This leads to some pretty self-explanatory surnames. It was only in the 19th century that surnames became hereditary. Rothschild As special service you may send us own requests in the form below. Ornamental name from old German freud meaning "joy" and berg meaning "mountain". It looked like this: Cunradus dictus Faber, Heinricus dictus Kreier, bruder Egebreht dem man sprichet der Wolhuser (“brother Egebreht who is called the Wolhuser”), Hans Rot genannt Rotlieb, Heinrich bi dem Bach. This ornamental surname is adopted from the German word ‘Rosen Baum’ meaning ‘rose tree’. Common German Last Names . No doubt a personal name taken or given from the country; compare Norman. Mac/Mc, meaning Son, and Ó, meaning Little (or Descendant), are used by sons born into the family. For the most part, the name was chosen by people who knew the person and who used the name to describe him. Looking for all records for Oscar Korn, from Hamburg, Germany. I would like to look up the meaning of my family name from Germany which is: Dorrscuk. Most German commoners acquired their surnames in the Middle Ages, sometime around the 1300s, and for most areas (with the conspicuous exceptions noted later in this section) those surnames were fixed from one generation … Difficult names can only be interpreted by a linguist who is familiar with the historical layers of the language. Where does the surname WIELAND derive from? Sound information is not always readily available. These are known as occupational and descriptive last names. This stalwart tradition of connecting with loved ones around the holidays may have evolved over the years, but the sentiment to share holiday cheer has endured. German Name Origins And Meanings. 1] [2 ] ABELARD: Old German name, meaning "noble strength. Other examples include names such as: Bamberger; Bielfeld; Erfurt; Fischbeck; Oldenburg Many German surnames are self-explanatory as they were derived from people’s jobs. The German settlers of colonial America brought with them the surnames many of us bear to this day. Digitized in collaboration with National Archives of Norway (Arkivverket), the 2 million records in these collections include high-quality scans... Oh the joy of receiving personalized Seasons Greetings from family and friends! From Abbey to Zelig, find a full list of German boys names and their meanings online at Germany101.com For example, Names like these might have been shortened to, Brückner (someone who lives near a bridge), Buschmann (someone who lives near bushes), Weidemann (“willow man” or “pasture man”), Krüger (“innkeeper” or “merchant of glass and pottery”), Richter (legal official, from the word for “to make right”), When first approaching a German surname, it’s important to remember that each name originally had a meaning. Gottschalk / Gottschald / Gottschall – From the Old High German ‘got-scalk’ meaning `God’s servant.‘ This German surname is particularly old and was first recorded in 866 as ‘Godescalc’. Among them are: These names originated from descriptions of the person’s appearance, character, habits, and so on. The email address is kept private and will not be shown. This is because names are often based on words that come from Middle High German or Middle Low German, which are no longer spoken in Germany. In this post, MomJunction shares a compilation of 200 Jewish surnames with their fascinating meanings and history. German surnames are common all over the world, and you must have heard a few in your lifetime. Team Coco/Giphy. In the case of a daughter being born into the family she would use Ní/Nic, for example Ó Muireadhaigh becomes Ní Mhuireadhaigh. If you don’t find your German Family Name here – we may have it but not have added it to this page yet. Names with Christian origins were quite popular: Names like these might have been shortened to Alex, Christoph, Nickel, or Franz. To understand the meaning of a name derived from these languages, you need to have a background in the Slavic, Baltic, Finno-Ugric, Romanic, Turkic, and other languages — not only the modern vernaculars, but the historical development of these languages and their dialects. "In use in Germany. Where many a French or Italian surname refer to a geographical location, most German last names derive from an occupation or characteristic trait. Read on to see our list of popular Irish last names, their Irish spellings, and their meanings. In the distant past, individuals were only given a first name. As sweet as an apple, as pleasant as a brook. Common German Surnames & Their Meanings 91. This is followed in popularity by the name Schmidt (along with variants such as Schmitt or Schmitz, this comes from the blacksmith's trade), with Meier coming in third place. 1. Historically, the most popular German first names, or given names, have been biblical in nature, most commonly named for Saints such as Johann or … Uí Mhuireadhaigh. In this part, a look will be taken at names having at least one Military Root. — you’ve probably been spending a lot of time with their surnames. Prof. Dr. Udolph is a name researcher, father of 4, and a tenured professor at Leipzig University, and he is the most sought-after expert today when it comes to the interpretation of names. By using ThoughtCo, you accept our, Top 50 German Surnames and Their Meanings, The Meanings and Origins of Spanish Surnames, The Meaning and Origin of Famous German Names, Zimmermann Surname Meaning and Family History, Schroeder Surname Meaning and Family History, Neumann Surname Meaning and Family History, The History of Popular German Last Names (Nachnamen), SCHMIDT Surname Meaning and Family History, SCHMITZ Surname Meaning and Family History, Certificate in Genealogical Research, Boston University. They