My grandfather showed up one day with a book as thick as a Bible after visiting a distant cousin. It was a, mostly complete, family history of Ketterman’s in the USA. I say mostly as my immediate and closely related family wasn’t in it. It dated back to 1790. Ketterman’s came over on a boat from Germany, bought a mountain in West Virginia and it’s still called mount ketterman today. A ket is a chain link and the family crest is a wolfs hook so we were mostly blacksmiths back then. It was cool looking through it. There was even a distant relative that shared my name and birthdate, 90 years difference tho. I think everyone should look back, if they’re able, to their history.
I'm a Ketterman with ancestors from West Viriginia too. And while "Kette" is the modern German word for necklace or chain, in medieval times it usually referred to chain maille. The original Ketterman (whoever that was) probably made armor for knights.
That's truly a cool story you have. You, or someone, need to write your family's history and add your story in your great book. That would be cool. When I saw your last name it reminded me of the movie Dirty Dancing. That resort was named the same as your last name.
In Germany there is a fairly well known scientist who is specialised in onomatology. His name is Prof. Jürgen Udolph. He appears regularly on radio and explains familynames. He is damned good and I've learned a lot from him. If someone's interested to know more about his family name, he is the best adress.
My grandmother was born a Shutler. I don't know anything about their name her father was from AlSase Lorraine France But his father was Johann Shutler and was in Germany before the borders changed. I would like to find out the origin of SHUTLER.
I remember one day during a College Sociology class, the instructor took a lot of time to explain why one student in the class, who had an Italian Surname, could have Blond hair, blue eyes and very Nordic features. He explained how Northern Italy had a strong Austrian Trans-Alps heritage. After class I felt obliged to inform the instructor that in fact the young man in question was adopted! Researching your Surname can be fun, but don't place too much importance in the result.
the coincidence you mention does not negate the veracity of the instructor's depiction of the residents of northern Italy, and the origin of that stock. Norsemen did indeed cross over to the continent, and after generations made it to the Alpine areas. They left their genetic heritage all along the route they took south.
My maiden name is Helgesen. It would surprise people when they would see me with dark hair, dark eyes, some Native American features. People would ask me how I could have a Scandinavian surname and be darker than the stereo-typed Scandinavian. Well, we have two parents
@@angelaj8958; yes, there are blue eyed blond haired Italians, but the person he used as an example was a bit laughable. Because of marriages, Ellis Island abbreviations, and such, surnames can be very misleading. My surname is Irish, but nowhere in my family tree can I find anyone from Ireland. It could be that my Great, Great, Great Grandfather was a horse thief and took an assumed name to avoid a long drop at the end of a short rope.
I am a German Bavarian decent person, my ancestors were actually warriors and also military personnel. Military life is actually handled down by generation. Very extremely hard workers, farming, and also military life.
My wife’s paternal family name is Hanstein and might have originated from the Hamburg area. Parents, uncles and ourselves have visited Burg Hanstein on the East German side of the previous border, but that yielded no further information. Regrettably the bombing of Hamburg in WW11 appears to have wiped out any distant relatives, or documentary linkages with this ancestor.
If the name originated in the North, it has been changed later. "Stein" had been "Sten" or "Steen" in and around Hamburg. "Han-" translates to "Hohen-" in modern Standard German. So, the meaning of the name, also the name of the castle, is "High stone", which again doesn't really suggest a place in the North German plains. Nevertheless, the Thirty Years War was the first powerful mixer within Germany.
I believe it was common to change names for social and political reasons. I lived in Canada for a few years and a city in Ontario called Kitchener was known as ‘Berlin’ before WW1. Additionally, I believe the royal family’s last name was ‘Hapsburg’ at the time of WW1 and changed it to ‘Windsor’.
Dwight D. Eisenhower (Eisenhauer = iron hewer = miner) is a good example for an occupational surname. His ancestor came from what is now the tiny German federal state of Saarland. Iron ore and coal deposits in the area gave rise to a thriving mining & iron smelting industry that lasted for at least a millenium and ended in the early 1980s.
The area of Tirol, is mostly inhabited by darker haired peoples. The Süd Tirol is still occupied by Italy after the treaties after WWI. The area is divided, northern and eastern Tirol remain in Austria. After a century of occupation, Süd Tirol has stuck to its culture, even after Italian attempts to wipe out the Tirolean culture, food and music.
