Why is Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf often refered to by his given name “Conrad”?

The name of the pictureThe name of the pictureThe name of the pictureClash Royale CLAN TAG#URR8PPP











up vote
5
down vote

favorite
1












I am reading various books and material about the Great War, and in the vast majority of cases, important figures are always referred to by their family names. I.e. Clemenceau, Pointcarré, von Hindenburg, Ludendorff, von Mackensen, etc… Their given names could be added, but they're optional. Also you would never call anyone by their given name only. Nobody could talk about general "Paul" and understand you're talking about von Hindenburg.



What I don't understand is why the Austrian general, Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf is an exception. I can't list where exactly, but I saw him being referred to as "Conrad" at many different places, when he should normally have been referenced to as "von Hötzendorf".



The only other cases of people being referenced by their given names would be outside the western world, such as the Ottoman Empire where family names didn't exist.






world-war-one names austria-hungary given-name







share|improve this question



























    up vote
    5
    down vote

    favorite
    1












    I am reading various books and material about the Great War, and in the vast majority of cases, important figures are always referred to by their family names. I.e. Clemenceau, Pointcarré, von Hindenburg, Ludendorff, von Mackensen, etc… Their given names could be added, but they're optional. Also you would never call anyone by their given name only. Nobody could talk about general "Paul" and understand you're talking about von Hindenburg.



    What I don't understand is why the Austrian general, Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf is an exception. I can't list where exactly, but I saw him being referred to as "Conrad" at many different places, when he should normally have been referenced to as "von Hötzendorf".



    The only other cases of people being referenced by their given names would be outside the western world, such as the Ottoman Empire where family names didn't exist.






    world-war-one names austria-hungary given-name







    share|improve this question

























      up vote
      5
      down vote

      favorite
      1









      up vote
      5
      down vote

      favorite
      1






      1





      I am reading various books and material about the Great War, and in the vast majority of cases, important figures are always referred to by their family names. I.e. Clemenceau, Pointcarré, von Hindenburg, Ludendorff, von Mackensen, etc… Their given names could be added, but they're optional. Also you would never call anyone by their given name only. Nobody could talk about general "Paul" and understand you're talking about von Hindenburg.



      What I don't understand is why the Austrian general, Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf is an exception. I can't list where exactly, but I saw him being referred to as "Conrad" at many different places, when he should normally have been referenced to as "von Hötzendorf".



      The only other cases of people being referenced by their given names would be outside the western world, such as the Ottoman Empire where family names didn't exist.






      world-war-one names austria-hungary given-name







      share|improve this question















      I am reading various books and material about the Great War, and in the vast majority of cases, important figures are always referred to by their family names. I.e. Clemenceau, Pointcarré, von Hindenburg, Ludendorff, von Mackensen, etc… Their given names could be added, but they're optional. Also you would never call anyone by their given name only. Nobody could talk about general "Paul" and understand you're talking about von Hindenburg.



      What I don't understand is why the Austrian general, Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf is an exception. I can't list where exactly, but I saw him being referred to as "Conrad" at many different places, when he should normally have been referenced to as "von Hötzendorf".



      The only other cases of people being referenced by their given names would be outside the western world, such as the Ottoman Empire where family names didn't exist.






      world-war-one names austria-hungary given-name




      world-war-one names austria-hungary given-name






      share|improve this question















      share|improve this question













      share|improve this question




      share|improve this question








      edited 14 mins ago









      LangLangC

      13.4k24481




      13.4k24481










      asked 1 hour ago









      Bregalad

      2,16021451




      2,16021451




















          2 Answers
          2






          active

          oldest

          votes

















          up vote
          4
          down vote



          accepted










          "Conrad" is not a given name. "Conrad" is his first surname. Franz is his given name, along with Xaver Josef.



          Full name: 



          Franz Xaver Josef Graf Conrad von Hötzendorf 
          [given names ] [title] [surname] [nobility] [placename]


          WP: Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf




          The field marshal, with full name Franz Xaver Josef (since 1910 baron, 1918/19 up to the nobility abolishment count) Conrad von Hötzendorf, was already mentioned during his lifetime as "Conrad von Hötzendorf" or mostly only as "Conrad", which gave the impression that this was his first name. Therefore the following press release appeared in 1914:




          We are asked by esteemed parties to draw attention to the fact that the surname of the chief of our general staff is "Conrad", that G. d. I. v. I. Freiherr v. Conrad always signed only "Conrad" and never called himself with his predicate of nobility.




