Conference lgp30::christian-perspective

         >	Though Mennonites are not a ethnic group, I've noticed certain
>names repeatedly pop up among Mennonites.

    Sure they are. Or were. The Mennonites started in the low countries
    of Europe. Later they migrated in groups to Germany (actually Prussia
    at that time) and Switzerland. Many of the Prussian Mennonites later
    moved to Russia (Catherine the Great appreciated their skill as
    farmers). Many, perhaps most, of those Mennonites moved to the US a
    hundred years ago or so. During that time they maintained their
    language and much of their original culture. Many Mennonites,
    especially my mothers generation and older, still speak low German
    even though it's been on the order of 500 years since they left
    the low countries.

    During that period they married primarily within their own group. There
    was little inter mixing or bringing new people into the group. Though 
    that appears to have been changing in the US. Some.

    Or so it appears from the Penner family records which cover everyone in
    the family for the last 400 years or so. (Penner being my mothers
    maiden name.) There are a lot of names reuse in that list.

    Thompson was developed pretty easily and fairly recently. My
    great-great grandfather was named Thomas. I forget his last name but
    his son passed on Thompson (Anglicized a bit in the US) from then on.
    I was named after my father who was named after a friend of the family.
    My son was named after me. It's a good name. In the Old English it
    means (literally) "elfin counselor". Idiomaticly it means "wise
    counselor." The only king of England to be called "the Great" was
    Alfred. His wisdom and guidance of the country rather than military
    skill or conquest is why he was so called.

    These days names are just labels used to identify individuals. For the
    most part anyway. Names are chosen more for how they sound then
    anything else.

    			Alfred

    
    Well, Kinsella is Irish...don't ask me what it means...probably
    argumentative.  ;^)
    
    Jill means Youthful Spirit...I've always felt it was the perfect
    name for me.
    
    

Well, "fleischer" is German for "butcher."

Bob

    "Katz" is Ellis Island for "This Polish name is too long..."
    
    There are a *LOT* of Katz's in America! 8-)
    
    Daniel

    Michael comes from the ancient Hebrew.  Its translation is "He who
    likes Life Cereal".
    
    -- Mike

    And, it's definitely better to be Ruth than ruthless.    :^)

    I was once told that "schuler" is German for "scholar" but
    I've never verified it (I'll bet John Covert would know for
    sure)...
    
    /Greg

    RE: .8
    
    O.K....I'm game. John, do you know anything about the german name
    Hildebrant?
    
    I only know that my some of my relatives came from Northern Germany.
    
    I also have some Southern ones...but...being a proper Bostonian
    we don't talk about them in polite company.
    
    Marc H.

    Thanks, John!
    
    /Greg
    

Ferwerda is my step-dad's family name.  They were from Frisland (sp?) in
the Netherlands, from the town of Ferwerd.  Family legend has it that when
Napolean decreed folks had to have last names, they just too the name of the
town.  Most Frisian names have an 'a' at the end.

Loptson is my dad's name.  It is Icelandic and I believe means son of wind.

I think Paul means small. I was named after my father's brother Gordon Paul.

-- 
---
Paul		ferwerda@loptsn.nuo.dec.com
Gordon		ferwerda@databs.enet.dec.com
Loptson		databs::ferwerda
Ferwerda	Tel (603) 884 1317



			
[posted by Notes-News gateway]

>    O.K....I'm game. John, do you know anything about the german name
>    Hildebrant?

Sword of Battle.

/john

    RE: .12
    
    Thanks....
    
    Marc Sword of Battle ( nice ring to it...eh?)

Fight the good fight.

When I was pregnant with my daughter, I awoke one morning with the 
name Kendra and the message that was the name the baby I was carrying 
wanted to be called.  I had never heard the name before and with a 
little research found that it meant 'the knowing or understanding
woman'.  The years have proven Kendra to be a fitting name with
her gifts of empathy, intuition and astuteness.  

My son was named Patrick after his Italian grandfather, Pasquale.  Pat 
often uses the name Pasquale as a pen name in his writing and theater 
involvement.

As for my own name, Rosetta means 'little rose'.  I never cared for the 
name and always went by my nickname.  However, my father-in-law feels 
that I too *chose* my name for spiritual reasons and through personal 
experiences I've come to agree with that. 

Don says Reinke means 'red fox' in German.

Ro

    Rosetta Red Fox?

    Sounds like a conspiracy :-)

    Ro, I see that your given name, Rosetta, was not cast in "stone".  :-)
    
    -- Mike

Mike  8^)

/john

Thanks for that info, I'll pass it on to the Reinke clan, don't know 
if they're aware of that fable/poem or not.

Ro

	I have been told that my surname is from German extraction and comes
	from Jorges, which means son of George and that my ancestors were 
	likely to have been farmers. Today, surnames are no longer an indicator
	of someones profession.

	However, names are important especially in the image that they portray.
 	Just hearing the name Adolf Hitler brings up a totally different thought
	to mind to that of Ghandi. But it is impossible to make a good name with
 	everyone. The name that should concern each and every individual is
	the one they have with God Almighty.

	Proverbs 22:1 NWT "A name is to be chosen rather than abundant riches;
	favor is better than even silver and gold."

	A good name should be sought after, more so than precious gold or silver. 


	Phil.

    
    Read any good tombstones lately?
    
    

Here's a bit of knowledge about the ancients that either a lot of
people don't know or don't want you to know. ;-)

The ancients believed that knowing the name of an entity gave one
some measure of power over the entity; the ability to influence and
even manipulate the entity.  In stories of encounters with pagan gods
the gods would never give their name.

Notice that Adam named the animals, thus asserting his dominion.
Notice, also, Jacob asked the stranger with whom he wrestles and concludes
is God, "What is your name?"

Names may not be all that important to us living in 1993, but names
were powerful things to those who were a part of our spiritual heritage.

Peace,
Richard

    Names are powerful things to us today as well.
    
    How many of us are honored when someone of importance knows our name.
    
    How many of us are iritated when someone keeps getting our name wrong?
    
    How many of us would like to lock in one name or a few acceptable names
    for Goddess/God.  How many can embrace "Gertrude" as the name of the
    divine?  How many are offended by it.  Names are very potent symbols.

 The Apostle John recorded for us at John 17:26 Jesus' words in prayer to his 
Father NWT " And I have made your name known to them and will make it known,
in order that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in union
with them." Verses 25 and 3 show  further importance of coming to know; not 
God's name but knowing him fully, his will, what he asks of us, what he expects
of us. Of course, as when you meet a person for the 1st time... the first step
in a relationship would be getting introduced, to come to know their name.

 robin

    .24  Hey!  Robin!  I've been wondering where you've been!  :-)
    
    Richard
    
    And now back to your regularly scheduled topic.
    

    Anyone care to guess the most common proper name in the world at
    present?
    
    Answer below:
    
    
    
    
    Mohammed