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The name Gretchen is a fairly ordinary English name, but it looks like it was originally a German diminutive of Greta/Grete? Which are themselves nicknames for
by taejo 10y ago
The name Gretchen is a fairly ordinary English name, but it looks like it was originally a German diminutive of Greta/Grete? Which are themselves nicknames for Margarete.
- allendoerfer 10y agoHa, yes. But I do not know if people were actually named Gretchen in Germany or just Gretas called this way. The name is also not currently given very much (or at all) in Germany, when used there is usually a "Oma"/grandma in front of it.
- pluma 10y agoI guess "Benjamin" -> "Beni", "Daniel" -> "Dani" and so on are diminutives as well. But Gretchen is definitely rare for Germans that are not way past retirement age (might be more common in some regions but still "exotic"). Actually this holds true for many "German" names. East Germany generally has more "English" (and "French") names, e.g. Kevin, Justin, Steve and Jacqueline. Otherwise there seems to be a general trend towards more Nordic names (some jokingly blame it on IKEA: "naming kids after the furniture they were conceived on").
- xg15 10y agoFrom what I know, it's Gretel. But both the name as well as the -el diminutive form are so long of style that they're practically not used anymore. I think they have been popular in the generation of (and before) WW2 and Nazi Germany - though I don't know if there is actually a causal chain to the name vanishing.