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ArchivesRe: German 1500-1700?
in reply to a message by LMS
Short answer: yes, it is.
Somewhat longer answer: Except for some regions, it is untypical to have living siblings with *exactly* the same name. So, in most cases the name is re-used when a child has died, or there is differentiation between the sibling by the second name (like Johann Sebastian vs. Johann Emmanuel).
The exceptional regions lie in the centre of modern germany (Thüringen, parts of Hessen). Here differentiation between siblings was done with bynames like Großhans (big Hans, meaning the older brother) and Kleinhans (small Hans).
Somewhat longer answer: Except for some regions, it is untypical to have living siblings with *exactly* the same name. So, in most cases the name is re-used when a child has died, or there is differentiation between the sibling by the second name (like Johann Sebastian vs. Johann Emmanuel).
The exceptional regions lie in the centre of modern germany (Thüringen, parts of Hessen). Here differentiation between siblings was done with bynames like Großhans (big Hans, meaning the older brother) and Kleinhans (small Hans).
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