German last names originate from places and professions inGermany and far beyond, as a list of 100 of the most common German surnames shows. (All vestages of German government and control were removed following WW2. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. do not look for your family to be German before 1871; there was no Germany before 1871! Many things are said to be a state of mind. For genealogists seeking 19th- and early 20th-century ancestry in what was then the largest German Empire state of Prussia, Prussian is a kind of a state of mind. Many of these have been digitized and indexed; look at FamilySearchs list of collections to see whats available for Prussia or the modern German/Polish state your ancestors town of origin is in. Because of this, German last names can be found throughout bordering countries, including Poland, Austria, Franceand Spain. is only allowed with prior ManyRoads' approval, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Deutsche Vertriebenen German Expulsions (History), Flucht und Verteibung Flight & Expulsion (Videos), Dictionnaire Genealogique des Familles Canadiennes- Cyprien Tanguay, Preuen in der Vergangenheit Prussia in the Past (Videos), Robidou Association of North America (Rescue), Genealogy Databases and Immigrant Websites, Immigration from Germany to Eastern Europe (Ostsiedlung), On-line Prussian, Ukrainian, Russian Mennonite Records, 400+ Years of Mennonite-Anabaptist European Emigration, Researching Mennonite Regions of Damals Preuen (former Prussia), Locating German WW1 & WW2 War Casualties & Prisoners, Researching the Eastern European German Diaspora, Jdische Familienforschung (Jewish Genealogy), [] Population Development across Eastern Prussia, To do so, please follow these instructions, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. These decrees were passed in 1771, 1820, and 1822 in the province of Schleswig-Holstein and in 1811 in Ostfriesland. Most Popular German Last Names on Family Education: Abbas, Altergott, Adler. (For more see Wikipedia). Pages in category "German-language surnames" The following 200 pages are in this category, out of approximately 4,357 total. Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. ManyRoads' work and material is licensed under a: From 1772-1829 and 1878-1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. Other examples include names such as: Bamberger Bielfeld Erfurt Fischbeck Oldenburg Still others described the location where the person lived. For example, your great-grandfather's name could be in Latin on his birth record, in French on his marriage record, and in German on his death record. Ambly des Ayvelles. (Hans itself is a familiar variant of Johan.). East Prussia (Ostpreuen) was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and again from 1878 to 1945. Use of the ending may result in vowel changes, such as "Hnschen", which is "little Hans". ThoughtCo, Apr. Part of a German's first name(s) could come from. . The historical state, political entity, of Prussia (English)/ Preuen (German)- see the blue map on the right.Again quoting from Wikipedia: East Prussia (English)/ Ostpreuen (German), was a political subdivision/ province in the nation-states of Prussia and Germany. The most Prussian families were found in USA in 1920. Population-wise, the oblast is thoroughly Russian and Russophone in character, with almost none of the pre-World War II German, Lithuanian (Lietuvininks), Latvian speaking Kursenieki, or Polish population remaining in todays Kaliningrad Oblast. Many Indians have tweeted, saying that that the . 2 German Last Names and Their English Meanings, The Meaning and Origin of Famous German Names, Everything you need to Know About German Names, The History of Popular German Last Names (Nachnamen), A German-English Glossary of Popular German Abbreviations, Learn How to Say the Days of the Week in German, Learn the German Lyrics to Two Hit Songs by Die Prinzen, German for Beginners: Occupations (Beruf), How The Nursery Rhyme 'Eins, Zwei, Polizei' Can Help You Learn German, Translations of 3 of Rammstein's Top Hits, Conjugations of the Most-Used German Verbs. About Us. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Prussian census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more. (For more see Wikipedia). Minnesota had the highest population of Prussian families in 1880. Hans dictus Krier (Hans who is called a soldier.). Braband German. If you are researching ancestors (family) it is possible that your family records are referring to this area. A small collection of women's given names from Arnsburg, in Hessen. Fishtail. This list may not reflect recent changes. Prussia/Preuen was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. What are the most popular Dutch surnames? Understanding Prussian History, 6 Ways to Find Your German Ancestors Place of Origin, Researching Genealogy in Historical German States, Best UK, Irish and Commonwealth Genealogy Websites, Family Tree Templates and Relationship Charts, How to Find Your Ancestors US Military Records, Preserving Old Photos of Your Family History, Surnames: Family Search Tips and Surname Origins, Ostfriesen Genealogical Society of America, hosts research-aid primers for all of the former Prussian provinces, a historic gazetteer (GOV), and links to many regional groups, Eastern Prussian Provinces, Germany [Poland], Selected Civil Vitals, 18741945.. Teutonic Knights and their descendants, the Baltic Germans, prospered for 700 years in north eastern Europe. The endings -s or -es show possession. Understanding customs used in German names can help you identify your ancestors in records. East Prussian German (and thus heavily Lithuanian influenced) surname derived from Lithuanian puaite " (young) pine tree", which - allegedly - used to be a term of endearment for a young girl. The following is a screenshot of the full list of current last names available: We will continue to make additional updates to the available last name pool . Prior to 1900, formal surname changes documented in local court records are relatively rare. Should you wish to learn more about Prussia and its history, ManyRoads offers extensive texts as well as maps on Historical Germany and Europe. