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What Are Stereotypical Amish Names?

The Amish are known for their use of a select few names for both men and women, and they notoriously only use a handful of surnames across their families.

While these names are popular, they also ask another question — are there stereotypical names for the Amish?

To answer this question, we'll have to define what we mean by "stereotypical" before answering the question.

What Do We Mean by "Stereotypical?"

Much the same way that certain subcultures can use certain names more than others, the Amish use a handful of first names for men and women that may be considered token or, in this case, stereotypical.

That means the names may not just be common, but they may also be used to make jokes about the Amish, refer to them in derogatory ways, and more.

In essence, these are names that make someone think "Amish" — even if the person who bears the name is not Amish.

With that in mind, here are some of the most stereotypical Amish names for both men and women.

1. John

"John" is easily the most stereotypical name when it comes to the Amish. The name is a biblical reference to John the Baptist, the cousin of Jesus who also baptized him, and there are countless men in Amish history who have held the name.

At this point in the longevity of the Amish as a people, countless men have been named "John."

This is why "John" is a stereotypical name, especially when combined with surnames like Zook, Stoltzfus, or Yoder. These names are so quintessentially Amish that it'd be challenging to find them on someone who isn't Amish.

(And if you could, they'd probably be Mennonite.)

More importantly, the name "John" is so stereotypical that it also gave way to a derogatory term for Amish men — yonies.

"Yonies" (or "yonie" when singular) is a play on the Amish pronunciation of the name "Johnny," a nickname for "John."

Because of the Amish accent descending from a combination of German and English, the Amish may have a tendency to pronounce their J's as Y's. This is common in German, and it's also common in Pennsylvania Dutch.

That means that this pronunciation is far more common among the older Amish, but it's still historically used as a reason to call any Amish man a "yonie."

2. Amos

After John, Amos is perhaps the next most stereotypical Amish name.

There's not an enormous reason for this in terms of popularity. Even among the Amish, the name Amos is fairly unpopular, and it doesn't have much use in other cultural circles either.

So why is the name "Amos" considered stereotypically Amish?

Because despite its unpopularity, it's still a historically Amish name. The name Amos is often found in families of any Amish region, and there's a good chance that it's been passed down from men of that family over generations.

That means that someone living near those Amish families has probably met an Amish man named Amos once, and probably not from any other cultural circle.

As a result, even though it's not popular, the name Amos is often considered stereotypically Amish.

3. Levi

Next, the name Levi is often used to be a stereotypical Amish name when referencing the Amish.

Levi is a fairly popular name among Amish circles, and it has its roots in biblical history.

However, it's also not often used outside of the Amish, though it's admittedly more popular than Amos with other subcultures.

Still, Levi is anothe rname that, like John, becomes more stereotypically Amish when combined with a surname like Stoltzfus or Yoder.

These names would almost certainly be used among Amish circles, with a few perhaps being found in Mennonite or Hutterite circles as well.

It's also important to note that the show Amish Mafia — which is so laughably inaccurate and ridiculous in its depiction of the Amish that it's almost upsetting — has popularized the name Levi as an Amish name through the character "Lebanon Levi."

As a result, the name Levi is not only stereotypically Amish, but known to be stereotypically Amish among those who are unfamiliar with the Amish as a people.

4. Eli

The final stereotypical male name on our list is Eli.

Eli is a biblical name that is found in many other cultures throughout the world for one reason or another.

Still, it's considered stereotypically Amish because it's usually only used by the Amish in the areas where they live.

For example, areas like Lancaster have a fairly integrated culture between Amish and non-Amish. This means that the name Eli almost only shows up among the Amish, and not among the non-Amish.

However, because it's so commonly found in other naming conventions, the name Eli isn't as "popular" of a stereotypical name as the others on our list.

5. Sarah

Moving to women's names, the first stereotypical name is Sarah.

This is perhaps the most popular name for Amish women in general, and it's also a stereotypical name in those who know Amish circles.

However, because Sarah is found throughout many naming conventions in the world, this name is not exclusive to the Amish by any stretch of the imagination.

This is why you'll commonly hear "Sarah" used with a surname, like Zook, Stoltzfus, or Yoder, that reinforces the Amish background.

Otherwise, and without the additional context of a surname, the name Sarah is less stereotypical and more standard.

6. Ruth

After Sarah, the name Ruth is probably the most quintessentially, and stereotypically, name for an Amish woman.

This comes from the fact that Ruth was at one point a popular name across many cultures and groups. However, its popularity has waned over the past several decades, leaving it to be found inc ertain cirlces more than others.

This especially includes the Amish.

The name Ruth itself is not necessarily noteworthy for its distinction in history or anything along those lines. However, it's more recognized as Amish because of the sheer quantity of Amish women who are named Ruth and the lack of non-Amish women named Ruth.

The contrast alone is enough to make Ruth more stereotypically Amish than many other women's names.

And, surprisingly, that brings us to the end of our list.

However, it also raises another question.

Why aren't there more stereotypical Amish names for women?

Why Aren't There More Stereotypical Amish Names for Women?

This isn't an easy question to answer because there's not a clear reason why, culturally, stereotypical names seem to favor men more than women among the Amish.

There could be a number of reasons that contribute to this idea.

First, it may vary by region. Note that Gents of Lancaster, as a group, is confined to Lancaster, Pennsylvania. There are also Amish communities in Ohio, Kansas, and Canada, among other noteworthy locations.

This means that we're speaking from the perspective of limitation. That's not necessarily bad — our perspective is uniquely ours and we pride ourselves on providing that perspective to the public.

However, it does mean that there are things we don't know. Some of these things are stereotypical names that may exist for the Amish in other areas of the world.

Second, the Amish are themselves a sexist group. There are certain roles for men and women in that subculture, and the penalties for leaving that subculture are so severe that almost no one chooses to abandon the Amish way of life.

This means that men are often seen in leadership and provider roles while women are pushed to child-rearing, sewing, and manual farm labor that pertains to the ongoing function of the family.

Women may be given the opportunity to participate in local government, depending on their locale, but they're exclusively forbidden from serving in leadership positions. To date, there has been no record of a woman leading an Amish congregation or community.

In other words, Amish women are not as often seen or noticed as Amish men. In nearly all popular media that references the Amish, again like Amish Mafia, the characters are male and the conflicts displayed are from the perspective of those men.

The women, by contrast, are either completely unseen or presented in a way that things happen to them, without agency to choose for themselves.

This is not necessarily inaccurate when it comes to Amish culture. However, the perpetuation of this sexist perspective could be a reason why there aren't more well-known stereotypical names for Amish women when compared to men.

In other words, Amish women are represented and shown in popular culture much less frequently and much less profoundly than their male counterparts.

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