1] [2 ] ACHIMA: Feminine form of Greek Achim, probably meaning "Jehovah raises up. Keep all this in mind when you delve into. 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. Where many a French or Italian surname refer to a geographical location, most German last names derive from an occupation or characteristic trait. 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. -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. What’s interesting about these names is that they contain old German words that are no longer in use. Schwarzenegg is a place in Austria (and also a place in Switzerland!). ; ADALA: Old German name derived from adal, meaning "noble." Names that contain the vowel clusters ue and oe indicate umlauts (Schroeder -- Schröder), providing a clue to German origins. , and you just might learn something new about your ancestors. Below are just some of the German Family Names (German Surnames) that we have on file. 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 This was the name of a 9th-century Frankish king, the son of Louis I, who ruled the region called Lorraine. For example: There are an estimated 850,000 different surnames in Germany — a very high number! You can explore the various names and their meanings in this article. ADA: Pet form of German names containing the element adal, meaning "noble. Ornamental name from old German freud meaning "joy" and berg meaning "mountain". Many surnames, especially occupational and descriptive surnames, were changed to the English equivalent of the German. When first approaching a German surname, it’s important to remember that each name originally had a meaning. Old German Last Names . Where does the surname WIELAND derive from? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_most_common_surnames_in_Germany If a German moved onto someone else's farm, it was not uncommon to change his last name to that of the farm. "In use in Germany. People are interested to learn not only the origins of family names, but also first names, place names, and names of natural landmarks. Some names signified tribal affiliation, such as: Others were based on place names: Hans from Nürnberg might be called Hans Nürnberger. The early Germans lived Gina tribal and agricultural culture, but they also loved war. 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". Abel. No doubt a personal name taken or given from the country; compare Norman. This is a loose translation of a piece written by Prof. Dr. Jürgen Udolph, which can be read in the original German here. This name was borne by Augusta Ada King (1815-1852), the Countess of Lovelace (known as Ada Lovelace), a daughter of Lord Byron. For example, they might have called him, There are plenty of other resources for researching German family names and plotting their distribution, many of which can be found among, Still, even if you can’t determine the precise meaning of your German family names, it’s never been easier to research your German roots thanks to the availability of online records — some of which, like the, , are exclusive to MyHeritage. A son and a father might have different surnames. German Surname: Meaning/Origin: Müller: miller: Schmidt: smith: Schneider: taylor: Fischer: fisher: Weber: weaver: Schäfer: shepherd: Meyer (MHG) steward of landholder; leaseholder: Wagner: wagoner: Becker: from Bäcker >baker: Bauer: farmer: Hoffmann: landed farmer: Schulz: mayor: Koch: cook: Richter: judge: Klein: small: Wolf: wolf: Schröder: carter: Neumann: new man: Braun: brown: … . Mac/Mc, meaning Son, and Ó, meaning Little (or Descendant), are used by sons born into the family. He has researched more than 10,000 names in the past ten years. This month, in honor of Remembrance Day in the U.K. and Veterans Day in the U.S, we’d like to help celebrate the heroic service men and women in your families. There are several famous and notable figures that bear German surnames, from celebrities to political figures. With that in mind, here are some of the most common German surnames and their meanings. 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