are often very easy to identify if you either know a little German or know which clues to look for. You might be also interested in german surnames, german last names or family names.Learn where these names come from, their meanings and even some german genealogy. I haven’t been able to find much information on this last name. These additions eventually evolved into the surnames we know today: Heinrich dictus Schneider became Heinrich Schneider. The collections consist of 14.8 million indexed historical records and cover over... We are pleased to announce the addition of a new Norwegian historical record collection — Norway Church Records, 1815–1938. German names follow the standard Western naming conventions in that they consist of a given name(s) and a surname. There are a few institutions in Germany dedicated to researching the backgrounds of German names. What’s interesting about these names is that they contain old German words that are no longer in use. Keep all this in mind when you delve into. Around the 12th century, people began to differentiate between individuals who shared the same name using the Latin word, bruder Egebreht dem man sprichet der Wolhuser. To understand the meaning of a name derived from obsolete words, you need to have a background in the history of the German language — especially Low German, which for a time was the dominant language of the entire Baltic Sea region in northern Germany. A son and a father might have different surnames. . Knowing more about your family’s origins may help you understand more about their names, and vice versa. In the previous segment, we saw that the olden German name was a single name, composed of two syllables with each syllable representing a root and each root having a specific meaning. German Surnames. Around the 12th century, people began to differentiate between individuals who shared the same name using the Latin word dictus (“called”), or later, with the German genant (“called”), giheizen/heisset (“is called”), den man sprichet (“of whom you speak”), den man nennt (“the one who you call”), and so on. But these words might be retained in names — such as place names and names of rivers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_most_common_surnames_in_Germany For one or two variants of the surname, v. Jarman. Occupational German Last Names The son of the noble, Umberto de Savoy, may rule at Lorraine and be known as Lothair de Lorraine, the son of John le Smith may be a cheese-maker and known as Dominic Cheeseman and the son of William the Bald may have a head of thick white hair and been known as Darren Snowball. For the most part, the name was chosen by people who knew the person and who used the name to describe him. (“brother Egebreht who is called the Wolhuser”). Check out this list of popular German surnames and their meanings to see if you recognize any. He has researched more than 10,000 names in the past ten years. German surnames developed from four major sources: A variation on locality names, farm names in Germany are names which came from the family farm. From Where Does The Surname Originate? For example: There are an estimated 850,000 different surnames in Germany — a very high number! LOTHAR m German, Ancient Germanic From the Germanic name Chlodochar meaning "famous army", derived from the elements hlud "famous" and hari "army". Meanings and Origins of Female German Names. Most people use the CD collections from around 1990–2000, because from that point forward, people began using cell phones, and the listings don’t contain any information about their place of residence. In October, 59.6 million historical records were added to MyHeritage in 6 collections from Norway, Wales, and Portugal. The most common German surname, Müller (miller), is shared by around 700,000 people. Prussian Surnames Database . It’s not always easy for a German speaker to understand the meaning of a family name. Occupational. There are Jewish surnames of Russian, Polish, or German origin. Because of this, many names in Germany are derived from all the languages of eastern and southeastern Europe, such as Polish, Yiddish, Czech, French, Baltic languages (Old Prussian, Lithuanian, and Latvian), Belarusian, Ukrainian, Russian, Romanian, Hungarian, Slovenian, Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian, and so on. 2. Aber. If someone asked you to name the first Christmas song that comes to mind, you’ll very likely answer “Jingle Bells.” The cheerful classic has become a universally recognized icon of Christmas, right along with Santa Claus, wreaths of holly, and the colors red, white,... We are delighted to announce the addition of two new collections of Norway Census records — the 1875 Norway Census and the 1870 Norway Census. 92. Abel. This name is of Teutonic (a tribe that inhabited coastal Germany) origin, which means ‘illustrious.’. We invite you to share the stories of your ancestors who served in the... What a month! Bezzenberger (cf. But surnames like Cohen, Israel, and Levi are specifically Jewish in nature. People are interested to learn not only the origins of family names, but also first names, place names, and names of natural landmarks. However, name research is one area of linguistics that attracts a great deal of interest. I’m really new at this type of research. If you’ve been researching your German ancestors — especially in light of MyHeritage’s release of the new and exclusive North Rhine-Westphalia Death Index 1874–1938 — you’ve probably been spending a lot of time with their surnames. ADA f English, German, Polish, Hungarian, Italian, Finnish, Ancient Germanic Originally a short form of Germanic names such as ADELAIDE or ADELINA that begin with the element adal meaning "noble". German Last Name Meaning . However, as populations increased, the multitude of people who shared the same first name became confusing. Bierbaum (see also Beerbohm) Biermann, Bierman > Beermann, Beerman, cf.Berman; Binder (cf.Buchbinder, Fassbinder) Binding; Binswanger; Birnbaum (includes Jewish pedigrees) Biron, Birons (also a Baltic nobility) Bisha; Bitter, Bittner; Blacher; Blei; Bleibtreu Adalbert, Low German) Bieber; Bieler Swiss\German; Biechl; Biedermann, Biederman; Bier. Approximately 16 million refugees and displaced persons moved to Germany after 1945, and many of their names are derived from other languages and dialects. A man might also change his surname to his wife's maiden name if she inherited a farm. German Surname Origins And Meanings. It was only in the 19th century that surnames became hereditary. This was the name of a 9th-century Frankish king, the son of Louis I, who ruled the region called Lorraine. For example, they might have called him Schneider because he was a tailor. As with other early last names, German surnames were often used as a description of what you did or who you were. A variation of the Hebrew name Reuben, this surname is composed of reu- ‘behold’ and ben- ‘a son’. By the time periods covered by MyHeritage’s. German surnames derived from family origin. Knowing more about your family’s origins may help you understand more about their names, and vice versa. Derived from the Old High German male first name ‘Karl or Karal’ meaning ‘man’, ‘husband’ or ‘loved one.’ It can also mean ‘the free one’ or ‘the brave one’. The original All Souls Day — which eventually morphed into Halloween — is celebrated in many traditional Christian societies as a day to honor the memories of one’s ancestors. German family names can be a fascinating gateway to the past — not only your family’s past, but also the history of Germany and the German language. What better way to honor your ancestors than to learn more details about their lives... We are pleased to announce the publication of three important Welsh historical record collections on MyHeritage: Wales, Parish Births and Baptisms; Wales, Parish Marriages and Banns; and Wales, Parish Deaths and Burials. Cornelius Tacitus, a renowned Roman historian (5… Meanings and Origins of Male German Names. Determining the meaning of these names involves special challenges. Germany Surname Map . Three suffixes which often indicate a German occupational name are: -er (one who), commonly found in names such as Fischer, one who fishes; -hauer (hewer or cutter), used in names such as Baumhauer, tree chopper; and -macher (one who makes), found in names like Schumacher, one who makes shoes. Another difficulty encountered in the interpretation of German names is the consequences of population shifts as a result of World War II. 'the son of German.' Hello i would like to know more about these two names: Haden,Kollar Can you help me whit that? The latter are particularly difficult to interpret because they are old — sometimes very old. In September we added 21.7 million historical records from 12 new collections from Australia, Armenia, the British Commonwealth, Canada, Germany, France, and the U.S. , and you just might learn something new about your ancestors. Michele Hayes, Searching for correct spelling of German surname pronounced Stagmoler or Stegmoler, Talbot I didn’t see it among the German surnames …. indexes from Hesse, for example, surnames were used for the entire family. Roth is derived from the German word Rot meaning ‘red colour’. Some surnames relate to where a person is from. Root classifications are mainly Military, Terrain, Professional and Personal Characteristics (miscellaneous). Other examples include names such as: Still others described the location where the person lived. German Surnames . Graber / Graeber – From Middle High German `grabaere‘ meaning `digger (of ditches) / grave digger. ‘ Affal’ in High German means apple and ‘ bach’ means brook. You can explore the various names and their meanings in this article. The thing which makes them different from traditional surnames, however, is that when a person moved onto a farm, he would change his name to that of the farm (a name which usually came from the farm's original owner). -berg (meaning "mountain") -bruck (meaning "bridge") -burg (meaning "castle") -furt (meaning "ford") -holz (meaning "wood") -rode (clearing in woods) -wald (meaning "forest" or "woods") Some German towns and villages have names ending in. German Surname Meaning. Names with the vowel cluster ei (Klein) are also mostly German. Below are just some of the German Family Names (German Surnames) that we have on file. ; ADALA: Old German name derived from adal, meaning "noble." She teaches at the Genealogical Institute of Pittsburgh and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. Complete List Of German Surnames Thank you for your time in this matter. For example, ask (“spear”), beraht (“bright, radiant”), degan (“warrior”), fruma (“benefit, advantage, blessing”), hagen (“fenced place”), wig (“fight, struggle”), or witu (“wood”). Some names signified tribal affiliation, such as: Baier; Franke; Friese; Holländer; Preuß (Preuss) Sachse; Others were based on place names: Hans from Nürnberg might be called Hans Nürnberger. 7. This practice obviously results in a dilemma for genealogists, with such possibilities as children in one family being born under different surnames. This name was borne by Augusta Ada King (1815-1852), the Countess of Lovelace (known as Ada Lovelace), a daughter of Lord Byron. This is a loose translation of a piece written by Prof. Dr. Jürgen Udolph, which can be read in the original German here. 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