Is the first name Marx a shortened version of Mordecai #names
Phil Goldfarb
Trying to clear up a puzzle. Does anyone know if the first name Marx (which was found on a death certificate) was a shortened version of Mordecai (a potential relative which was found on a tombstone) They were all from Lithuania.
Thanks for any help Phil Goldfarb Tulsa, OK phil.goldfarb@... searching: GITOVICH (Gitow) -Belarus-Ukraine, LIT (Leet)-Lithuania, MERIN (Belarus) BRAUN (Lithuamia), GRUBER (Austria), GOLDFARB (Poland), FROUG
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One of my uncles had the middle name of Marx. This was short for Markus, after his grandfather from Rohatyn, Ukraine. Nancy Siegel
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Dick Plotz <Dick@...>
I haven't seen this in Lithuania, but in German-speaking areas in the
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19th century Marx was very commonly a civil name used by men whose Hebrew name was Mordecai. I wouldn't call it a "shortened" form, although it's certainly shorter when written in English; it's more along the lines of the frequent associations of Philip/Feivel or Emanuel/Menachem. Why would someone from Lithuania use "Marx" as their civil name, rather than Marcus or Mark (or Mordecai, for that matter)? You'd have to look at when and where he adopted that civil name, and you haven't told us anything about that. Even in Lithuania, I think German might have been used as a cultural step up, rather than Russian: it was the language of a neighboring country with more enlightened policies than Russia's, and it was easy to learn for someone whose native language was Yiddish. But that's just a guess. Dick Plotz Providence RI USA
On Wed, Jul 22, 2020 at 9:13 AM Phil Goldfarb <phil.goldfarb@...> wrote:
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Sally Bruckheimer <sallybruc@...>
Marx and Markus (which are actually 2 versions of the same thing) are often Mordechai's names. Marx doesn't work for Polish, as they have the language has no 'x' (except sometimes in Alexander in the records). Poles would use Marks or Markus.
Sally Bruckheimer Princeton, NJ
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Chana Bonn
My uncle Max was listed by the person who transcribed the 1910 census as Marx! While Marx could have been this person's name, it also could have been written down incorrectly by the person entering the name. Death certificates often contain errors, since the folks giving the information are frequently distraught when doing so, or may be family members who really aren't that familiar with the deceased but are just trying to help out in a difficult situation. The latter happened in my family, when a distant cousin of my mother's, who lived near the hospital, was called to give information on my parents' behalf when they had a stillborn baby.
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Kenneth Ryesky
In German-speaking societies, there is a common practice of people going by their "call name" ("Rufname" in German), which are often quite different from their legal birth names. Often the official given name ("Vorname") is freely interchanged with the Rufname, and it is not unusual for the Rufname to come to exclusive use by the person.
https://www.legalgenealogist.com/2015/11/28/germany-calling The Israel Genealogy Research Association is now indexing the 1938-1939 cards from the German Consulate in Jerusalem. The printed cards have a field for the Vornamen, with instructions to underscore the Rufnamen. I have been proofreading a batch (I expect to get it finished soon, Rose). -- Ken Ryesky Petach Tikva, ISRAEL -- Ken Ryesky, Petach Tikva, Israel kenneth.ryesky@...
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Judy Floam
My grandfather was named Max and his Hebrew name was Mordecai. There’s a possibility that “Max” was written down incorrectly as “Marx”. I have never heard of Marx being used as a first name.
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Neil Kominsky
My ggf's family emigrated from Romania to England where they stayed for a couple of years before continuing on to America. While they were there, my great uncle Marks (Max, I think, in family usage) was born and named. His maternal grandfather was Mordecai, which may well account for the name.
Neil Kominsky
Brookline, MA
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My ggreat grandfather Mordechai Schoenberg was also known as “Max” on his children’s marriage certificates, etc. I don’t think it would be a stretch for someone to refer to him as Marx but I would think Markus/Marcus would be a better match. However, one never knows with diminutives.
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Jill Whitehead
My great great grandfather was Mordecai Serwianski from Sejny in Suwalki gubernia in NE Poland, on the borders with Kovno in Lithuania. He had several grandsons called Marks which was then anglicised to Max or Maxwell. Some of the family emigrated from Liverpool to Chicago in 1905 (having been in Liverpool for 30 years) and called themselves Maxwell, reverting to the patronymic of Mordecai. (NB Serwianski was named after Lake Serwy).
