Not all are familiar with the so-called Amish people. The Amish people are a sect of super-conservative Swiss Anabaptists that relies on their values and customs heavily from the bible. They are said to be a distant cousin to the Mennonite churches which is also an Anabaptist sect. Despite being cult-like, they are still a Christian sect, but with radicalized and orthodox points of view in Christianity.
In this article, you will get to know some of the popular Amish names. If you are looking for Amish name ideas for your baby, you are in the right place as we compiled a list of the best Amish names for boys and girls together with their small etymology and meaning.
The term Amish came from the German word Amisch, drawn from the surname of Jakob Ammann. He and his followers (mostly Swiss and Mennonite) founded a new Anabaptist sect in Switzerland in the year 1693. The sect is called the Amish Church, with its members called Amish People. Their objective is to create a renewed Anabaptist church stemming away from the existing traditional and corrupt sect.
The Amish belief and way of life centers on nothing but simplicity. They follow word by word the teachings of the bible. Because of this, they are considered the most conservative group of people among all Anabaptists. They base most of their lives and decision-making on the biblical context and they would openly denounce doing things that are not written in the bible. Because of their unique way of life and avid devotion to following the teachings of Jakob Ammann, they are usually persecuted and discriminated against by other religious sects during this time. In the early decade of the 18th century, hundreds of Amish started to migrate to North America in hopes of escaping religious persecution and continuing their way of life.
Today, modern Amish people are isolated and scattered in different parts of the United States. Most of them live in the rural areas of Pennsylvania such as Berks Country and Lancaster Country. Amish communities are iconic for their unique lifestyle bounded by guidelines called Ordnung, or simply “rules”. These rules differ depending on the community but, in essence, are the same and applicable to all Amish people. Amish people are also known for their choice of transportation and clothing. For instance, most of them would prefer a horse and buggy rather than taxis or buses. They wear plain clothes, simple hats, and traditional suits.
Amish names are very easy to decipher and understand. They derived their names from only one source—the Christian bible. Since Amish people are very orthodox and traditional, even names were derived or copied directly from the bible. Old Amish people in the past tend to reject any form of modernized names that are not in the bible.
Since names mentioned in the bible are limited, especially women’s names, it is common in Amish culture to reuse names multiple times even when coming from the same family (cousins or siblings). To distinguish people sharing the same name, they add nicknames or include middle names in their introductions. They also add small descriptors to a person’s name such as including their job or common facial features. For example, to distinguish two people named John, they may call one “John the son of the painter” or the other “John who makes shoes and laces”. The same naming convention applies to female Amish names.
In the Hebrew language, Sarah is a direct representation of the term “princess”. It is a very common female Amish name possibly due to it being one of the earliest female names mentioned in the Bible aside from Eve. It became a common name choice for Amish girls especially for first born.
In the bible, Sarah was originally named Sarai until God changed her and Abraham’s names and made them the first receiver of the first covenant.
Jacob is a common name choice for Amish parents to a firstborn son. It is a common belief among Amish families that firstborn sons are great forefathers of future generations. The name Jacob came from the Hebrew term aqob which means “to follow”. It may also mean “to supplant” or “to assail”.
In the bible, Jacob is best known as the father of Israel. In his lineage came twelve of his sons who became the original twelve tribes of the first Israelite civilization.
The name David is now considered a classic boy name nowadays. It ranked 3rd of the most commonly used given name in the United States, with a total estimate of around 4 million using it. It is also a common pick for male Amish names.
David is best known for defeating Goliath the Giant in the Valley of Elah. He hurled a stone at Goliath’s forehead, stunning him, which gave David a chance to sever his head. David became the champion of the Israelites and replaced Saul as king. He ruled Israel for forty strong years.
The name Mary is very common not only with the Amish people but also in other Christian-influenced countries around the globe. It was derived from the Hebrew name Miriam and was mentioned multiple times in the bible such as Mary Moses’ sister, Mary Magdalene, Mary mother of Christ, Mary of Bethany, Mary mother of James, and Mary of Rome.
In the bible, Mary is considered one of the iconic characters for being the virgin mother of Jesus Christ. He ascended into heaven with both her flesh and soul. She is considered the only human who was accepted to heaven in the flesh.
There are many famous characters in the bible that Amish parents use to name their babies. These names are also common among other Christian countries and Western-influenced countries. Below are examples of common Amish names with their meaning.
A funny article written in 2013 by Elmer L. Smith about Amish Last Names greatly summarizes what Amish last names look like. In his article, he mentioned that a postman was so frustrated in delivering mail to 437 different people bearing the same surname Stolzfus.
There are only about 30 family names in that community in Pennsylvania, and each Amish family will have the same last name as their neighbor. The reason behind this is because of their closed community. Amish families will not approve of marriage outside their religion. That is why, surnames and names in the community circulate among the members of the Amish church alone.
Additionally, since most of the existing Amish people descended from Swiss and German families, most of their last names have Germanic or Swiss origin.
Below is the compiled list of commonly used Amish last names today. Take note that the list is not in order.
Amish names are not exempted from funny names. We can be more creative and add humor in creating Amish names. Keep in mind however that some names might become offensive because most Amish names are from the bible. We will avoid altering names from the bible.
What makes Amish names funny is their added calling to existing names. Recall that most Amish names are the same, so they add adjectives or descriptors in the name to specifically identify them. For example, a man named Jacob can be “Jacob from Downtown” or “Jacob with a donkey”. Check out some of our compiled funny names for you to enjoy.
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