German Names

 




10 Common German Surnames

 

Here are 10 of the most popular German surnames found around the world:

 

Becker: on the surface, it may seem obvious that the Becker’s were bakers by trade. However, there is strong evidence to support that Becker may also have identified a family as carpenter or toolmakers. Whatever the case may be, the Becker’s served an essential function in any German city.

 

Hoffmann: the peasant farmers of rural Germany would be the first to bear this occupational name, as they toiled on the hoff (farm). The name would later become a surname used for the farm owners, managers, and foremen, rather than the day-to-day workers in the fields.

 

Klein: a descriptive surname that means “small.” This would have been used to describe the original namesake’s physical stature. The popularity of the surname Klein paints an interesting and rather humorous picture of a small individual who, despite their size, made a large mark on history.

 

Meyer: derives from the medieval German word for “superior” or “mayor” (meiger) which could be interpreted to mean a feudal lord or land overseer. As wealthy landholders, the Meyer’s held a high-class status.

 

Mueller: an occupational last name meaning “miller.” Almost every language has a last name meaning miller as a result of the job’s traditional importance.

 

Schmidt: another occupational surname, the German form of “Smith.” Blacksmiths, coppersmiths, goldsmiths, gunsmiths, and locksmiths were all highly valued jobs in late medieval society.

Schneider: the Schneider’s were tailors by trade. Coming from the word “schneiden,” meaning “to cut,” these were the clothiers who dressed the barons and baronesses of Renaissance Europe.

Schulz: coming from the German root word “schulteize” (tax collector), Schulz could also mean sheriff or magistrate. In essence, these were the police who protected the investments of their feudal lords and kept the peace in their particular townships. There is also a Jewish origin to the name (also written as Schultz) which may have meant rabbi.

 

Wagner: the teamsters of their day, Wagner comes from the early German word “waganari,” which could mean “wagon maker” or “wagon rider.” The Wagner’s were the transporters, the traders, the men and women who drove goods to market and ensured that trade remained open and the people did not wait for food or luxuries.

 

Wolf: a descriptive German last name. Wolves were often used as heraldic animals and as symbols of independence and skill in hunting or battle, suggesting that Wolf was given to people for their nobler qualities.

Understanding Our German Ancestors

In many other cultures, we find there is a much higher density of patronymic and geographical last names, but the propensity of occupational German surnames tells us something different about our Deutsch ancestors themselves: they valued their work above all else. What a person did was as, or more, important than where they came from or who their father was.

It is interesting to note that many of our German ancestors who arrived at Ellis Island during the late 1800s and early 1900s became the Smiths, Bakers, Millers, and Tailors we know today. This is due to both the American immigration officials and the immigrants themselves choosing to use the English translation of the German surnames, to ensure societal acceptance and facilitate rapid cultural assimilation.

https://blog.genealogybank.com/common-german-last-names-their-meanings.html

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Polish Jewish Names

Image
  Polish Jewish Names The earliest historically confirmed news about the region, which today is the State of Poland, dates back to the 10 th century. At that time, and maybe already two centuries earlier, Jews came to Poland from Ukraine, from the Khazarian Empire — between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea — and the Byzantium Empire. The emigration from Germany, especially from Franconia and the Rhine area, and from Bohemia — which took place from the 11 th century — influ­enced the language and the people's names. The Jews brought along, to Poland, the German language of that time, as well as the community organization typical of the German ones. The Yiddish language, still existing, was a combination of German dialect and Hebrew words. The Jews were engaged in this area in trade and money business, the trigger of the setting up of a local economy. The oldest Jewish communities in Poland in the 13 th and 14 th centuries were: Plozk, Kalisch, Krakau, Lemberg, Posna...
Read more

Russian Jewish Names

Image
  Russia In very early times Jews migrated to Russia, probably from Byzantium and Crimea. There is evidence of this migration (8 th century) to the district of Kiev, well-known to have been a center of trade from the early days. Al­though the Russian Orthodox Church was opposed to the Jews, the king gave them financial support as trade people. Tsar Ivan the Terrible (1533-1584) hated them and caused those who refused to convert to Christianity to be drowned in the Duna river. In the second half of the 16 th century, there were hardly any Jews living in Mos­cow and Russia. They did not return until the 17 th century. Most of the Tsars placed restrictions on the Jews. Peter the Great (1682– 1725), although acknowledged for his tolerance, would not give Jews the right to settle in Russia. But some baptized Jews, however, found favor with him. Jews were generally prohibited from entering the establishment, however, despite mixed fortunes, they were more or less tolerated. Th...
Read more

Comments - February 2023

Image
  Trenton Jewish Historical Society   Jewish Federation, Trenton 1964   45Vicki DaBronzo, Bernice Siskowitz Abramovich and 43 others 8 1   Kevin Thurm Miriam Feinberg Vamosh ,  Paul Feinberg Carol Charlton Steven Sacks-Wilner That is my father receiving the gavel together with a fine group of community minded gentlemen. 3 Richard Ross Steven Sacks-Wilner  Your dad drive carpool to PCD, much of it on the shoulder of Route 1 Steven Sacks-Wilner Richard Ross  That's my Dad. He thought and acted outside the Box before "outside the Box" became inside the Box    Lisa Warren February 5 at 1:11 PM   Richard Ross my handsome community minded father!!    22Jonathan Weber, Vicki DaBronzo and 20 others 5 ...
Read more