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Today we are celebrating our mermaid community during MerMay with the release of the following mermaid-themed names, only available for a limited time: Mermaid. Though its home page is in German, the site has an English-language interface called Genealogy.net. Rudat German (East Prussian) Variant of Rudatis. At first surnames applied only to one person, not to the whole family. United States (US) Wisconsin (WI) Prairie du Sac/Sumpter Twp. Perhaps, the following explanations and links will help clarify the matter.To begin with you need to be aware that there are, at least, four major categories or groups of people with clear and justifiable claims to being Prussian. Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940. Your use of the site indicates your agreement to be bound by our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. After a few generations, these names became hereditary and were passed on from generation to generation. German given names are often derived from, If an elder child died young, the parents frequently, Some children received as many as four or more given names at baptism. You also wont want to miss the Germany-based supersite CompGen, which hosts research-aid primers for all of the former Prussian provinces, a historic gazetteer (GOV), and links to many regional groups. Where is Pomerania? Archion.de and Matricula have growing browsable databases of Protestant and Catholic records, respectively. German Names from 1495, by Aryanhwy merch Catmael About a hundred masculine and feminine given names collected from an Abram. For example, Weber Ernst Friederich Zentner is a man named Ernst Friederich Zentner who is a weaver. Prussian civil registration dates to 1874 in most places, and (for the most part) are kept in the civil registry office (Standesamt) where the event occurred. Terms such as modo, vulgo, genannt, and alias indicate this naming practice. Surname Changes of German Immigrants in the United States, Surname Changes of German Immigrants in Hungary. The more clues you can unearth the better. Many of the modern surnames in the dictionary can be traced back to Britain and Ireland. Patronymic names changed with each generation. While every record of an immigrant, spouse and children has some potential for a specific village name, church records are far and away the most likely to include such information. Some areas of Germany may use diminutive forms of names more than others. My thoughts regarding genealogy and family names in EastPrussia, When the ravens cease to fly around the mountain he will awake and restore Germany to its ancient greatness. 2022 Sandbox Networks Inc. All rights reserved. They include Schneider (tailor), Fischer (fisherman) and Weber (weaver). In many cases, the first reference to Prussian ancestry that you see will be from an American record. Germans may also use "-el" as a diminutive ending. Derived from the name of the region of Brabant in the Netherlands and Belgium. Most German surnames derive either from archaic professions (such as Schmidt, Mller, Weber, or Schfer) or places. Preuen issued an edict on 11 March 1812 that required that permanent family names be adopted within six months. Or, at least, a record might identify a Provinz (province; plural is Provinzen) to narrow down the search to a particular area of Prussia. https://script.byu.edu/Pages/the-french-documents-pages/the-french-documents(english), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_name, https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/index.php?title=Germany_Personal_Names&oldid=5187196, Surnames of wives and mothers often end with, Another form, indicating a female bearer of a surname, was the addition of a genitive, Most of the time the surname spelling changed to accommodate the, Within the German community, such as the local parish, immigrants may continue to use the proper German name, while at the same time. In Germany, these occupational names still form the largest group of German surnames. Bauer, Ingrid. Other record groups havent survived the regions tumultuous 20th century. Prussian Name Meaning Historically, surnames evolved as a way to sort people into groups - by occupation, place of origin, clan affiliation, patronage, parentage, adoption, and even physical characteristics (like red hair). But with the right attitude, dedication, and tools, you can find your ancestors who lived within the limits of the former kingdom. *We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs. Specifically for Prussian areas that are now in Poland, Kartenmeister gives loads of information about the villages east of the Oder and Niesse rivers (the current boundary between Germany and Poland). Once youve found your ancestral town of origin and located it on a map, you can consult a few different resources for Prussian records. In November 1918, the monarchies were abolished and the nobility lost its political power. Few of the latter are on the following list, but examples include Brinkmann, Berger, and Frank. Names that were comprised of syllables with the . Some of these collections are also on Ancestry.com and MyHeritage, since the two companies helped fund some of FamilySearchs digitization projects. Most German surnames derive either from archaic professions (such as Schmidt, Mller, Weber, or Schfer) or places. