Most German surnames derive either from archaic professions (such as Schmidt, Mller, Weber, or Schfer) or places. A man might also change his surname to his wife's maiden name if she inherited a farm. There are names that correspond with types of location, specific employment, character traits, patronymics (related to the first name of a father or ancestor), and so on. It means large or tall. A son and a father might have different surnames. "What Does Your German Last Name Mean?" Nederlands Joods familiearchief. It is the most common family name in Germany and Switzerland, and the fifth most common surname in Austria. In the flat country, the most prevalent surname is Peeters with 32,700 owners. Who can forget the resilient Tortoise, the hardworking Ant or the naive Crow who shaped so many childhoods? A local surname refers to someone who currently or once lived in the region of Lorraine in Northeastern France. Aubert Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Category:German_surnames_from_French&oldid=50207290, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. 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. Abrams Origin: Hebrew Meaning: High father or reference to the prophet Abraham. "What Does Your German Last Name Mean?" The French have the prefixes: D', De, La, Le, Du, and Des while the Italians have: A, D', Da, De, Del, Della, Di, Li, in addition to Lo. Fundamental All languages French Terms by semantic function Names Surnames From German, French surnames of German origin. 7. But who are we laughing at? English: variant of Marton . 1 in marche - central italy. They are often very easy to identify if you either know a little German or know which clues to look for. To refer to someone from a certain place in German, it was a custom to simply add the suffix -er to the name of the place, so, for example, a person from Kln is a Klner. With three Michelin stars, French chef Hlne Darroze is a force in the culinary world. The name was often given to someone who came to a new city, or a convert to Christianity. After immigrating to America, many Germans changed ("Americanized") their surname to make it easier for others to pronounce or merely to feel more a part of their new home. Would really like to know some information about it. Our team is comprised of parents, experts, and content professionals dedicated to bringing you the most accurate and relevant information in the parenting space. In this post, we will explore the origins of German family names, how they developed, and how to research the surnames in your own family. By the way, the second most common surname in Romanian is Popescu (meaning the son of Popa) this is because -escuand -(e)anu are the most common name suffixes for Romanian names. Your use of the site indicates your agreement to be bound by our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. This is a loose translation of a piece written by Prof. Dr. Jrgen Udolph, which can be read in the original German here. He was Albanias communist head of state from 1944 until his death in 1985. This surname corresponded to people who were from various valley landscapes in France. About the author This is a modern French version of the names Mateo and Matteo. It is, in one way or another, derived from the root Grub-, which refers to things related to digging and in general to holes in the ground. Related: 50 German Last Names and Surnames with Meanings 41. Perhaps you could use Von with your current surname, or as a prefix for the place you were born, or indeed anywhere you like (subject to the legal requirements in your country.). Horvat is the most frequent surname in Croatia. Stichting Nederlands Joods Familiearchief. German Last Names and Their Meanings Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Powell, Kimberly. 20. He has researched more than 10,000 names in the past ten years. This job-related surname was connected to the grower and/or seller of pears. He has researched more than 10,000 names in the past ten years. Geographically referring to people living or working in the mountains. Minor Outlying IslandsUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuelaVietnamWallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabwe, I consent to my data being stored in line with your Privacy Policy & Legal Notice (required), Keep me updated - I'd like to sign up for the latest news & offers. Similarly, various artists may be interested in French surnames for the purpose of naming characters in upcoming novels or screenplays, using them in song lyrics, as inspiration for the titles of paintings, sculptures, or other artwork, and more. Yep, its a weird but old tradition there. Dont even try to type Rossiin an Italian search engine! -- Amsterdam : Scheltema & Holkema ; Polak & Van Gennep, 1967. It is shared by over 200,000 people in these countries. The most famous Papadopoulos (in Greek,) may be the mean Greek character in the adventures of Tintin. While many of the official privileges that German nobles had enjoyed for centuries were revoked, the right to include the Von or Zu prefix in the surname was one way that noble families could retain an air of their previous aristocratic rank, as well as bequeathing a noble name and lineage to future generations. Hesse , or the Palatine (Palatinate or Pfalz region), was the area of highest 18 th Century German . Abel Abel is a patronymic name which means 'noble one'. By the 18th century almost all Ukrainians had family names. Mller, Schmidt and Meier: the most common German surnames The most common German surname, Mller (miller), is shared by around 700,000 people. Kimberly Powell is a professional genealogist and the author of The Everything Guide to Online Genealogy. Pereira Origin: Sephardi Meaning: Pear tree. This writer is a part of the FamilyEducation editorial team. Names with the vowel cluster ei (Klein) are also mostly German. To a degree it makes sense to find the area by ones surname, but another way is