Dutch nobleman Johann VI, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg (1536-1606) — one of the younger siblings of William of Orange — had a total of 24 children by three different wives. Here are their names, grouped by mother…
With first wife Elisabeth, 13 children:
- Wilhelm Ludwig (b. 1560)
- Johann (b. 1561)
- Georg (b. 1562)
- Elisabeth (b. 1564)
- Juliana (b. 1565)
- Filips (b. 1566)
- Marie (b. 1568)
- Anna Sibylla (b. 1569)
- Mathilde (b. 1570)
- Albert (b. 1572)
- Ernst Casimir (b. 1573)
- Lodewijk Gunther (b. 1575)
- stillborn (b. 1579)
With second wife Kunigunde, 4 children:
- stillborn (b. 1581)
- Maria Amalia (b. 1582)
- Kunigunde (b. 1583)
- stillborn (b. 1585)
With third wife Johannetta, 7 children:
- Georg Ludwig (b. 1588)
- Johann Ludwig (b. 1590)
- Johannetta Elisabeth (b. 1593)
- Anna (b. 1594)
- Magdalena (b. 1595)
- Anna Amalia (b. 1599)
- Juliana (b. 1602)
Which of the names above do you like the most?
Sources: Johann VI, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg, Johann VI. von Nassau-Dillenburg (1535-1606)
I’m not exactly in love with Kunigunde, but hey, if that’s what the child’s mother was called?
However, I would guess that several of those names are inaccurate, because of the English spelling you give here. William Louis, for one, surely would have been named Wilhelm Ludwig? (or its Latin equivalent).
It’s good to see that my name was popular in the 16th Century too, my what a lot of children the Count had :)
I always think it’s so odd that parents at this time reused the same names over and over. In this family, Louis was used 4 times and Anna 3 times. Amalia and Amalie. Juliana and Juliane. Also interesting that they apparently altered the name of the 3rd wife, Johannetta, for the daughter, Johannette.
I also agree that some of the names are probably anglicized. The link calls the Count Johann, not John.
Diane, in those times you named your child after someone. Grandparents usually came first, but rich or influential relations came a good second. And “if at first you don’t succeed” you tried again, over and over: there was a lot of infant mortality about!
In addition: don’t worry about the variations in spelling. That’s just how this particular priest or scribe interpreted the name he was to record.
I certainly understand about the infant mortality…it doesn’t surprise me at all that parents would reuse a name after a child died. But it still seems strange to have two living children named Anna or John, as Count John did, no matter how many rich relatives you were trying to please.