Low German Names from Hamburg, 1475-1529

by Sara L. Uckelman
known in the SCA as Aryanhwy merch Catmael

© 2006 Sara L. Uckelman; all rights reserved
last updated 06Apr06

The following names are taken from documents from 15th- and 16th-century Hamburg, available at http://www.rrz.uni-hamburg.de/hamburgisches_ub/HambUB.html. Some of these documents are in Latin, some in the Low German dialect spoken in Hamburg at this time. I have taken names only from the German-language documents, and not the Latin ones; however, even in the German-language documents some of the names are written in Latin, and I have marked these Latin forms.

Because it is sometimes difficult to determine when the same name in different documents refers to the same person or different people, I have not been able to do any frequency statistics on these names. I have therefore just grouped variants together, and listed them alphabetically. There are three lists: Women's given names, men's given names, and Surnames.

Men's Given Names

NameDatesNotes
Alberdt1501
     Albert1494, 1525
     Alberto1502Latin ablative
Allert1525
Arnd1483, 1493
     Arndt1494
Beneken1482a pet form of Benedikt
Bernd1492, 1493
Bertram1480, 1481, 1483
Clawes1480, 1481, 1482, 1483, 1492, 1493, 1508, 1517a pet form of Nicholas
     Clawess1525
     Claweß1492
     Claweße1493
Coerde1483
     Cord1481, 1483, 1484, 1492, 1493, 1494, 1508
     Corde1480, 1481, 1483
     Cordt1494, 1495
Detleff1483, 1484, 1493, 1494
Diderick1480, 1481, 1483, 1493
     Diderike1485, 1493, 1494
     Dirck1508
     Dirick1482
Eggerd1492
     Eggert1494
     Eggherdo1483Latin ablative
Eler1492
Engelke1494
Everd1484, 1485, 1492
     Everde1481
     Evert1481
Gelle1492
     Gellen1492
Gerd1492, 1494, 1508
     Gerdt1494
     Gherd1525
Ghercken1483
     Gherkens1484
Gheteken1484
Ghisebertus1494
Godeken1485
     Goteken1492
     Gotke1481
Gorgeße1493a pet form of George
     Jurgen1483, 1485, 1493
Hans1475, 1480, 481, 1484, 1485, 1492, 1493, 1494, 1508
     Hanse1480, 1481, 1482, 1495
     Hanseken1480, 1481
     Hanß1485, 1494, 1495
     Hanße1497
Harder1508
Hartich1484
Hartman1494
Heine1485
     Henninch1485
     Henningh1480, 1481, 1483
     Hennyngh1483
     Hennynghe1483
     Henrick1485
     Heyne1484, 1501
     Heynen1480, 1481, 1483, 1492, 1493
     Hinrick1475, 1480, 1481, 1483, 1484, 1492, 1494, 1497, 1501, 1508, 1517
     Hinricus1492Latin nominative
     Hinrik1477, 1480, 1481, 1483, 1484, 1485, 1492, 1493, 1494, 1501
     Hinrike1493, 1494, 1497
Herman1479, 1502
     Hermen1480, 1481, 1483, 1484, 1492, 1494, 1497, 1501
Jacob1484
     Copeken1483
Jasper1493
Jachym1493
     Joachim1508
     Jochim1492, 1525
     Jochymme1480, 1481
Johan1482, 1484, 1485, 1492, 1493, 1494, 1501
     Johann1481, 1492, 1494
     Johanne1485, 1494
     Johannes1477Latin nominative
     Johanni1483Latin genitive
     Johanse1493
Karsten1483, 1484
     Karstynen1492
     Kersten1483, 1484, 1494, 1497
Laurens1493
     Lauwerencius1482
Ludeken1483, 1485, 1493, 1494, 1497
     Ludken1492
     Luteke1482
     Lutke1483
     Lutken1484
Marquard1492, 1494
     Marqwart1485
Mathies1497
Meyneke1501
     Meyneken1497
Oltman1484
Otte1480, 1481, 1484, 1493
     Otto1480, 1481, 1483, 1484, 1492
Pauwel1483
     Pawel1493
Peter1480, 1481, 1483, 1484
Reymer1495
Reyneke1493
Roleff1494
Rotert1493
Sixto1493Latin ablative?
Symer1480, 1481
Symon1492, 1493
Syvert1492
Tideke1485
     Tideken1484
     Titken1494
Tile1479, 1501
     Tilen1493
Vites1484
Vollert1483
Werner1484, 1492
     Werneke1497
     Werneken1492
Wichman1494
Wilhelmus1494
     Willem1483
Wobbe1517

Women's Given Names

A substantial number of the women's names are diminutives; in many cases, only the diminutive form was used, and it's not clear what the root name actually is.

NameDates
Abeleken1480, 1481perhaps a pet form of Appolonia
     Abelken1480, 1481, 1484
Alheyden1484, 1493
     Aleken1484
     Alke1492
     Alken1481, 1483, 1492
     Alleke1483
     Alleken1480, 1481, 1483, 1484
Anneke1482, 1483, 1494a pet form of Anna
     Anneken1480, 1481, 1482, 1484, 1492, 1494
Beken1485, 1492a pet form of some unidentified name
Carstine1475
     Carstinen1475
     Cristinen1475
Geken1480, 1481a pet form of some unidentified name
Gerbrechte1483
Geseken1492a pet form of some unidentified name
     Gesken1492, 1493
     Gheseken1483, 1485, 1493, 1494
     Ghezeken1483
Greteke1483, 1492, 1493, 1494a pet form of Margaret
     Greteken1480, 1481, 1482, 1483, 1485, 1492
     Gretke1492
     Gretken1492
Hille1480, 1481
Ilsebe1492, 1525a form of Elizabeth
     Ilsebeen1482
Juliana1484
Katherina1492
     Katherineke1483
     Katherineken1483
     Katherinen1480, 1481, 1492, 1494, 1497
     Kat[r]inen1494
     Kather[i]ne1494
Kunneke1494a pet form of Kunigund
Magdalene1494
     Magdelenen1494
Maria1483
     Marie1492
     Marien1482, 1483, 1484, 1485, 1501
Metke1492, 1494a pet form, perhaps of Mechtild
     Metken1492, 1494, 1497
     Metteke1501
     Metteken1493, 1497
Sileken1492a pet form of some unidentified name
Tibbeken1481a pet form of some unidentified name
     Tybbeken1481
Wibeke1484a pet form of some unidentified name
Wobbeke1484, 1501a pet form of some unidentified name
     Wobbeken1483, 1484
Wommelken1494a pet form of some unidentified name