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/german-last-names-1444607. Prussian genealogy research isnt always easy. Naturalization documents are especially important if your ancestor became a citizen (which you can determine by examining federal censuses). Check these six sources for the name of your German immigrant ancestors home village. These names include: Applebaum apple tree; Birnbaum pear tree; Buchsbaum box tree; Kestenbaum chestnut tree; Kirschenbaum cherry tree; Mandelbaum almond tree; Nussbaum nut tree;. Where variations of a spelling of a surname occurred, those monikers are listed as separate names. Aalbers Abela Abele Abeles Abrahamsen Achen Achter Achter Achterberg Acker Ackerman Addicks Adriance Akerman Akkerman Al Alberda Albers Alderink Alders Ale Alers Alkema Alles Alper Alsteen Ameling Amerman Amster Andries As German immigrants moved into English-speaking countries, their surnames were impacted in a variety of ways. This is closely followed by Schmidt (which is associated with the blacksmiths trade and can also be recognized in variations such as Schmitt or Schmitz). (Kevan Hansens Map Guide to German Parish Registers series, found in many libraries that have German collections, can also give this information.). In the table, the German name is listed on the left, with its origin (and explanation if needed) on the right. When names first came about in German history, people tended to only have one name. Sometimes surname spelling variations are based on dialect (a particular form of a language which is peculiar to a specific region or social group) differences. Althann. the "eit" at the end of their Surnames. This is an Ashkenazi Jewish last name of German or Old English origins with the meaning 'plowed field.'. Rudatis German (East Prussian) When you face one of these problems, your first stop should be the Meyers Gazetteer, the leading geographical dictionary of German lands published in the Second Empire period and available online. However, an "attitude adjustment" will help you solve your Prussia problems. Even after 1871, Germany's land area and political influence shifted several times. Do not sell or share my personal information. German Last Names and Their Meanings Barbara, for example, can appear as Barbel, Barbele, Barbeli, Brbel, Brbelchen, Brmel, Bbi, or even Wawerl or Wetti. If doing ancestry searches, you should be aware that in some areas of Germany, such as Westfalen, Hannover, Lippe-Detmold, Oldenburg and Schlesien, there are exceptions to the rule which make research more complicated. In some areas of Germany, individuals took a second surname from the name of a farm.. Get unlimited access to premium articles. The Celts populated Europe and England until conquered and assimilated by Germanic peoples, The First Reich, or first German Empire, lasted 1000 years, succeeded by the Second Reich in 1871, The 1871 map of Germany shows Prussia at the height of its power, The city of Breslau in Silesia has a long German history, but it is no longer part of Germany, The first practical refrigerator was invented in Germany in 1873. But many of these families had a common denominator. The Old Prussian tribes inhabited eleven regions (in the Old Prussian language, " tautos "), whose names are mentioned in writings from the 13th century: Semba, Ntanga, Nadrava, Pamede, Vrme, Brta, Skalva, Sudva, Galinda and Kulma. One such group. German names are strong and have a long history behind them. It was ethnically cleansed of Germans by Poland, the Soviet Union and the allies after World War 2. Bsch 1 German. For People Proud of their German Heritage, Interesting German historical and cultural facts, Here are some of my thoughts regarding genealogy and family names in northeast East Prussia (Ostpreussen) and Memel. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure. Occupational name meaning "cooper, barrel maker" in German. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. Family Education is part of the Sandbox Learning family of educational reference sites for parents, teachers, and students. The list is an alphabetical overview of Bavarian nobility. For example, Hans Petersen was a son of a man named Peter. History of German Names. German Eaglessingle head 640 years, double-headed 366 years, then single head ever since 1871. For example: Althaus ("old house") Birnbaum ("pear tree") There are 251 census records available for the last name Prussian. Here are some of my thoughts regarding genealogy and family names in northeast East Prussia (Ostpreussen) and Memel. Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Prussian surname lived. Acker. Derived from a diminutive of the given name Sebastian. "Old French Records", at "BYU Script Tutorial", Last edited on 29 December 2022, at 15:19. This category has the following 14 subcategories, out of 14 total. Different branches of the same family may adopt various surname spellings. Most of them originated in mediaeval towns and villages, and as each one had its Carter, Hayward, Thatcher, Smith, and Tailor there were a multitude of original bearers of the name. Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more. To give just two examples: Even once you have a town name, you might not be able to simply type it into Google and locate it on a modern map of Germany. If you are researching ancestors (family) in the US, it is unlikely that your family records are referring to this relationship or ethnic group membership. Or maybe there are too many villages with the same name to pin down your ancestorslike how theres a Springfield in nearly every US state. A couple who have identical first and middle names chose to have different surnames when they got married to avoid confusion. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed. In 1880 there was 1 Prussian family living in Minnesota. Alternative Spellings & Variations: Anya, Anna, Anne, Aine, Anje, Ania Famous Namesakes: German mountaineer Anja Blacha, Danish charity worker Anja Ringgren Lovn Peak Popularity: While the German spelling of Anja has never ranked in the top 1,000 baby names in the U.S., the name Anya has risen in popularity since the 1980s, peaking in 2009. A daughter Maria might be either Maria Hansen or Maria Hansdotter. Here are some of the US records most likely to reveal your Prussian ancestors town of origin. 