to associate your surname with a name of a town/village ( with a slight lettering variation ) As for me: 26 in the veneto - north Italy. The German surname is also found in France (mainly Lorraine and Alsace). A simpler spelling option is Aloys. DUBOIS. She teaches at the Genealogical Institute of Pittsburgh and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. Languages evolve over time, and words often become archaic and are no longer used. A topographical reference to a family who lived in an area with roses. youve probably been spending a lot of time with their surnames. Bernard Bernard derives from the Germanic given name Bernhard or Beornheard, meaning "strong or brave as a bear". This legendary surname, which means sea battler, translated to Gaelic as MacMurchadh and OMurchadh (descendent of Murchadh), derives from the first name Murchadh or Murragh. Kazlauskas is the most common surname in Lithuania. This area was returned to France at the end of the First . Was it superstition or just religion? It literally means son of Hans, and is also spelled as Hanssen. A surname used for someone who lived near a church or chapel. A last name related to locational-proximity to the Western Alps. Haddad Origin: Mizrahi Meaning: Blacksmith. With roots in the Germanic middle ages, German surnames have been around since the 1100s. Ostlichter LTA This page was last edited on 8 August 2021, at 19:57. This French surname is an occupational surname for barber derived from old French name barbier. Is there anyway you can help me out? Danish: occupational name for a baker from bechere 'baker'. You will find it with different spellings in surnames like Hodja, Hoda (Slovak), Hoca (Turkish), Hodi (Bosnian), Hotzakis (Greek), Hoxha (Albanian) or Al-Khawaja. From then on, all name changes were recorded, making it easier to trace family history. Occupational. But wait a minute, on which finger? "There is at the present time (June, 1893) in the Townland of 'Deerpark' near Portarlington, a colony of men of pure Huguenot descent." "Mr. Birch trees even inspired one of the most beautiful European fairy tales. Rue du March 7 Bierwagen (German origin) means "beer-cart". It's almost impossible to separate this last name from the infamous, influential French painter, Oscar-Claude Monet. In the following centuries, France was ruled by a series of monarchs until the French Revolution overthrew the monarchy during the 18th century. 3. The most prevalent surname in Slovakia is Horvath which indicates that the persons ancestors were from Croatia! Describing a rocky terrain, this surname also corresponds to individuals from various locations sharing the same name of "Rochefort.". This surname could apply to someone whose ancestors lived near a valley. Giphy Mller Meaning: A miller. French actress Audrey Tautou is especially well-known for her starring role in Amlie. It is not tied to any nationality and it derives from Petar, which is equivalent to Peter in English. Someone with this last name was likely from a family who lived near a vineyard. Family names are at the heart of the history of each nation: a prime illustration of the social contract which binds people together in a society. Many accepted this in order to conform to the new ideology but others, in particular political opponents, were willing to risk imprisonment and even execution in order to retain their own ethnic identity. 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). Since 2001, the number of people in Denmark with the surname Jensen started to decline as people changed to more unique surnames. Similarly, "Marchand" is a common French surname that means "merchant.". (This includes names derived at an older stage of the language.). Murphy is the most common name in Ireland, especially in the county of Cork. 2. Monet - Monet is a variant of the name Simon and means "to be heard", 4. Sound familiar? Bosnian are famous for their sense of humour and it applies to their family names as well! 2. France's capital city Paris is one of the most well-known cultural centers in the world due to its influence on food, art, and couture fashion. Beginning consonant clusters such as Kn (Knopf), Pf (Pfizer), Str (Stroh), Neu (Neumann), or Sch (Schneider) indicate possible German origins, as do endings such as -mann (Baumann), -stein (Frankenstein), -berg (Goldberg), -burg (Steinburg), -bruck (Zurbrck), -heim (Ostheim), -rich (Heinrich), -lich (Heimlich), -thal (Rosenthal), and -dorf (Dusseldorf). Meaning: Peaceful ruler. An occupational name corresponding with cow-herding. _____ SURNAMES FROM FRANCE Thomas - A name of Biblical origin, sometimes meaning "twin.". I havent been able to find much information on this last name. For example, the current members of the British royal family style their surnames Windsor, in reference to the House of Windsor whose family seat (or at least one of) is Windsor Castle. Determining the meaning of these names involves special challenges. Brzi is the most shared family name in Latvia. Surnames often hold the secret to a family's past. Switzerland In Bulgaria, Dimitrov is not a name for spies, but rather famous politicians, ahistorian, a tennis player, a footballer and a painter. Baumann (German origin) means "farmer". A surname connected to a family known for fishing. Laurent may also come from the Old Greek word for "bright one" or "shining one", 9. It is very well known that it has a much wider occurrence in Europe, especially in Sweden and Spain (as Burgia). Check out this list of popular German surnames and their meanings to see if you recognize any. Patronymic/Matronymic: Patronymic names are when a father's first name is used as a surname for descendants and family members. Or how about a friends? Some did not have last names or, more probably, their last names were very impractical for local folk to get their tongues around, so they were given the last name Horvath: perhaps originally just as a nickname. . This is not always easy for