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It is important when performing research regarding a German ancestor that you know both the English and German equivalent. This is because some persons changed their names to the English an German equivalent after they arrived in America. Further, some civil clerks, church officials and census takers may have recorded the English equivalents of the German given name. A list of common German given names, and their English equivalents follows. Names that are similar in both German and English, such as Josef and Joseph or Elisabeth and Elizabeth, are not included in this list. Most of the differences are in the male names. Most female given names are similar to English names or have a name with no similar English equivalent.
| GERMAN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|
| Adalbert | Albert |
| Andreas | Andrew |
| Anton | Anthony |
| Dietrich | Theodori /Derek |
| Franz | Francis/Frank |
| Friedric | Frederick |
| Fritz | Fred |
| Hans | Jack |
| Heinrich, Heinz | Henry |
| Jakob | Jacob/James |
| Joannes* Johannis* | John |
| Johann** Johannes | John |
| Jurg(en) | George |
| Karl | Conrad |
| Klaus | Nick |
| Loren | Laurence |
| Ludwig | Louis |
| Mare | Mary |
| Rudolph | Ralph |
| Wilhelm | William |
*Latin, found in Catholic church records.
**If name is Johann Georg, he probably was called George.
via Adams Co. Gen. Soc. Newsletter. Vol 5 No 4 Dec 1996
| HESSIAN: | German troops used by the British in the Revolutionary War. Many of these men deserted and remained in America.
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| HUGUENTOT: | French Protestants that fled from persecution, mainly
from 1865 onward. They first went to Prussia, the German Palatinate and then came to America. Those in
the French West Indies escaped to the southeastern coast of America. Others went to England and Ireland.
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