I never thought with the surname Schroeder that I could find any info on our paternal line. But one day back in 2010 I inputted what data I knew about our gr-grandfather, who arrived in Brooklyn, NY in 1866. I was astounded when a German subscriber to Geneanet provided a link to a database showing Lutheran church records for our Schroeder lineage all the way back to 1705 which was "about" the birth year of our 5th gr-grandfather.
I grew up in a German farming community on Long Island. German was spoken in the church and shops into the early 60s.My family has Birklbauers, Bausbachers, Kasers. PS one of the Birklebaer ladies married a Mr. Jones. Who could blame her???
My mother was a Brandenburg, a descendant of Frederick the Great. When she found this out in the late 90’s, she laughed in sarcasm. I did the ancestry and research backwards and forward. Yes, my mother was 7 generations from the monarchy. My ancestor, Wilhelm and the Kaiser had a fallen out when he and his brothers insulted the Roman Catholics who came to visit Berlin. Mathias and his brothers came here as religious refugees. Mathias is buried in the same county my mother’s family came from. We established the 3rd Brandenburg Family Cemetery.
@@lisalaunius7389 I researched this recently. They were maternal half brothers and paternal cousins. The first self appointed king in Prussia and third elector replaced my ancestor Fredrick the 2nd elector who was killed in war. The mix ups came from the maternal marriages of the 2nd and 3rd electors.
My paternal ancestors were Swiss German and Swiss Italian. They lived in Gunten, Sigriswil and around Lake Thun. Years ago, I received an unexpected letter and scroll in the mail from someone stating that my original ancestor was Polish and was given a title and property from the Pope for his service as a Swiss Guard and for protecting him from 2 separate assassination attempts.
My last name is Mittlestadter. Within the past month, I accidentally learned there is a city in Germany named Mittelstadt. It seems obvious where my ancestors were from. I'm happy to have found this out. The switching of the l and e also explain a comment I remember my grandmother one time making- that my grandfather was angry that the immigration authorities switched the l and e.
My surname is Schweinfurter and it's been determined that my ancestors immigrated from the town of Schweinfurt Which in English means schwein= pig And furter= crossing And the town is at a narrow spot in a river where they used to cross their pigs
My mother's father's family came to Canada from Prussia in 1870s. Later 1890s half the family moved to America ,Iowa and Washington state. Klampe was their name.
On my dad's side we have the names Linkous and Shelor. I have learned that Shelor is a form of Schuller, and a book has been written about Henry Linkous immigrating from Germany and all his descendants. Interestingly, almost all the Linkous and Shelor families are concentrated in the small area in and around Montgomery County in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia.
I'm only partly German/Jewish on my father's side but Montgomery County is quite specific as well as the Blue Ridge Mountains(have camped there as a kid)our surname is Linzer and had to say hallo 😊
A Daniel Shelor was a store owner on the new River in Montgomery County, VA., in the 1780's.Isaac Taylor gave him his family Bible in his will,c.1783? He had previously bought land from Isaac Taylor. This store still appears on civil war maps of Montgomery County,VA., c. 1864. Use a search for these names,and the map will come up to view.NAT. ARCH. has these to view as well.
My grandmother in Eastern Kentucky was a Mutter: “South German (also Mütter): occupational name for an official employed to measure grain, from Middle High German mutte, mütte 'bushel', 'grain measure' (Latin modius) + the agent suffix -er.”
There are some Kammerlings in the Moluccas or Spice Islands in Indonesia. I think a Kammerling must have settled centuries ago because they are brown in skin colour now.
I grew up bilingual, speaking German and English, so I'm guessing Täubel has something to do with either doves or being deaf. My father and mother are originally from Yugoslavia and Hungary, but I was able to trace my family tree back to Austrian Donauschwaben.
In deinem Fall gibt es zwei Bedeutungen für den Familiennamen. Wat 'ne Scheiße, man macht es dir noch schwieriger bei der Suche nach der Bedeutung des Namens.