          In the Vienna Address Book 1921/22 he was listed as Franz Conrad (with a list of awards received by him, among them two honorary doctorates).




          In full the Austrians with their knack for titles would have addressed him at first as "Freiherr Conrad von Hötzendorf" – indeed not using any given names – and then of course inserting his military rank when he joined the army.



          Being in the military, he opted for the laconic shortform, just "Conrad", like on this postcard from 1916:




          enter image description here



          AUTOGRAPH CONRAD VON HÖTZENDORF, Franz Graf. Österreichischer Feldmarschall, Chef des Generalstabes der Armee, Kanzler des Militär-Maria Theresien-Ordens (1852-1925).

          Feldpostkarte mit eigh. Unterschrift vom 25. XI. 1916 als Generaloberst. Truppenstempel Cat.No. 545







          share|improve this answer


















          • 2




            "That's the name he self-identified with" is a damn good reason.
            – T.E.D.♦
            20 mins ago

















          up vote
          4
          down vote













          From what I can gather, Conrad was his actual surname. "von Hötzendorf" was the nobilary particle men in his family assumed when they became ennobled, but it was in fact derived from a maternal line (and thus was technically not his patronym, but just his title). That was likely a large part of the reason.



          Further complicating matters, he probably only had the nobilary particle for about 9 years of his life. He was made a baron in 1910, but Austria abolished all nobility in 1919, and at that point his legal name (according to today's Wikipedia page) became Franz Conrad-Hötzendorf.






          share|improve this answer




















            Your Answer







            StackExchange.ready(function()
            var channelOptions =
            tags: "".split(" "),
            id: "324"
            ;
            initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

            StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function()
            // Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
            if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled)
            StackExchange.using("snippets", function()
            createEditor();
            );

            else
            createEditor();

            );

            function createEditor()
            StackExchange.prepareEditor(
            heartbeatType: 'answer',
            convertImagesToLinks: false,
            noModals: false,
            showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
            reputationToPostImages: null,
            bindNavPrevention: true,
            postfix: "",
            noCode: true, onDemand: true,
            discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
            ,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
            );



            );













             

            draft saved


            draft discarded


















            StackExchange.ready(
            function ()
            StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fhistory.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f48535%2fwhy-is-franz-conrad-von-h%25c3%25b6tzendorf-often-refered-to-by-his-given-name-conrad%23new-answer', 'question_page');

            );

            Post as a guest

















            2 Answers
            2






            active

            oldest

            votes








            2 Answers
            2






            active

            oldest

            votes









            active

            oldest

            votes






            active

            oldest

            votes








            up vote
            4
            down vote



            accepted










            "Conrad" is not a given name. "Conrad" is his first surname. Franz is his given name, along with Xaver Josef.



            Full name: 



            Franz Xaver Josef Graf Conrad von Hötzendorf 
            [given names ] [title] [surname] [nobility] [placename]


            WP: Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf




            The field marshal, with full name Franz Xaver Josef (since 1910 baron, 1918/19 up to the nobility abolishment count) Conrad von Hötzendorf, was already mentioned during his lifetime as "Conrad von Hötzendorf" or mostly only as "Conrad", which gave the impression that this was his first name. Therefore the following press release appeared in 1914:




            We are asked by esteemed parties to draw attention to the fact that the surname of the chief of our general staff is "Conrad", that G. d. I. v. I. Freiherr v. Conrad always signed only "Conrad" and never called himself with his predicate of nobility.




            In the Vienna Address Book 1921/22 he was listed as Franz Conrad (with a list of awards received by him, among them two honorary doctorates).




            In full the Austrians with their knack for titles would have addressed him at first as "Freiherr Conrad von Hötzendorf" – indeed not using any given names – and then of course inserting his military rank when he joined the army.



