Alfred was a very popular name during the late 19th and early 20th century.
It derives from the name âAlfradâ which is composed from two Old High German words:
Alf = elf + Rat = advice
Therefore, Alfred could either mean
âThe elfish advisorâ, âOne who is advised by the elvesâ or simply âElfish Adviceâ
Originally, the word elf comes from Norse Mythology but an elf as portrayed in German folk tales is a nature spirit that enjoys playing tricks on humans, creates chaos and does sometimes even cause harm. They might also be helpful, mind you, but only if you give them gifts.
An âelfish advisorâ wouldnât be much good of an assistant. If you, for example, tried to free the world from vampires and had an âelfish advisorâ, youâd probably end up spreading vampirism across the world, much as- Oh, basically like Abronsius did.
Our dear Professor doesnât have an all too common name- To be honest, I couldnât find it in any of my books, neither as a first nor as a last name, and had to use the internet. My conclusion is, that itâs either entirely made up or a variation of âAbrahamâ.
Ab = father, rwm = being eminent
It would be quite fitting for Abronsius to be an âeminent fatherâ but it might be a far fetch.
No matter what its meaning is, âAbronsiusâ makes a much clearer point by the sheer fact that itâs as unusual as it is. Someone by that name would even in the late 19th century be viewed as strange and outdated- the name has a certain Latin ring to it and wouldnât be fitting during that time period.
Sarah, on the other hand, is quickly explained, being a common Hebrew name translating to princess or mistress. Itâs a nice fit if you focus on her coming of age storyline but I fear it was mostly chosen because itâs a traditionally Jewish name.
Her mother, Rebecca, does also have a Hebrew name with the meaning âthe one who links themâ. It also translates to âcowâ- not as an insult but as in âsomething precious I ownâ.
Magdas name is primarily a pun on the German word âMagdâ = wench, maid. The name origins from âMagdalenaâ which plainly means âThe one from Magdalaâ Â
Letâs move on to our favourite vampire family, the von Krolocks. I was surprised to learn that it might be a reference to âNosferatuâ protagonist Graf Orlok whose name is linked to the Romanian words Orodog = devil and vrolok = Vampire. (Yes, their last name is basically McVampire.)
The counts first name is never mentioned in the musical but itâs a common bit of fanlore (at least here in Germany. How do you guys call him?) to assume he is called âBredaâ, which is written on a gravestone in the original movie. The name seems to be unisex with a Romanian origin. The (internet) sources I found claim it means âlover of the nightâ which sounds almost to perfect to be true. Â
Herbert McVampire has- just like Alfred- an Old High German name.
Heri = army, warrior + beraht = glistening, shining, famous.
âThe one who shines in battleâ and âThe glistening warriorâ would both be adequate translations and I think I speak for everyone if I choose âglistening warriorâ as the most fabulous accurate translation.
I think itâs notable to say that Herbert was a very popular name during the late 19th century and not so much during the time von Krolock was transformed (Summer 1618). It wasnât until after the 18th Century that Germans started to feel comfortable using âheathenâ names again instead of âproperâ Christian ones. This does not necessarily mean that Herbert wasnât born while the count was still mortal but if he was von Krolocks choice of name might have be seen as inappropriate by many of his fellow noblemen.
