Researching your ancestor in different countries? Languages often have their own versions of first names, and these variations can trip you up. Some translations are obvious, such as Mary to the German Marie. But you might not immediately recognize others, such as William to the French Guillaume. This name translation chart lists how twenty of the most common first names in English translate across five languages. Simply find your ancestor’s name, then move left or right along the chart to determine how that name might have “translated” into a different language.
By studying the different ways in which your ancestor’s name might appear, you can broaden your research horizons and more easily find ancestors in records.
| English | German/Dutch | Latin | French | Polish | Norwegian |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew | Andreas | Andreas | André | Andrzej, Jędrzej | Anders, Andreas |
| Catherine | Kat(h)arina | Catherina/Ecaterina | Catherine | Katarzyna | Caterina, Kat(h)arina |
| Charles | Carl/Karl | Carolus | Charles | Karol | Carl/Karl |
| Edward | Eduard | Eduardus | Édouard | Edward, Edek, Edzio | Edvard |
| Elizabeth | Elisabeth | Elisabetha | Élisabeth | Elżbieta, Izabela | Elisabet, Isabel |
| George | Georg, Jürgen | Georgius | Georges | Jerzy, Jurek | Georg, Gøran/Jørn, Jørg(en) |
| James/Jacob | Jakob | Iacobus, Iacomus | Jacques, Jacob | Jakub, Kuba | Jacob/Jakob |
| Jane | Johanna | Ioanna | Jeanne | Joanna, Janina | Joana, Johanna, Janne |
| John | Johann/Hans | Ioannes/Ionathan | Jean | Jan, Janek, Janusz | Hans, Ivan, Jan, Johan(n) |
| Joseph | Josef | Iosephus | Joseph | Józef | Josef |
| Lawrence | Lorenz, Laurenz, Laürnt | Laurentius | Laurent | Laurencjusz, Laurenty, Wawrzyniec | Lars, Laurits/Lauritz, Lorens |
| Lewis/Louis | Ludwig | Ludovicus, Aloysius | Louis | Ludwik, Alojzy | Ludvig |
| Margaret | Margareta | Margarita | Marguerite/Margot | Małgorzata, Małgosia | Margareta, Marit, Margit |
| Matthew | Matthäus | Matthaeus | Matthieu | Maciej, Mateusz | Mathias, Matteus |
| Mary | Maria/Marie | Maria | Marie | Maria, Marzena | Maria, Maiken |
| Michael | Michael/Michel | Michael | Michel | Michał | Mikael, Mikkel |
| Michelle | Michaela | Michaela | Michèle | Michalina | Mikaela |
| Nicholas | Nikolaus, Nicklaus | Nicolaus | Nicolas | Mikołaj | Niklas, Nils |
| William | Vilhelm/Wilhelm | Gulielmus | Guillaume | Wilhelm | Vilhelm |
A version of this article was published online in September 2018. Last updated: August 2026
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