Von: fpbstra@club-internet.fr (Francis BUSSER)
  Datum: 13.07.98, 20:33:28
Betreff: About NAMING

MBernet@aol.com wrote:
>
> In a message dated 98-07-09 15:03:11 EDT, kuene@cts.com writes:
>
> << > <<Has anyone else seen this trend where multiple children have
>  > the same first name (other than for infant death)? >>
>
> Not unique to Catholics or to Alsace.  Just found my family's (Jewish)
> genealogy in Oberfranken (Bavaria). From 1628 to around 1800, most of the boys
> were named Suesslein/Suessel, or Hirsch, often both.  I think as is still
> common in some countries (Haiti, I understand is one) the differentiation
> between first name and family name is not very strong.  It was only when the
> law required it, around 1820, that they were forced to register a family name,
> which was then passed on in the male line.  Let me point out that in the
> European Jewish tradition of today it is consifdered most improper to name a
> child after a living relative, and certainly not after a living father.  I
> assume that the children had different names by which they were called, and
> coupled this with the father's name.  I assume the family tree that I received
> is based on synagogue records, before civil records were kept.  Am I right in
> assuming that the registers for Catholics and Protestants were also maintained
> by the churches, parishes or dioceses?  I understand that in Frnace, until
> recently, only a limited number of first names, mostly Biblical ones, were
> permitted.  Also, was it popular to link each child with a saint or holy
> person in addition to a personal name, and hence the many Maries, Josephs,
> Pauls and so on . . . . ?
>
> Michael Bernet


Hello Michael,

About the Jewish traditions in our countries, I know little and cannot
help. I know better the Christians.

The Christians are organized in parishes, each presided by a minister, a
priest for the Catholics, a pastor or an elder for the Protestants.

The Catholic priests and her parishes in an area named diocese, are
under the authority of supervisors, the bishops (French : évêques; Greek
: episcopos, over-seer). The chief or president of all bishops in the
world is the bishop of Rome, the Pope.

Protestant are dissidents from the Catholic church (catholic means
universal) and are splitt into an infinity of churches or sects. They
have no united organization.

In France and in the Holy Roman German Empire, inclusive Switzerland,
the common people until the 19th century had to adopt the religion of
his local ruler. The first civil records were parochial records in which
birth, baptism, marriage and dead were consigned by the minister for
each member of the parish. This was done with more or less accuracy. The
catholic records are often in latin, the protestant ones generally in
French or in German. From the 18th century and after, more and more the
registers came under control of the cities.

Baptism is a rite by which the Christian is introduced in the Church. In
parochial register it is sometime difficult to distinguish if the first
recorded date is a birth date or a baptism date. By the Catholics both
are usually very near, not more than a few days, but some Protestants
baptize only adults and an appreciation of the probable birth year can
be made only from the age indications.

The choice of biblical names or of Saint's names is leaded by faith and
not by an obligation. The idea is to place the new born under the
particular protection of a great figure of the history of faith. The
Christianism can be considered as a successfull Jewish sect. So for a
Christian, the history of his faith begins with the Thora and the others
parts of the Bible, the Gospels, the Epistels and ends only today. The
Catholic Church names 'Saints' some exemplary Christians, prominent by
her faith and by her life. One or several of these Saints are choosen as
'Saint Patron' to give a name to the new born and proposed him as an
example, as a protector and as an advocate.

In France we had no official list of admitted given names, but rules to
limit, in the interest of the children, the fancy creativity of the
parents. I have not the official text, but the rule was very sensible.
The name could not be pejorative, ridiculous or incongruous for the
child. If the name was not weared in the past by a member of the family,
by a Saint, by a person in the Bible, by a figure of the international
history or of the mythology, a juge had to authorize the creation of a
new name. The law has recently changed, but I don't know how.

I hope this help !

Amitiés,
	Francis Busser ins Strasbourg (Alsace, France)



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