For example: There are an estimated 850,000 different surnames in Germany — a very high number! It comes from the Middle High German word ‘Habere,’ which means ‘oats.’ It is likely an occupational surname referring to a grower or seller of oats. If you are one of 46 million Americans with German ancestry, your surname could yield some interesting clues to your family history. The ornamental name is derived from the German word ‘prinz’ that means ‘prince.’. It is a toponymic name for people from several places called Dahme in Germany. It is a toponymic name for someone from the place called Neida in Germany. This information is for educational purposes only and not a substitute for professional health services. Wealthier familes received German names that had a pleasant or prosperous sound (Goldstein, gold stone, Rosenthal, rose valley), while the less prosperous had to settle for less prestigious names based on a place (Schwab, from Swabia), an occupation (Schneider, tailor), or a characteristic (Grün, green). Among them are: These names originated from descriptions of the person’s appearance, character, habits, and so on. Another reference for the surname could be the Latin word ‘Faustus,’ which means ‘favorable’ or ‘lucky.’. It comes from the German word ‘rinne,’ which refers to a ‘groove’ or a ‘channel’ for water. 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. This is not always easy for German names, particularly those among the Sorbian and Danish minorities. It originates from the Old High German word ‘herling’ meaning ‘sour.’ The name could have been a nickname for an immature person. It is an occupational name for someone who makes ‘cords,’ ‘strings,’ ‘shoestrings’ or ‘ribbons.’. These surnames were not always family names, in the sense that they were not necessarily passed down in the family. It is a spelling variant of the German name ‘Eicher,’ which comes from the word ‘Eich’ meaning an oak tree. It is toponymic surname referring to someone who belonged to the town called Celle in Germany. 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. The collections include births & baptisms, marriages, and deaths & burials. What’s interesting about these names is that they contain old German words that are no longer in use. The occupational surname refers to someone who makes pattens. ‘Teich’ is the German word for ‘pond.’, It comes from the Low German word ‘delle,’ which means dell – a small valley in English. German Surnames . Brushing Baby's Teeth: When To Start And How To Clean, Nightmares And Night Terrors In Babies & Toddlers: Reasons And Solutions, Top 10 Foods To Boost Your Kid’s Brain Power, 800+ Cute Nicknames Or Pet Names For Baby Boys And Girls, 200 Sinh Rashi Baby Names For Boys And Girls, With Meanings, 200+ Most Popular Asian Baby Names For Girls And Boys, 50 Glorious Moorish Names For Baby Boys And Girls, 100 Most Popular Russian Surnames Or Last Names With Meanings. It is a toponymic name for someone from any of the many places named Hasselbach in Germany. The most common way to explore a German surname is to create a distribution map using “Telefon-CDs” — CDs that contain phone book information, including the last names of people in specific households. In German, ‘licht’ means ‘light,’ and ‘berg,’ means ‘mountain.’, This name is derived from the Middle High German word ‘liep,’ which means ‘dear’ or ‘beloved.’. Or maybe point me in direction to start this process. It is the German variant of the name ‘Kanter’ or ‘Kantor,’ which is an occupational name for a schoolmaster or a choirmaster. What Does Your German Surname … It is an occupational name for someone who uses the tool ‘pickaxe.’. This name is composed of the German words ‘wohl’ meaning ‘well-being’ and berg meaning ‘hill’ or ‘mountain.’ 191. In October, 59.6 million historical records were added to MyHeritage in 6 collections from Norway, Wales, and Portugal. Find out its meaning and origin here. People are interested to learn not only the origins of family names, but also first names, place names, and names of natural landmarks. Another origin is the German word ‘edel,’ which means ‘noble’ or an ‘aristocrat.’, It is derived from the German name ‘Degenhardt,’ which is composed of Old German words, namely ‘degen’ meaning ‘young warrior’ and ‘hardt’ meaning ‘strong.’. It is a toponymic name for someone from a place called Wacken in Germany. It is a variant of the Middle High German name ‘luhs,’ which denotes a person with keen sight. Austrian Surnames . 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. These German surnames do inherit an influence from other cultures due to the inflow of several civilizations into the country. He has researched more than 10,000 names in the past ten years. This name is of Teutonic (a tribe that inhabited coastal Germany) origin, which means ‘illustrious.’. It comes from the Middle High German word ‘nixe,’ which means ‘water sprite’ – a term used to refer a spirit associated with water. The toponymic name is made from the combination of the German words ‘kalt’ meaning ‘cold’ and ‘bach’ meaning ‘brook’ or a ‘stream.’ The name likely refers to someone who lives by a cold stream. FREUND German From Middle High German vriunt , modern German Freund meaning "friend" . It is derived from the Middle High German word ‘Kule,’ which means a ‘quarry.’ It is a toponymic surname for one who lives by a quarry. In 1840 there were 59 German families living in Pennsylvania. 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. (“brother Egebreht who is called the Wolhuser”). It is a variant of the German word ‘nebel,’ which means ‘mist,’ ‘fog’ or ‘haze.’ It is likely a toponymic surname for someone from the colder regions of Germany. This German surname is also a status name for an arbitrator. It is the combination of the German words ‘ober’ meaning ‘upper’ and ‘mann’ meaning ‘man.’ It could be a toponymic surname for someone who lived in the upper region of a town or city. Looking for all records for Oscar Korn, from Hamburg, Germany. -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. Where does the surname WIELAND derive from? Wohlberg. Here are some German family surnames for you. Top 10 most common Dutch surnames. The name thus refers to a ‘bright warrior.’, This toponymic German surname comes from the Middle High German word ‘hurst’ meaning ‘woodland.’. 4. It comes from the Middle High German word ‘hor,’ which means ‘mud.’ It’s a toponymic name for people who live by swampy land. It is a variant of the Middle High German word ‘junc,’ which is used as a nickname for someone young. Caffeine (Coffee) During Pregnancy: How Much of It Is Safe? It is a short form of a German personal name ‘Aido,’ which probably derived from ‘Eid’ meaning an ‘oath.’. It is derived from the Middle High German word ‘lower,’ which is an occupational name for a tanner. It is derived from the German name ‘Bertwald,’ which comes from the Old High German words, ‘beraht’ meaning ‘bright’ and ‘wald’ meaning ‘rule.’. This German surname is a variant of the name ‘Aldman.’ It translates into ‘old man’ in German. It is a toponymic surname for someone who lives along the river Oese in Germany. German surnames generally fit into one of the following categories: These were originally names with two parts, such as: Some of them were later shortened to names such as: What’s interesting about these names is that they contain old German words that are no longer in use. It comes from the Middle High German word ‘rinke,’ which means a ‘buckle.’ It is an occupational name for someone who makes buckles or clasps. It comes from the Middle High German word ‘loadere,’ which is an occupational name for a weaver of woolen cloth. The name means “bright ruler; one who is charming and intelligent”. The origin of the name lies in the Middle High German word ‘uover’ that refers to the ‘bank of a river or lake’ or ‘shore of a sea.’. It may refer to someone who lived in the northern part of a region. It comes from the German word ‘decke’ meaning a ‘ceiling,’ ‘roof’ or ‘cover.’ This occupational surname refers to a ‘carpenter,’ ‘builder’ or someone who thatches a roof. It is a German toponymic surname referring to people who originally came from the place called Eben in Bavaria, Germany. It is the German word for ‘wine’ and refers to a wine merchant or wine producer. 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. It is a toponymic name for someone from the place called Lemberg in Germany. German surnames like Lang (the long), Braun (the brown) or Gross (the big) tell us about the physical appearance of the first to bear our last names. It is a spelling variant of ‘Engmann,’ where ‘eng’ in German means ‘narrow.’ The toponymic name refers to a person who lives in a narrow place like a valley. It is a combination of two Middle Low German words ‘tins’ meaning ‘tax’ and ‘man’ meaning ‘man.’ The name either denotes a taxpayer or a taxman who collects taxes. It is derived from the name of the Linden tree. Bernstein \"amber\" 6. By plotting the distribution of a surname in Germany, you can determine whether the name originated in Germany or came into use due to immigration (mostly as a result of World War II). (compare with \"Pereira\", \"Mangabeira\", \"Oliveira\" etc.) The name is related to the word ‘unholz’ that refers to waste wood or unwanted wood left after making wooden furniture. Those of higher social status often took surnames that are uncommon today; whereas people of lower social status often took what are today common surnames. For example, ask (“spear”), beraht (“bright, radiant”), degan (“warrior”), fruma (“benefit, advantage, blessing”), hagen (“fenced place”), wig (“fight, struggle”), or witu (“wood”). It is probably a toponymic name referring to someone who lived by a stream or a water body. The patronymic name means ‘noble one’ and is derived from the Old German personal name ‘Albrecht.’. 12. Meanwhile, such last names as Wolf (wolf-like) and Hertz (big-hearted) describe personality traits that made such a … 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! It is a toponymic name for people from a place called Glahn near Hannover, Germany. Today only, get free access to Germany, Hesse Marriage Index, 1849-1931 and Germany, Hesse Birth Index, 1874-1911! Baumgardner, Baumgart, Baumgartner (from Baumgärtner \"tree gardener\") 2. Ornamental name from old German freud meaning "joy" and berg meaning "mountain". From a place name, derived from Old High German swarz meaning "black" and ecka meaning "edge, corner". 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