Taube is actually the dove. Taub sein means to be deaf. In your case I think it is a sweet way of saying dove. Btw I was German and am now Canadian. ♥️
My dad's Nolte uncle wrote the Nolte book in 1950 -- traced family back to the Crusades -- first Heinrich Henry von Nolte came to america before Ellis Island escaping the Prussion War -- many different spellings -- Nulte, Nolty, etc -- I was a child during WW2 and when they put Japanese in camps, I feared they'd be coming for us next
In the 1950s SoCal, the 1st German generation of my classmates typically had the prefix 'Sch' as in Schiff or Schumer, or one was a Hofdahl, and when they would meet, they would speak to each other in broken English, thick accent. Back then, it was considered bad manners to be in a mixed group and use your native language to the exclusion of your classmates joining in and bonding on common activities.
My Dad’s paternal grandparents were German. My Great Gramother’s great grandfather, I believe, immigrated to Texas and started buying land and farming, sending money back for his family and eventually sending for his family and any other Germans who wanted to immigrate to Texas and work the cotton farms. The town was eventually named after him (Dr. Julius Caesar Zulch), called North Zulch. I even saw a picture of him and he freakishly looks so much like my father!! My Mother‘s Mom, never really would speak of her heritage, but before she passed I asked her and she replied she only knew they had Black Dutch. I need to just have my DNA tested.
My husband mothers maiden name was Imhoff...landed in Missouri..became very wealth investing in the first railroad company on the track. The loved America with all their heart.
My last name is Yount, which is the American bastardization of the Original German surname Jundt. I did my research on it, and the surname dates back to 1209, and that is a Germanization of the name Judith, which means "Of Judea," when the Jundt family settled in the Westphalia region. It's amazing to learn such things.
So your ancestor is from Iudea. Had he been with Herod Archelaus of Iudea, who according to jewish historian Josephus, the Romans vanished to Vienne of the Gaul in 4 AD?
@@hopefulvoyage Exactly. According to what I was told, when the first Jundt family came to America, the people who were documenting them did not know how to spell the last name, they just went by pronounciation only. Hence, Jundt became Yount.
An ancestor of mine named Klass Wasser changed his name to Clearwater when emigrating to the US. This was back in the 1800s so it wasn't because of WWII.
@@wes326 Do you ever heard of the German belt ? They are mostley in the north to the west. Yes and many of them go to the midwest and Texas too, you're rigth.
@@wes326 The German belt discribe the Regions ( 18 US - States ) where in the 19 Century the majority of German Immigrants used to live, mostley in the midwest like you mentioned ( Wisconsin,Ohio,Minnesota, Iowa, Indiana and so on ). Kind Regards from Berlin / Germany
Thank you for sharing! It is very interesting. My second great grandfather immigrated from Baden- Wurttemberg, Germany in the early 1900’s. I traced the family back over five hundred years. His wife’s maiden name was Hirzel.
Three out of four of my grandparents surnames have German origins. My grandmas surname “my dads mom” is Dietrich, my grandpas surname “my moms dad” is Hallmann, and my grandmas surname “my moms mom” is Staut. Only my last name Moore isn’t German, and my Moore line comes from Ireland/Scotland. Just thought I’d share.
Yeah the city of wesseling is in the Dutch/German border area. Quite possibly your wesseling ancestors could have been Germans that came from that city and moved to the Netherlands.
Dietrich is a first name that is also a last name. You could translate it with Ruler of the People....but that does not mean that your ancestor was a ruler ;-). Old germanic male first names often had this kind of content. Hallmann: depends on the region your ancestors came from. If they came (orignially, which means the first person who used this last name) from Silecia, Bohemia or Lausatia it is a variation of the name Heilmann and would mean something like Happy Man. If they are from Westfalia or Hannover (I would assume the former kingdom of Hanover ...not only the city) it refers to the city of Halle. Then it would probably be a man from Halle. Staut probably means that your ancestor lived near shrubs. I take no guarantee for the information....was just curious and read german websites about the etymology of last names.
My great uncle invented the transatlantic cable. He was also a genealogist by avocation. Espenscheid. We can now trace back to the 500’s thanks to church documents.
Funny you mentioned that about your great uncle. My Opa who was from Kaiserslautern worked for Simplex Wire and Cable who produced those cables here in Boston.
@John Smith meaning parting like in divorce scheide the cover of a knife scheiden meaning go apart saying good bye or the parting of the vulva but there are a few more
Interesting video. My last name is Kaylor which is the Americanized version of Kohler (coal burner). My grandmother was able to trace our family back to the 1600s in America but couldn't find any direct relatives in Germany. My descendants settled mainly in Pennsylvania.