German names, particularly those among the Sorbian and Danish minorities. Claude Debussy was an influential French composer. Dimitrov is a common surname in both Bulgaria and the Republic of Macedonia. Meaning "storeroom," similar to "cellar. It was pretty easy to adopt any last name you wished until 1474 when the king decreed that all last name changes had to go through him. One glamorous example of this practice is Mitzi Gaynor, the American actress popular in the 1950s who appeared in classic Hollywood films such as South Pacific and Theres No Business Like Show Business. So, without further ado, say "bonjour" to this mix of common and unique French oh-la-last names that are sure to inspire! Most Popular French Surnames on FamilyEducation: Allard, Beaumont, Deschamps, Fournier Guillaume Lambert, Tremblay. Difficult names can only be interpreted by a linguist who is familiar with the historical layers of the language. Many surnames, especially occupational and descriptive surnames, were changed to the English equivalent of the German. Telephone: +41 225 181 360 Among them are: These names originated from descriptions of the persons appearance, character, habits, and so on. It is an especially well-known name thanks to French artist Henri Matisse. Throughout the evolution of the European aristocracy in the Middle Ages, these prefixes have related to a land-holding or estate that belonged to a noble family, or a region that was inherent in a noble title. Mller is the most commonly-heard surname in Germany, with Schmidt, Schneider, Fischer, and Weber also making the top five. Toussaint is a family name composed of the words "tous " (all) and saints. This French last name would likely refer to someone who either made or wore a particular hat or cape. 6. Silva is also a widespread surname in regions of the former Portuguese Empire in Asia, such as India and Sri Lanka. (brother Egebreht who is called the Wolhuser). Descriptive: These names describe a physical quality o trait. Laurent - A Latin name in origin derived from the Roman surname Laurentius, which meant "from Laurentum". Its not always easy for a German speaker to understand the meaning of a family name. 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. French singer, actress, and model, Brigitte Bardot, is, by far, one of the most famous individuals with this surname. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. English and French Names Show "from" as well 3. During the World Wars, many German Americans anglicised their German surname of Schmidtto Smithto avoid discrimination. 1. (For a modern example, think of the Earl of Northumberland or the Duke of Cambridge.). Netherlands ranks Schmidt as 343 rd with 4,509 people. 2. Another variation of this name is "LeBlanc.". Here we bring you the choicest list of German last names for your child. 1954), a Lithuanian professional basketball coach and player and Valdas Kazlauskas (b. In a similar way, the prefix Zu in a German surname can also be an indication of nobility. As the French and Dutch version of the name Aloysius, this name is another version of the name Louis. Hard cheese, hes going to be tough to find. Just as in Spain with Garcia, De Jong means the young one. In the Land of Honey,3,3% of the population share the same surname Borg(13,200 people). It may be used to contact other members who are interested in the same surnames or geographic regions (directly contacting other members of the GGG is a Members Only feature). However, name research is one area of linguistics that attracts a great deal of interest. The etymology of surname comes from Middle English and the Anglo-Saxon/ Old French word "surnum" and "surnoun," which translates to "above-or-over name.". German surnames developed from four major sources: A variation on locality names, farm names in Germany are names which came from the family farm. Archambeau This unique-sounding French last name means 'bold' or 'daring'. ", This French last name means "a short sword.". The guide will also explain how to look up French surname frequency. English surname with mainly Scottish and German Roots plus some other West European communities I knew about the Welsh as well as some genes from France my great grandpa was French-Canadian. From around year AD 870 to 1648, the . Bauer (Austrian Origin), meaning "Peasant, Farmer". (2021, February 16). Due to immigration from across the Pyrenees, in fact, Garcia is now also the 14th most common surname in France. In addition there are about 40 000 people with a variation of this surname. When first approaching a German surname, its important to remember that each name originally had a meaning. This family would likely be strong and determined, as their last name means "enduring. Still, even if you cant determine the precise meaning of your German family names, its never been easier to research your German roots thanks to the availability of online records some of which, like the North Rhine-Westphalia collection, are exclusive to MyHeritage. Looking for more good German names? France is one of the oldest countries in the world with a history rich with revolutions, writers, philosophers, and musicians. Id Like to know, which ancestory has more German ancestory to its surname: My great great grandmother was a Streiger. Perhaps youve been wondering what those surnames mean and where they come from. Many sources derive the surname primarily from Grub, a place name common in southern Germany and Austria. Rossi is the plural of Rosso (meaning red or red-haired in Italian) although it is argued this surname derives from another source (come on:how many ginger people have you met in Italy?) Can you help me whit that? First name means: "Happiness, joy." Heino Pabst First name means: "Home-ruler." Kyler Mayer First name means: "Little warrior." Lora Bergmann First name means: "Laurel tree." Any of these names are yours to use though we'd be delighted if you dropped us the success story at service@reedsy.com!