In a message dated 8/11/2002 1:04:56 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
lbw@... writes:

<< We only found out recently that my grandfather's name was not Max,
but Markus. We did find that on his naturalization papers the name
was listed Max (Markus). He decided he wanted his name to be more
"American" and would yell at anyone in the family who occasionally
used "Markus"! >>

This is a very common progression. In the 19th century, boys with
the Hebrew name Mordecai were frequently given the "civil" name of
Mark/Marcus (whence also the family names Marks and Marx). In the
early 20th century, there was a tendency to replace the name Marcus
with Max. I guess Murray, Marvin, Morton and Montmorency are all in
line to produce new "M" names.

I have a cousin born in the UK in the 11930s and now resident in
Germany, who currently uses all three more-or-less simultaneously.

Michael Bernet, New York <mBernet@...>

WOLFF (Pfungstadt, Frankfurt/M, Koenigsberg, Amsterdam, N.Carolina);
BERNET, BERNERT, JONDORF(Frensdorf, Bamberg, Nurnberg); FEUCHTWANGER
(Schwabach, Hagenbach & Fuerth); KONIGSHOFER (anywhere); BERG, WOLF(F),
(Demmelsdorf & Zeckendorf); Shim`on GUTENSTEIN (Bad Homburg ca 1760);
FRENSDORF/ER (anywhere); MAINZER (Lorsch); anyone in Ermreuth or Floss;
GOLDSCHMIDT (B. Homburg, Hessdorf). ALTMANN (Silesia); TIMMENDORFER