            Being in the military, he opted for the laconic shortform, just "Conrad", like on this postcard from 1916:




            enter image description here



            AUTOGRAPH CONRAD VON HÖTZENDORF, Franz Graf. Österreichischer Feldmarschall, Chef des Generalstabes der Armee, Kanzler des Militär-Maria Theresien-Ordens (1852-1925).

            Feldpostkarte mit eigh. Unterschrift vom 25. XI. 1916 als Generaloberst. Truppenstempel Cat.No. 545







            share|improve this answer


















            • 2




              "That's the name he self-identified with" is a damn good reason.
              – T.E.D.♦
              20 mins ago














            up vote
            4
            down vote



            accepted










            "Conrad" is not a given name. "Conrad" is his first surname. Franz is his given name, along with Xaver Josef.



            Full name: 



            Franz Xaver Josef Graf Conrad von Hötzendorf 
            [given names ] [title] [surname] [nobility] [placename]


            WP: Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf




            The field marshal, with full name Franz Xaver Josef (since 1910 baron, 1918/19 up to the nobility abolishment count) Conrad von Hötzendorf, was already mentioned during his lifetime as "Conrad von Hötzendorf" or mostly only as "Conrad", which gave the impression that this was his first name. Therefore the following press release appeared in 1914:




            We are asked by esteemed parties to draw attention to the fact that the surname of the chief of our general staff is "Conrad", that G. d. I. v. I. Freiherr v. Conrad always signed only "Conrad" and never called himself with his predicate of nobility.




            In the Vienna Address Book 1921/22 he was listed as Franz Conrad (with a list of awards received by him, among them two honorary doctorates).




            In full the Austrians with their knack for titles would have addressed him at first as "Freiherr Conrad von Hötzendorf" – indeed not using any given names – and then of course inserting his military rank when he joined the army.



            Being in the military, he opted for the laconic shortform, just "Conrad", like on this postcard from 1916:




            enter image description here



            AUTOGRAPH CONRAD VON HÖTZENDORF, Franz Graf. Österreichischer Feldmarschall, Chef des Generalstabes der Armee, Kanzler des Militär-Maria Theresien-Ordens (1852-1925).

            Feldpostkarte mit eigh. Unterschrift vom 25. XI. 1916 als Generaloberst. Truppenstempel Cat.No. 545







            share|improve this answer


















            • 2




              "That's the name he self-identified with" is a damn good reason.
              – T.E.D.♦
              20 mins ago












            up vote
            4
            down vote



            accepted







            up vote
            4
            down vote



            accepted






            "Conrad" is not a given name. "Conrad" is his first surname. Franz is his given name, along with Xaver Josef.



            Full name: 



            Franz Xaver Josef Graf Conrad von Hötzendorf 
            [given names ] [title] [surname] [nobility] [placename]


            WP: Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf




            The field marshal, with full name Franz Xaver Josef (since 1910 baron, 1918/19 up to the nobility abolishment count) Conrad von Hötzendorf, was already mentioned during his lifetime as "Conrad von Hötzendorf" or mostly only as "Conrad", which gave the impression that this was his first name. Therefore the following press release appeared in 1914:




            We are asked by esteemed parties to draw attention to the fact that the surname of the chief of our general staff is "Conrad", that G. d. I. v. I. Freiherr v. Conrad always signed only "Conrad" and never called himself with his predicate of nobility.




            In the Vienna Address Book 1921/22 he was listed as Franz Conrad (with a list of awards received by him, among them two honorary doctorates).




            In full the Austrians with their knack for titles would have addressed him at first as "Freiherr Conrad von Hötzendorf" – indeed not using any given names – and then of course inserting his military rank when he joined the army.



            Being in the military, he opted for the laconic shortform, just "Conrad", like on this postcard from 1916:




            enter image description here



            AUTOGRAPH CONRAD VON HÖTZENDORF, Franz Graf. Österreichischer Feldmarschall, Chef des Generalstabes der Armee, Kanzler des Militär-Maria Theresien-Ordens (1852-1925).

