When choosing a baby name, we nowadays consider the meaning increasingly important. After all, how wonderful is it to be able to say that your child's first name means 'wonder', for example. But where do these meanings actually come from? They are closely linked to the history of names. In this blog, we will explain exactly how this works and give you some beautiful examples. Who knows, you might even spot your ultimate baby name!
The origin of names
The origin and meaning of names very likely date back to prehistoric times. But our knowledge obviously does not go back that far. We can tell you about Germanic names, however. A long time ago, when people found gods in nature rather than in church, we gave our children Germanic baby names. These names were often a combination of two name elements that indicated the child's gender. Examples of Germanic names are Adelbert and Gertrud.
The role of faith
From the twelfth century onwards, we see Germanic names being replaced by saints' names. This was due to the influence of the church. The saint after whom the child was named was believed to protect him or her. Using a saint's name also made the child's connection to the church and God clear.
But even today, we still see many influences of faith in our baby names. Naomi and Seth, for example, are Hebrew names. But we also see many biblical baby names and Islamic names in use nowadays. You are very likely to know someone named Nora, Soufian or Yara.
Baby names with a wish as their meaning
Later, the role of the church became less important, but giving a child a name came to be seen as conveying a wish for them. This was the point in the history of names when the meaning of a name became more important. Examples of baby names with a beautiful wish are:
- Sophia: may this child have wisdom in life
- Max: may this child become the greatest
- Anna: may this child be gracious and lovely
- Milan: may this child be lovely and receive fame
Naming a baby after someone
In the past, naming children after relatives was also a tradition and played a major role in choosing a name. These were often the names of ancestors and other family members. For this reason, some names were very common. Think of Johannes or Maria, for example. Over the years, more informal variations of these names were created. Some of the names that are popular today have therefore been at their core for hundreds of years.
International influences
After the war, naming babies after family members became increasingly less popular. People came into contact with people (and thus names) from other countries. This led to an increasing number of international baby names being used. And certainly in 2021, we widely use names of non-Dutch origin.
Frisian names
In addition to traditional Dutch names and international names, Frisian names are also on the rise, and not only in Friesland! So don't be surprised if you soon meet little ones in your area named Duuk, Oele or Fedde (which means peace).
The history of names: variations
Naming children after relatives is not only a tradition from the history of names. We still maintain this tradition today. But we often give the name a trendy twist. As a result, names have become varied over the years, and you will be amazed at which names some modern baby names are derived from.
Did you know that this name is derived from Maria?
Many girls' names are variations of the beautiful biblical name Maria. You can recognize the names by their meaning, as it often remains the same. Names derived from Maria often have a meaning similar to 'sea' or 'bitterness'. Examples of names are Mare, Marije, Maaike (yesss, it's me!) and Manon.
Modern name derived from Johannes
Johannes is the source of many modern Dutch boys' names. This name also has a truly strong biblical meaning, namely 'God is gracious'. A very popular name derived from Johannes is Shane. But Sean, John, Ivan and Jens are also variations.
Love, Maaike
** Inspired by babynamen.nl **
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