This occupational surname originates from Middle High German and refers to a ‘torchbearer’ or ‘torchmaker.’. It is derived from the Middle High German word ‘nip’ meaning ‘keen eyesight and hearing.’ This surname likely originated as a nickname for a person who is sharp and alert. It is a variant of ‘Jan’ that comes from ‘Jane,’ the feminine form of the name ‘John.’ The name ‘John’ comes from Hebrew and means ‘god is gracious.’. It is probably a toponymic name referring to someone who lived by a stream or a water body. 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. It is a toponymic surname for someone who lives along the river Oese in Germany. It is a variant of ‘Pilz,’ which means ‘mushroom.’ The name is an occupational one and denotes a gatherer of mushrooms. It comes from the Middle High German word ‘herze’ meaning ‘heart.’ The name originally referred to someone who is a kind-hearted person. It is a variant of ‘Markgraf’ that comes from Middle High German word ‘margrave.’ It is a combination of the words ‘marc’ meaning ‘boundary’ and ‘grave’ meaning ‘royal judge.’, It is a variant of ‘Maurer,’ which refers to a ‘mason,’ ‘wall-builder,’ or a ‘brick-layer.’. Four Volumes in Two. The root word ‘Neu’ means ‘new’ in German, and the surname denotes a newcomer in a particular area. It is a toponymic name for someone from any of the many places named Hasselbach in Germany. It is a variant of Macher, which is a toponymic name for someone from the place called Machern in Germany. ‘Eisen’ means ‘iron’ and ‘hauer’ means ‘to hew’ or ‘to cut.’ It is a German occupational name for a blacksmith. It comes from the Middle High German word ‘rat,’ which means ‘counsel’ or ‘advice.’ It is an occupational name for a counselor or an adviser. 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 Middle High German words ‘Eisen’ meaning ‘iron’ and ‘berg’ meaning ‘mountain.’. Occupational. It should be noted that most German American last names that include von may likely only include it as a later addition. 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 comes from the Middle High German word ‘nixe,’ which means ‘water sprite’ – a term used to refer a spirit associated with water. It is derived from the Middle High German word ‘kere’ meaning ‘bend’ or a ‘corner.’ It denotes a person living by the corner or bend of a road. This German surname is a variant of the name ‘Aldman.’ It translates into ‘old man’ in German. The name is related to the word ‘unholz’ that refers to waste wood or unwanted wood left after making wooden furniture. To start, simply click on the button to generate 10 random names. In Austria, in contrast, not only were the privileges of the nobility abolished, their titles and prepositions were abolished as well in 1919. Nevertheless, it was mostly aristocrats and other land owners who acquired a surname consisting of von, zu or zur and a toponym. It comes from the Middle High German word ‘lilje’ meaning a ‘lily.’ It is a toponymic name for someone who came from a house named after the flower lily. Another reference for the surname could be the Latin word ‘Faustus,’ which means ‘favorable’ or ‘lucky.’. However the Swiss Neue Zürcher Zeitung style guide recommends omitting the von completely at the beginning of the sentence.[3]. [1] About 200 to 300 known non-noble surnames contain the element von. It is a short form of a German personal name ‘Aido,’ which probably derived from ‘Eid’ meaning an ‘oath.’. 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). While the nobility surnames did have a prefix of von to indicate their main castle or estate, it is just as true than a person not of the nobility could also have the surname with a prefix signifying that he was originally from a different town. It is a combination of the Middle High German words ‘lache’ meaning a ‘lake’ or a ‘pond’ and ‘mann’ meaning a ‘man.’ It is a toponymic surname referring to someone who lived by the side of a lake or water body. It comes from the Middle High German word ‘landt,’ which means a ‘land.’ It probably began as an epithet for someone who was ‘famous throughout the land.’, This German word means ‘load’ or ‘burden’ and is an occupational name for a ‘porter.’. Please read our Disclaimer. Those who gained higher status could have von added to their name. ‘Umholtz’ is an occupational name for a carpenter. Vorbeck. It comes from the German word ‘palme,’ referring to any of the several palm and willow trees. The particle von was preserved as well; once hyphens came into common use in the 18th and 19th centuries, it was used to connect the von with the following part of the surname (e.g. Another tricky thing about German last names: A last name could be what you would call a farm name. Derived from the given name ABRAHAM. This name is derived from the German name ‘Kümmel,’ which refers to the caraway plant. The German word ‘loch’ means ‘hollow,’ and the name denotes someone who lived by a valley. Circa 1660 one of them added-ov (Russian: Фон Висинов, Russian pronunciation: [fɐn ˈvʲisʲɪnəf]), yet in the 18th century this suffix was lost, and the middle consonant changed again s→z (Russian: Фон-Визин, which preserves the German pronunciation rather than spelling: Russian pronunciation: [fɐn ˈvʲizʲɪn]). It is a German surname made from the Old German words ‘ger’ meaning ‘spear’ and wig meaning ‘battle.’, A German surname composed of two words, namely ‘goz’ meaning ‘goth’ and ‘mann’ meaning a ‘man.’, A toponymic surname derived from ‘grabe’ or ‘graben’ that means a ‘ditch’ or ‘moat.’. Have a German last name? In some cases it may be possible to trace such families back to their origins, as long as they lived in towns where old records of Marrano/Converso populations exist – however: most German church books only go back to the 1600s or 1700s. It comes from the Old German word ‘trippe’ that refers to wooden pattens or clogs, which are a type of wooden footwear. In contrast to the peerage of the United Kingdom, the aristocracies of the German-speaking countries were held to include untitled nobility, although the names of nearly all the families falling into this category did include von, zu, von und zu, von der, von dem, zum, vom und zum or zur. It comes from the German word ‘swingen,’ which means to ‘swing’ or ‘swingle.’ It is an occupational name for an individual who would swingle flax – remove fiber from flax plant using a wooden instrument called swingle. This is a toponymic name for people who hail from a place called Palzing in the Bavarian region of Germany. It is an occupational name for a swineherd – a person who rears and tends swine or hogs. The use of the preposition von is common in German surnames. These German surnames do inherit an influence from other cultures due to the inflow of several civilizations into the country. Because of this, German last names can be found throughout bordering countries, including Poland, Austria, France and Spain. It is an occupational name for ‘falconer’ whose job was to look after the birds (falcons) and train their young ones. It is an occupational name for a ‘merchant,’ ‘trader’ or a ‘businessman.’. 3.Since von is linked to its Germanic/Austrian surnames, people with German roots and who emigrated from Germany hold this prefix in their surname while living in other countries. The name denotes a fisherman. It is a toponymic name for someone who lived by a defensive wall or any other fortification. 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. Simply click again to get 10 new random names. Russian: Фон-Визин, von-Wiesen). Baumgarten, Paumgarten. This was the case of the Riedesel Freiherren zu Eisenbach who received baronial dignity in 1680. The German phrase translates to ‘from the mountain.’ It is a toponymic name for a person who belonged to a mountainous region. It is an occupational name for someone who makes ‘cords,’ ‘strings,’ ‘shoestrings’ or ‘ribbons.’. It is a toponymic German surname for someone who lives by a lime tree. 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. German surnames were derived from four main sources, and each of these are described as below. It is a variant of the Middle High German word ‘junc,’ which is used as a nickname for someone young. Von Berg. In order to distinguish themselves from bearers of regionally frequent non-noble surnames containing von, nobles in Northern Germany continue the royal Prussian military practice of abbreviating the noble von to v. but spelling the non-noble von in full.[2]. 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. This name is derived from the feminine Biblical name ‘Hanna,’ which comes from the Hebrew name ‘Hannah’ meaning ‘favorable one’ or the ‘graceful one.’, It is a toponymic name referring to someone who lived in the woods. His son, Denis Fonvizin (Russian: Фонви́зин, Russian pronunciation: [fɐnˈvʲizʲɪn]) became a playwright whose plays are staged today. Wacker . It originates from the Old High German word ‘herling’ meaning ‘sour.’ The name could have been a nickname for an immature person. The name could also be the variant of ‘Wahlberg,’ which means a ‘hill with a meadow’ in Middle High German. The bearer of this name could be someone born or baptized in this month. 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.’. boy Old power + Add to my list Related names. It is an altered version of ‘Teicher,’ which is a toponymic surname for people who live by a pond. It is a toponymic name for someone from a place called Vorbeck in Northern Germany. Stammbuch des blühenden und abgestorbenen Adels in Deutschland (Lineages of flourishing and extinct nobles in Germany). It is derived from the German name ‘Bertwald,’ which comes from the Old High German words, ‘beraht’ meaning ‘bright’ and ‘wald’ meaning ‘rule.’. The prefix von is not capitalised in German-speaking countries. It is the German word for a ‘large room,’ ‘chamber’ or an ‘auditorium.’ It is likely to be an occupational name for someone who works at a manor house. Also, a very few German families were elevated to the nobility without use of the preposition von. It may be used to contact other members who are interested in the same surnames or geographic regions (directly contacting other members of … It is a toponymic surname for someone who is from any of the several places called Edingen in Germany. It is a toponymic name for someone from a place called Vorbeck in Northern Germany. It is the German word for ‘fork.’ It is an occupational surname for someone who was a seller or maker of all types of forks including pitchforks. A | B | C ... von der Heit . Some German surnames are derived from locations, a place near the person who adopted the surname. It is a spelling variant of the German name ‘Eicher,’ which comes from the word ‘Eich’ meaning an oak tree. It is the German word for ‘sign,’ ‘pointer’ or an ‘indicator.’ It is an occupational name for a sign-maker. It is the German occupational name for a carpenter. German Surnames. (previous page) () Derived from the name of the region of Brabant in the Netherlands and Belgium. It is a toponymic name for someone from the place called Remlingen in Germany. The 365 maps document with impressive clarity the distribution of various diminutive suffixes in German family names such as -el, -lein, -le, -ken, -chen in names like Merkel, Eberlein, Bäuerle, Seidl, Wilke, or Schmidtchen. Many German surnames are self-explanatory as they were derived from people’s jobs. [clarification needed] The Duden, a German dictionary, recommends capitalizing the prefix von at the beginning of the sentence, but not in its abbreviated form, in order to avoid confusion with an abbreviated first name. The surname likely denotes people who have the attributes of a cat-like light-footedness or independence. 185. The above list contains over 2000 German family names (German Last Names) that we have coat of arms for. It is a variant of the name ‘Bayer,’ the toponymic name for someone from the state of Bavaria, which is called ‘Bayern’ in German. Indeed, in many Germanic-speaking lands, universal adoption of surnames did not occur until mandated by the French Emperor Napoleon and the legal reforms he introduced in Europe during the early 19th century. It is derived from the name ‘Matthaus,’ which is the German variant of the name ‘Matthew’ that means ‘gift of God’ in Hebrew. It is an occupational name for a cook. It means ‘rooster’ and could have been a nickname of an excessively proud person. [citation needed]. The name is a combination of two German words ‘adel’ meaning ‘noble’ and ‘berg’ meaning ‘mountain.’. 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