Were they possibly from Russia? My family is 100% German (one line) but they were from Russia, where appx 27000 German families settled along the southern Russian border between 1760-1799
My name is spelled Kaler. My 5th G. Grand was Johann Heinrich Koehler from Nenderoth Germany in the Rhineland. He with his family settled in present day Waldoboro Maine with many other families from that area.
Interesting! My grandmother (my father’s side) directed descendants surname was Schmaus back at 400 AD. The location was at Trier, Germany. Our directed ancester arrived at United States at 1739 and his wife (surname Wohlfram or Wohlfrom) was also from Germany.
Mine is Orwig, which I've researched and found it's a Germanized form of Orvik from Norway, even though my 6th great grandparents came from Germany. Orwig is also derived from Urbecht or other variations. But when he landed in America he signed an X by Orwig so it stuck, there's about 20,000 of us just in the USA alone. Everyone named Orwig is related to each other.
Fun fact: I was adopted at birth into a German-jewish family (German on my dad’s side, jewish on both mom and dad’s side) only to find out in my 20’s that my biological family is also German. The generation on my adoptive father’s side came from a family of blacksmiths and my biological family came from a line of tinkers. It’s crazy how works out
My dads mum and dad was a German Jewish family too sadly never knew my nan and grandad from my dad side all I know they came from the black forest and migrated to England my nan died here and my grandad remarried someone from Croydon but wish I knew my nan and grandad but they say schafer means sheaperd so that all I know
My great-grandfather was Mueller. When he came to America in the 1800’s he became Miller. It has been a challenge to track him and his wife who was Irish.
A lot of my heritage comes from Germany. Especially on my mothers side. There is Kettler, Schrader, Jobusch, Mosbacher and others. I am just getting into my history and I'm excited about it.
My surname “Crites” is the Americanized spelling of the German surname “Creutz” or “Kreutz”. One of my ancestors, Philip Creutz, was born around 1710 in Palatinate, Germany. He and his wife came to the United States on the ship Europa and settled in Hardy County, WV. According to my dna I am about 95% German.
lucky they weren't on the Princess Augusta which went down off Block Island in 1738 in December, right on Christmas. Most died of bad water and starvation due to the captain being a sadistic weirdo.
My mom's family was Heppinstall. Anyone know what that means. My dad's was Werner...Verner in Germany. Don't know what that means either but that side came 1850ish. I read there is a Werner family coat of arms that I LOVE to see. It was given to the grandpa that came to America. I'm not sure if he was military. From what I've read he was a painter/sculptor/artist & went to a fancy school, lol, but seriously he was kinda "famous". He did historical scenes & traveled & hung out with aristocrats. The one I can remember without looking was the Treaty of Worms. I think Fredrick II gave him the coat of arms & a "von" middle name.😂 If interested look up Anton von Werner, it's cool. Another one wrote a play that translated to "24th of February" too! The other side we traced back & got a last name of "Cordes". It said it was about a medieval occupation of making cords. Idk, but it's fun & interesting!!
I’m a maternal Heidt and Schafer from German immigrants in the early 1700s. The spelling was changed to Hite and we’re all over the place in WV. Does anyone what those names mean?
@@countessratzass5408 I would bet that "Schafer" was originally spelled "Schäfer" or "Schaefer". "Schäfer" means here in Germany shepherd. "Heidt" could well be a geographical name (there are some places or districts that are so named), but could also be a short name for someone who lives in the heather (... where traditionally there are / were many sheep farms) or as a name denigration of a non-baptized person.
@@angiebaby1976 Werner: originally a given name that became the surname of certain families. Heppinstall: possibly reformulation of "Hippenstiel", a metonymic occupational name for a maker of handles for scythes, from Middle High German heppe 'scythe' + stil 'handle'. Cordes: Low German cose form for the given name Konrad.
I am a German-American, born in Germany and raised in the US. My family is from Baden-Württemberg, not to far from Stuttgart. And my mom’s maiden name is Domogalla (which translates to Haushahn) ancestors change it to Latin because of Napoleon. I have no idea why Napoleon made my ancestors change their last names as my mom doesn’t know either. But maybe my Opa can answer that question. All we know from my Opa’s story is that Napoleon made us Latinize it.
Fascinating stuff about german surnames. I'm from the UK, but according to my aunt, we have a relative in Nashville, German with surname Dickel, who apparently made whisky!!!