            Feldpostkarte mit eigh. Unterschrift vom 25. XI. 1916 als Generaloberst. Truppenstempel Cat.No. 545







            share|improve this answer














            "Conrad" is not a given name. "Conrad" is his first surname. Franz is his given name, along with Xaver Josef.



            Full name: 



            Franz Xaver Josef Graf Conrad von Hötzendorf 
            [given names ] [title] [surname] [nobility] [placename]


            WP: Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf




            The field marshal, with full name Franz Xaver Josef (since 1910 baron, 1918/19 up to the nobility abolishment count) Conrad von Hötzendorf, was already mentioned during his lifetime as "Conrad von Hötzendorf" or mostly only as "Conrad", which gave the impression that this was his first name. Therefore the following press release appeared in 1914:




            We are asked by esteemed parties to draw attention to the fact that the surname of the chief of our general staff is "Conrad", that G. d. I. v. I. Freiherr v. Conrad always signed only "Conrad" and never called himself with his predicate of nobility.




            In the Vienna Address Book 1921/22 he was listed as Franz Conrad (with a list of awards received by him, among them two honorary doctorates).




            In full the Austrians with their knack for titles would have addressed him at first as "Freiherr Conrad von Hötzendorf" – indeed not using any given names – and then of course inserting his military rank when he joined the army.



            Being in the military, he opted for the laconic shortform, just "Conrad", like on this postcard from 1916:




            enter image description here



            AUTOGRAPH CONRAD VON HÖTZENDORF, Franz Graf. Österreichischer Feldmarschall, Chef des Generalstabes der Armee, Kanzler des Militär-Maria Theresien-Ordens (1852-1925).

            Feldpostkarte mit eigh. Unterschrift vom 25. XI. 1916 als Generaloberst. Truppenstempel Cat.No. 545








            share|improve this answer














            share|improve this answer



            share|improve this answer








            edited 1 min ago

























            answered 26 mins ago









            LangLangC

            13.4k24481




            13.4k24481







            • 2




              "That's the name he self-identified with" is a damn good reason.
              – T.E.D.♦
              20 mins ago












            • 2




              "That's the name he self-identified with" is a damn good reason.
              – T.E.D.♦
              20 mins ago







            2




            2




            "That's the name he self-identified with" is a damn good reason.
            – T.E.D.♦
            20 mins ago




            "That's the name he self-identified with" is a damn good reason.
            – T.E.D.♦
            20 mins ago










            up vote
            4
            down vote













            From what I can gather, Conrad was his actual surname. "von Hötzendorf" was the nobilary particle men in his family assumed when they became ennobled, but it was in fact derived from a maternal line (and thus was technically not his patronym, but just his title). That was likely a large part of the reason.



            Further complicating matters, he probably only had the nobilary particle for about 9 years of his life. He was made a baron in 1910, but Austria abolished all nobility in 1919, and at that point his legal name (according to today's Wikipedia page) became Franz Conrad-Hötzendorf.






            share|improve this answer
























              up vote
              4
              down vote













              From what I can gather, Conrad was his actual surname. "von Hötzendorf" was the nobilary particle men in his family assumed when they became ennobled, but it was in fact derived from a maternal line (and thus was technically not his patronym, but just his title). That was likely a large part of the reason.



              Further complicating matters, he probably only had the nobilary particle for about 9 years of his life. He was made a baron in 1910, but Austria abolished all nobility in 1919, and at that point his legal name (according to today's Wikipedia page) became Franz Conrad-Hötzendorf.






              share|improve this answer






















                up vote
                4
                down vote










                up vote
                4
                down vote









                From what I can gather, Conrad was his actual surname. "von Hötzendorf" was the nobilary particle men in his family assumed when they became ennobled, but it was in fact derived from a maternal line (and thus was technically not his patronym, but just his title). That was likely a large part of the reason.



                Further complicating matters, he probably only had the nobilary particle for about 9 years of his life. He was made a baron in 1910, but Austria abolished all nobility in 1919, and at that point his legal name (according to today's Wikipedia page) became Franz Conrad-Hötzendorf.






                share|improve this answer












                From what I can gather, Conrad was his actual surname. "von Hötzendorf" was the nobilary particle men in his family assumed when they became ennobled, but it was in fact derived from a maternal line (and thus was technically not his patronym, but just his title). That was likely a large part of the reason.



