Origins Of German Surnames

It is a fact that more and more people are becoming interested in knowing exactly where they come from and finding out how far their family line goes back. As such, many of the individuals looking for such answers go straight for the one identifying family feature they can find out about – their surnames. As with every single culture and nationality on the planet today, there are German names that are deep rooted in the history of the country and others that have change over the years. However, if you are looking for information then you should identify and find out about the origins of German surnames.

The origins of German surnames are undoubtedly diverse and incredibly interesting. There are several areas of German life and culture that you could look to in order to find out as much as possible about the origins of German surnames. The following list will give you the best possible idea of exactly where German surnames come from:

·         Profession - The first of origins of German surnames is paralleled in numerous other cultures around the world. These are actually the most popular of the German surnames and the most prevalent in various different societies, notably German and American societies. These surnames actually emerged when different communities started to grow and it was no longer appropriate for individuals to just have first names. Professions seemed the best way to go. As such, you now have Muller (meaning Miller), Schmidt (meaning Smith), Schneider (meaning tailor, or Taylor as the surname now appears), Bauer (meaning Farmer), Becker (meaning Baker) and Schafer (meaning Shepherd).

·         Physical Traits – The origins of German surnames that come from traits obviously come from the visual appearance of individuals. Profession surnames were the original means of identification but towns soon had too many people being identified in this way for it to work. As such, people began to describe others by their physical appearance. There are numerous elements of this involved, including surnames like Gross (meaning big), Klein (meaning small) and Schnell (meaning fast).

·         Environment – The final of the origins of German surnames is actually the environment or location. It may have been derived from where people lived or where they came from but there are numerous surnames with this origin around. These are obviously sometimes a little more complex than the other origins of German surnames. For example, Berg is a common German surname and means “the one that lives by the hill”. Similarly, Bach (living by the river), Rosenberg (hill of roses) and Blumfeld (field of flowers) are common. However, there is another element and that is the way in which people from outside of villages and towns were labelled. For example, Bayer or Bayern was someone that moved t a town from Bavaria.