My mother's maiden is Yungblut but they were all farmers in Ontario. They emigrated from Germany before WWII because they didn't like what Hitler was doing.
Yungblut = Jungblut: byname to Middle High German junc-bluot (young, merry person). A byname (Latin agnomen) is an additional personal name, which is added to a person to designate him more precisely.
Florsheim was my ancestors family name. He was a shoe maker according to the census but not affiliated with Florsheim shoes. I believe they were from Canada.
Hi, I suspect that a spelling mistake happened at some point. In northern Germany, especially towards Denmark, there is the name Classen, which is actually quite common. So a, not o.
According to my ancestry research, my ancestry begins Niederndorf , Austria… 2 brothers were recruited from there to work in the coal mines in Virginia and came to the US in the late 1700’s. My family name of the 2 brothers was “Kunz”, from which my maiden name ,”Counts “ developed from. Our family is very large and the list is long!
Cool vid...the landscape you use is of Regensburg, in Bavaria. Specifically the view shown is the same view from my grandparents apartment on the Danube until they moved into town. I've literally stood there when visiting in my youth. Last name Roth. Maternal gm name was Grugelstein.
@@julietrask7497 have you tried the German consulate in your area to find your German family, yes Enzen River Enzen in the region of Rheinland-Pfalz with its 49 habitants is a town located in Germany - some 354 mi or ( 569 km ) South-West of Berlin , the country's capital .
Great grandfather Johannes Heinrich Treuel emigrated in 1854 from Wedel in what was then part of Schleswig- Holstein, principality of Denmark now Germany.
@@stevenmoore4612 Not that I know of. Our Miller relatives are still in East Greenville, Pa. The Millers and the Shantzes. Pa. is so beautiful and I loved visiting as a child.
Oh ok. My grandmas dads side the Stauts were originally from Pennsylvania, and were mostly Pennsylvania Dutch- “German” origins that date back to the mid 1600’s before the country was even founded. I know that a few of my relatives from that side fought in the revolution as well! Most of my other lines are more recent immigrants from Germany, Poland, and Scandinavia that came over between the 1870’s and 1920’s.
@@linajurgensen4698 In the southern regions of the german-speaking-area we have Müller as well as Miller. So Miller could be originally german, too. Liebe Grüße aus Tirol!
👩💻My middle name is Ellen. In Old English it means "Courage" or "To have courage." Which really ironic for the life I have led. I know much of English is German. So maybe. Just wanted to be part of the group. Much love and peace.🙋♀️🪔🌠🖖🥰***
I've found this on a german page: "The name Ellen comes from ancient Greek and goes back to the name "Helene", which directly translated means "the shine" and "the rays of the sun" and is another form of Helena. The most popular interpretations of Ellen are therefore "the radiant", "the sun-like" and "the beautiful"."
I was born in central Italy, from a family tree search, my maternal ancestors come from Holland (Amsterdam, 1600) my mother's surname is Schieda which was originally Schied, the same name as a place in Holland. She has green eyes my brother has blue eyes and blonde hair. I also have confirmation from Dna analysis that finds a genetic match in holland and Germany. My family has dutch/german mentality and not an italian one. I fell like an orphan of these two nations that i miss very much.
I went on that atlas website and went on a long winding road to find the meaning of my surname Luhrs. Basically it means warrior. Also a bad warrior or army. The thing with surnames is that they change with wherever they go.
In Germany the name does only exist with an umlaut "Lührs". It is of Low Saxon origin and still most common in Northwestern Germany along the North Sea coast. It derives from the male first name Lüder, in that region often shortened to "Lühr". Another surname of the same meaning is "Lüders". It seems to refer to the personal traits "loud and clear".
@@tamaliaalisjahbana9354 my Chinese family name is written as 吳，and NG is the English translation by the Hong Kong Government during the British colonial time. Other possible translation is WU,
My maiden name is Cole..changed from Kohl..no I don't have stock or money from department store..I also am a Yost..both sides lots of German and Celtic descent...I always love to hear of past ancestors..hope to visit both countries in my lifetime.
For over 30 years we lived in Ste. Genevieve, Mo. Lots of German decendants their and also French. Lot of the names you all have mentioned are in that area. Klein, Mueller, Gegg, Naeger, Figge, Grein, Roth, Koetting, Krug, Baumann, Schweis, Zerwig, Kreitler, and more. Check out towns with German family names. It might lead to something. Check their tourist info. Centers, Churches.