                Further complicating matters, he probably only had the nobilary particle for about 9 years of his life. He was made a baron in 1910, but Austria abolished all nobility in 1919, and at that point his legal name (according to today's Wikipedia page) became Franz Conrad-Hötzendorf.







                share|improve this answer












                share|improve this answer



                share|improve this answer










                answered 22 mins ago









                T.E.D.♦

                70k9155288




                70k9155288



























                     

                    draft saved


                    draft discarded















































                     


                    draft saved


                    draft discarded














                    StackExchange.ready(
                    function ()
                    StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fhistory.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f48535%2fwhy-is-franz-conrad-von-h%25c3%25b6tzendorf-often-refered-to-by-his-given-name-conrad%23new-answer', 'question_page');

                    );

                    Post as a guest
































































                    Comments

                    Post a Comment

                    Popular posts from this blog

                    What does second last employer means? [closed]

                    Image
                    Clash Royale CLAN TAG #URR8PPP .everyoneloves__top-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__mid-leaderboard:empty margin-bottom:0; up vote -3 down vote favorite Say, for example I have worked in the following companies, Company A => 2010 - 2011 Company B => 2011 - 2012 Company C => 2012 - Till Date Company D => Have offer Now assume Company D is asking to submit documents from my second last employer. So from the list of companies given, which company would be qualified as second last employer? software-industry employer share | improve this question asked Aug 10 '14 at 5:16 Rajaprabhu Aravindasamy 559 1 6 13 closed as off-topic by Jim G., jmort253 ♦ Aug 11 '14 at 1:58 This question appears to be off-topic. The users who voted to close gave this specific reason: "Questions seeking advice on company-specific regulations, agreements, or policies should be directed to your manager or HR department. Questions that address...
                    Read more

                    List of Gilmore Girls characters

                    Image
                    The season three cast—(Back row): Lane, Michel, Paris, Emily, Richard, Sookie, Miss Patty, Kirk; Front row: Jess, Luke, Lorelai, Rory, Dean This is a list of characters for the comedy-drama television series Gilmore Girls . Contents 1 Main characters 1.1 Lorelai Gilmore 1.2 Rory Gilmore 1.3 Sookie St. James 1.4 Lane Kim 1.5 Michel Gerard 1.6 Luke Danes 1.7 Emily Gilmore 1.8 Richard Gilmore 1.9 Paris Geller 1.10 Dean Forester 1.11 Jess Mariano 1.12 Kirk Gleason 1.13 Jason Stiles 1.14 Logan Huntzberger 2 Major recurring characters 2.1 Christopher Hayden 2.2 Jackson Belleville 2.3 Mrs. Kim 2.4 Tristin DuGray 2.5 Max Medina 2.6 Taylor Doose 2.7 Dave Rygalski 2.8 Marty 3 Recurring characters 3.1 Stars Hollow 3.2 Chilton 3.3 Yale 3.4 Other 4 Notable guest stars 5 Unseen characters 6 Notes 7 References Main characters Actor Character Appearances Season 1 Season 2 Season 3 Season 4 Season 5 Season 6 Season 7 A Year in the Life Lauren Graham Lorelai Gilmore...
                    Read more

                    Confectionery

                    Image
                    Prepared foods made with a lot of sugar or other cabohydrates "Sweetmeat" redirects here. For the racehorse, see Sweetmeat (horse). Not to be confused with Sweetbread. This Kransekake is a traditional Scandinavian baker's confection. Confectionery is the art of making confections , which are food items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates. Exact definitions are difficult. [1] In general, though, confectionery is divided into two broad and somewhat overlapping categories, bakers' confections and sugar confections. [2] Bakers' confectionery, also called flour confections , includes principally sweet pastries, cakes, and similar baked goods. Sugar confectionery includes candies ( sweets in British English), candied nuts, chocolates, chewing gum, bubble gum, pastillage, and other confections that are made primarily of sugar. In some cases, chocolate confections (confections made of chocolate) are treated as a separate category, as are sugar-free versions of ...
                    Read more