Home > Just for Kids > What's In a Name? > John and Margaret: Universal Names

Some names are found in all languages, or are similar in all languages. Smith, the most common name in the United States, has equivalents in other languages too. In Germany, Smith translates as Schmidt, and in Scandinavian the name is Smed; Miller may have once been Muller in German and was Americanized once the Muller ancestor came to the U.S. Similarly, Johnson is the same as the Swedish Johanson or the Dutch Jensen or Janson.

In The Melting Pot Book of Family Names, Connie Lockhart Ellefson has a chart of first name equivalents for a variety of countries. Take the name John, for example, which she finds in these countries below:

Bulgaria and Czechoslovakia, Russia and the Ukraine: Ivan	Israel: Yochanan
Denmark: Jens	Italy: Giovanni
England and the U.S.: John	Latvia: Janis
Finland: Jani	Lithuania: Jonas
France: Jean	Netherlands and Poland, Sweden: Jan
Germany: Johann	Portugal: Joao
Greece: Ioannikios	Romania: Iancu
Hawaii: Keoni	Scotland: Ian
Hungary: Janos	Spain: Juan
Ireland: Sean

And Margaret in many other languages. . .

Armenia: Markarid	Ireland: Margaret, Pegeen
Basque, Lithuania and Spain: Margarita	Israel: Margalit
Bulgaria and Czechoslovakia: Marketa	Italy: Margharita
Denmark: MargaretheGrieta	Latvia: Margarita
England: Margaret, Marjory	Netherlands: Grirtje
Finland: Marjatta	Poland: Malgorzata
France: Marguerite, Margaux	Portugal: Margarida, Guidinhal
Germany: Margarete, Gretchen	Russia: Margarete, Margosha
Greece: Gryta	Scotland: Margaret, Maireada
Hawaii: Makaleka	Sweden: Margareta, Margit
Hungary and Norway: Margit, Margo	Ukraine: Margaryta