Jill Whitehead, Surrey, UK
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Jeffrey Knisbacher
Marx occurs as a first name in Bedford, England records of my TISINBOM family from Botosan, Romania. Presumably from an original Mordecai. Jeff Knisbacher, Bradenton, Florida
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Joan A. Baronberg
I have a similar outlook on the name “Mordecai” as in Amy’s message, which I add below* for the reader’s convenience. (BTW, Like other readers, I wish we would return to this list’s old ways and include the original question and other replies all together. Many of us found that both a more efficient way of approaching data, as well as a pleasanter style of reading Jewishgen postings.) My great grandfather’s name was Mordecai too and on various legal documents in Galicia, he is referred to as Markus, Marcus, Mordecai, or Mottel.
*My ggreat grandfather Mordechai Schoenberg was also known as “Max” on his children’s marriage certificates, etc. I don’t think it would be a stretch for someone to refer to him as Marx but I would think Markus/Marcus would be a better match. However, one never knows with diminutives.
Joan Baronberg, Denver, CO
FRIEDMAN, MASTER/MESTER, WEISSER/WEISER
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My family, in England for a very long time have used the name Mark over many generations although the |Hebrew name has continued to be Mordecai.
As with names generally, the exact spelling does not really matter. Whether it is Marx or Mark or Markus etc, I am sure it is all the same name.
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jbonline1111@...
My grandfather Mordechai, called Mordchi on a passenger list, was known as Max in the USA. My brother, named for him, is Mark. As a result, I would think Marx would be another possible English-sounding name, especially for someone coming from a German-speaking area.
-- Barbara Sloan Conway, SC
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Jules Levin
Marks was an established English family name. A Marks Virginia family
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settled in the 17th Century was related to either Lewis or Clark, the explorers of Louisiana Territory. I am too old and tired to check which one now. They were not Jewish, despite my hopes. 8-) Jules Levin
On 7/23/2020 5:28 AM, Jeffrey Knisbacher via groups.jewishgen.org wrote: Marx occurs as a first name in Bedford, England records of my TISINBOM
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In my famly tree, there are Max, Marx and various spellings of Moritz. The equivalent Hebrew name is Mordechai.
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Annette Weiss
My grandfather's name was Mordecai in Poland and he changed it to Max when he came to the US. My brother was named after him,and his name is Marc,
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Glazer Family
This subject is probably going to end being another of those "whipping a
dead horse" subjects. In any research I have done, it is common to see Mordecai, Modcha, Mottel, Markus, Marcus, Max used for the same person. This is common both in my own family as well in any of the "unknown soldiers" we have researched in the Central Zionist Archives here in Jerusalem. Shabbat Shalom. Stephen Glazer, Researcher, "Giving a Face to the Fallen", Jerusalem (also searching: POTASIEWICZ, GOLD, SZYFF from Czestochowa & Radomsk; KUKUK/COOK, BRANDFELD/BRONDFIELD, WIESENFELD, HOLLANDER from Mielce, Dabrowa Tarnowska Tarnow and vicinity and New Jersey/New York; GLASER and variations & ALLWEIL from Przymyslany, Bobrka; KROCZ/KROCH/KROACH from Vladimer Volensk and Szjar and vicinity in Volyn & Toronto; TEITEL from Ustilla and vicinity)
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Catherine Youngren
My great grandfather was also Mordechai in Poland was was known as Marx in England.
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Ralph Baer
My 3rd-great-grandfather, who along with a childless brother, adopted the family name BÄR (BAER) in accordance with the 1809 law requiring Jews living in Baden to adopt permanent family names was named Marx Nathan. His Hebrew name was Mordechai ben Natan. Mordche was also recorded. Numerous descendants were named for him or named for people who were named for him. The earlier ones also used Marx. More recent ones, including those currently living, mostly used Max.
His grandfather, my 5th-great-grandfather, was also Marx, and I assume Mordechai. -- Ralph N. Baer RalphNBaer@... Washington, DC
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