Subject

Baptism record abbreviations P.D. - D. - N

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Posted to Message board on July 16, 2026 by Linda Schwartz.
Description

In several ancestor records, I am finding the abbreviation P.D. or D. or N - also N.N. I have found almost no information about these other than than P.D. could mean "pater dignus"or "worthy father."  

Example: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:9Q97-Y39V-HYT?view=index&cc=1554443&lang=en&groupId=M9S4-DQ3 entry for Anna Stetina (right side, 2nd entry from bottom) . Her father is listed as P.D. Mathias Stetina. In the godparents, one godfather is listed also as P.D. Georgius Kollany and his wife as D. Anna Maria. 

This page also lists an individual as N.N. 

Can anyone tell me what these abbreviations mean?  Thanks for any assistance!! 

Linda

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Contact:
Linda Schwartz - PA
Comments

Comments

Comment by jasoncadek on July 18, 2026 at 4:26pm

Hi Linda, 

I ran the document through MyHeritage Scribe AI and it produced the following: 

  • "The presence of honorific titles such as 'P. D.' (likely standing for Praenobilis Dominus or Perillustris Dominus, meaning 'Very Noble Lord') and 'D.' (Dominus/Domina) indicates that the families recorded held a higher social status, possibly as minor nobility or prominent local figures."  

Additionally, Google stated that: 

  • "In 1780 Slovak church records (written in Latin), both terms were honorific titles denoting social status and nobility. Praenobilis indicates lower nobility (gentry), while Perillustris indicates a higher, more prestigious rank of nobility (such as a high-ranking state official or wealthy landowner)."
  • "Praenobilis Dominus" is a Latin title of respect frequently found in 18th- and 19th-century church and estate records in the territory of modern-day Slovakia (historically part of the Kingdom of Hungary).  Priests and record-keepers in the region utilized this honorific to denote members of the petty or lower nobility. It was used for minor landowners, gentry, and educated professionals such as doctors, magistrates, and local officials. Genealogical Significance: If you spot this in a Slovak baptismal, marriage, or death record, the individual had a social status slightly elevated above the common peasantry.

Two guesses.