis, I'm not sure what that is. It looks like Greek or Latin source, though, maybe a respelling of something carried down in German? Not sure. (Someone is sound to know.)
If I remember right, Absalom was a son of King Saul and was David's best friend. Absalom pledged lifelong loyalty and friendship to David. When they were young, they were both riding horses and Absalom was killed when his neck was caught in a low tree branch. David mourned deeply, and Saul blamed and pursued David for this, even though it wasn't his fault. That's my recall of the Biblical story, and I hope I've remembered it right. So Absalonm would be a good Biblical name. Why it's not more popular in English, I don't know. It's said to be more used as a Hebrew and Jewish name, but it is used in other European countries, including in the form, Absalon with an N at the end. I've heard the nickname Abs for this, but I think there are other nicknames.
How about Levi? or Ivan ( Russian for John......may be passed down thru Russian Mennonite community) Elton? Theron? Adriel? Milo?
Just a few suggestions
Aaron, Levi, Daniel, Abraham, Isaac
Some of the names you said are Hebrew are actually the English translation of those names. My family is Jewish so I would know. Samuel is actually Shmuel in Hebrew, Jacob is Yaakov in Hebrew, Johnathon is Yonathan in Hebrew, and Elijah is Eliyau in Hebrew.
I work where several Amish come in each week, near Seymour, MO. Many of them use their middle initials also. Like "John GL" or "Sam JP". Is that common in other Amish communities?
Ido is fairly common among my Israeli colleagues, maybe from that same Iddo root.
Sure, Hannes is German. You can abbreviate Johannes as Johann, Hannes or Hans. In fact, I have an uncle who's called Hannes.
LEEEROOOYYY JENKINS!!!!!
Hannes is a dutch form of Johannes. My son s name
I m from belguim and speak dutch
Absalom was King David's son in the Old Testament who rebelled against his father and was killed in a battle. That's why you don't hear about it because it's the name of someone who wasn't very good in Scripture. Similar to Jezebel, Eve, Bathsheba, Judas, Haman...all biblical names you aren't likely to hear being given to children.
Levi?
Jacob??
Yes - one of the most common.
I know a non -Amish girl named Ardin.
wallace, Alma, thomas, Joseph,
What about Ezekiel? Isn't that a common Amish name?
What happens to elderly Amish persons?
Their children take care of them
i have a neighbor by the name of kermit and he has a son arden not amish kermit is part native american
Am I the only one who wants to know more about dardin
Heinrich
JEBADIYAH?...
Despite what you might think (Weird Al song:)), it's not a name you'll see much of. In fact I don't believe I've ever come across an Amish Jebediah, and I've met a lot of Amish and been through a lot of their church guides. But, that doesn't mean there is no Amish Jebediah out there somewhere... :)
Do the Amish believe in the rapture?
The one person I know named Arden is a guy.