Regarding naming patterns and orders of whose name you choose first, I do have to add that tradition for one area of modern Germany isn't necessarily standard for another. For example, in southern Hessen, people nearly always go by their middle names, and the first is just a baptismal name. Up north--getting up by Schleswig-Holstein--there is a much greater chance that your ancestor would have gone by his or her first given name. The best way to look for naming patterns in your area is to take a good look at entries in the church books (many on microfilm at the FHL), or in a printed Familienbuch or Ortssippenbuch for your village (family books listing all members of all village families for a certain time period--some available on microfilm and some through interlibrary loan).
Rose Green
researching HARTWIG, BRUNIGES