2, also appears as Schmitt (No. In 1871, German states united in creating the German Empire under Prussian leadership. Compulsory surname laws were enacted in the German states of Bayern and Mecklenburg in 1813 and 1814. Dive into this disappearing state with this overview of Prussian history. (see below). In addition to church records, tombstones (often more detailed in earlier eras than they are today) will sometimes have villages of origin carved on them. Some of the children born to the couple may have used his surname, while others in the same family used the wife's family name. Aachen (German nobility) House of Absberg. The last name could, for example, also be what you would call a farm name. Prussia was effectively abolished in 1932, and officially abolished in 1947. This is especially true for Westfalen (Westphalia) and Hannover and parts of Rheinland and Schlesien (Silesia). View Census Data for Prussian | Data not to scale. Most military records, for example, were unfortunately destroyed in WWII bombing (though documents from independent Hanover have survived). It is worth noting that in US Census records this term rarely appears after 1871, the year of the creation of the Second Reich- Germany. Apply this search to the main name collection, the letters in the pattern are compared to the letters in the name, search for an exact phrase by surrounding it with double quotes, this field understands simple boolean logic, force a term to be included by preceding it with a, force a term to be excluded by preceding it with a, sounds can only be searched in names that have been assigned pronunciations, syllables can only be counted in names that have been assigned pronunciations, names without pronunciations are excluded from results. Standesamt I in Berlin holds duplicate copies of civil registries in eastern Prussian territories now in Poland or Russia. refused to name politicians allegedly involved in looting . This List of Bavarian noble families contains all 338 Bavarian aristocratic families named in 1605 by Siebmacher as well as further additions. Spelling of German surnames often changed to reflect. The use of patronymic names was prevalent in the Schleswig-Holstein and Ostfriesland areas in northern Germany. Find a Grave has become the leading site showing memorial information, but there are still many offline sources such as marker transcripts in county historical and genealogical libraries. Gender and grammar can affect German surname endings. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Nicole Marie Skutelnik and Nicole Marie LaCroce met in 2021 and were . However, an attitude adjustment will help you solve your Prussia problems. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed. This is not a list of equivalent names, but rather a sampling of English translations or meanings of German names.In many cases, there may be several possible origins or translations for a surname. This was 100% of all the recorded Prussian's in USA. As the population increased, it became necessary to distinguish between individuals with the same name. Information on our advertising guidelines can be found. Christopher I, Burgrave and Count of Dohna-Schlodien, Countess Katharina Dorothea Finck von Finckenstein, Friedrich Heinrich Ferdinand Leopold von Forcade de Biaix, Friedrich Wilhelm Ferdinand Ernst Heinrich von Forcade de Biaix, Friedrich Wilhelm Quirin von Forcade de Biaix, Friedrich Wilhelm Leopold Konstantin Quirin Freiherr von Forcade de Biaix, Mathias Franz Graf von Chorinsky Freiherr von Ledske, Friedrich Albrecht Karl Herrmann, Reichsgraf von Wylich und Lottum, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Category:Prussian_nobility&oldid=1107202751, Template Category TOC via CatAutoTOC on category with 101200 pages, CatAutoTOC generates standard Category TOC, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 28 August 2022, at 18:51. Learn to recognize name variations and see clues in names. To view this content, you need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. Between 1972 and 2002, in the United States, Prussian life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1986, and highest in 1991. For each Germanic surname in this glossary, we have provided the English meaning, which may or may not be a surname in English. Some US records may yield the gold standard of immigrant genealogy research: an exact village of origin. East Prussia was the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. The list was initially created by searching for the most common last names in German telephone books. Men often take on the wife's surname if moving onto her property. 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. It possibly means "ploughed region" or "marshy region" in Old High German. 2005- 2023 eirenicon llc. Our team is comprised of parents, experts, and content professionals dedicated to bringing you the most accurate and relevant information in the parenting space. 1938. The former German state of Prussia took its name from the Baltic Prussians, although it was led by Germans who had assimilated the Old Prussians; the old Prussian language was extinct by the 17th or early 18th century.The land of the Old Prussians consisted approximately of central and southern East Prussia - the present-day Warmian-Masurian Given that Prussia (the country) covered as much as ~135,000 square miles with a population of nearly 40 million people; names and dates are not enough to go on for a successful genealogical search. But for the many Prussians who left via the port of Hamburg, embarkation lists show even more detailed information. You can also find geographic-specific databases of emigrants relating to Prussian areas.

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