Name Hazelbaker. From the House of Kessel. He was the baker of the Hess Kessel !!! My relatives were Hessian soldiers brought over from Germany to fight in the American Civil War. They were given land grants for fighting for the North. We settled in Pennsylvania. Love the history behind this. I have a copy of the original land grant.
That's fascinating, Hazelbaker! Your family's history is truly remarkable. Being descendants of Hessian soldiers who fought in the American Civil War and receiving land grants is a unique part of American history. It's great that you have a copy of the original land grant; that must hold significant historical value. Thanks for sharing this interesting piece of your family history!
Kopp. Either from the town Kopp. Or it can mean chicken farmer. My favorite is Kopp means someone with a particularly large head. I’m guessing all three for the trifecta.
My grandfather was a German soldier General who fought with Hitler. He came from Germany to Veracruz, Mexico in 1936 where he met my grandmother Sofía, they got married and my mother was born in 1937. Her name was Irma and Irma in Germany means "Hope". In the Marriage reigistration he wrote Hermann Kühne as his name. When I Googled the name, it appears that it is a German Destroyer Boat of War. I don't know who he really was, but I thank him with my heart and soul because thanks of him I´m alive, and very proud of being his grandaughter.
Hermann Kuhne was a Zerstorer/destroyer on the 1936 class. Also called Z19. It was sunk in action with British destroyers in Herjangsfjord, Norway, on 13.4.40. All that class of ships were named after naval heroes of World War 1.
Kühne is a very common German surname. Just like Hermann was a very common first name in those times. Hermann Kühne might easily have been his real name, and there will have been several hundreds more, no matter that a ship shared this name, too.
My dad's family came from southwestern Germany near the French border between 100 and 150 years ago. In my great grandfather's generation they were all farmers in the upper mid-west. I can only find three Diddens listen from Germany. Interestingly, all three were or are named Diddo Diddens. I've also found record of a Jan Diddens on the Belgian World Cup team in the '30s. There are also at least 2 Diddens who are or were involved with universities in The Netherlands. Trying to pin something down is frustrating.
For me it Diddens sounds a bit more northern maybe Rheinland-Pfalz, Nordrhein-Westfalen or maybe Belgium or Netherlands. But of course they also could have been to the southwest before Emigration. Around 150 Years ago the German Revolution failed, and a lot of people emigrated to America. One main Region of this revolution was the State of Baden, that is in the south west (Now Part of Baden-Württemberg). But of couse there were a lot of People involved also from or in other parts of Germany.
You might want to check Mennonite records. They had communities that lived in Switzerland, southeastern France, southwestern Germany, and for fear of persecution and death moved, as groups, further into Germany, up into the Netherlands, and into eastern Europe/Russia in the 1500s through 1700s (approximate history). My mother's relatives were all Mennonite, with one or two Amish or Brethern.
I wrote a longer answer two hours ago...but I can not see it anywhere. I try to reconstruct the research I did by memory now: About 30 entrys of Didden in the german telephone book (that does not mean there are not more of them....most people today have mobile numbers and are not in the telephone register). Most of them live in Northrhine-Westphalia. Another source had thousands of Diddens, mostly in the Netherlands and Belgium (Northrine-Westphalia is on the boarder of both countries). One source said it is a frisian name and comes from the First name Diethard (Ruler of the people). Another source just traced it back to "from the people".
The Status of Forces Agreement allowed my husband and I, as Americans, to marry while stationed in Germany in 1988. We had to get a state certified translator and went to city hall in Weisbaden to marry. At the time we filed our application, we were told of the option to keep my maiden names, take my husband's, or for my husband to take my name. My maiden name is Dietrich. Btw, you pronounce Mainz as My-inz, not Manz, as you did.
@@karenstewart8818 Yes I know, all houses, apartments for rent and commercial buildings - nothing looks like it was before. Same is with Amelia Earhart Hotel and hospital. You wouldn’t recognize the area anymore
My surname is from the border of the Netherlands. It means near the marshy ground, which makes since, considering the low-lying land in the area where klompen and windmills were very common.
@@tmross4 : Up to 1938 the small town Wernau next to my village consisted of two villages Steinbach and Pfauhausen. Keep in mind, Prussia and Germamy is not the same.
Our last name was Cloß, (ß in German makes an SS sound) When our family left Germany and emigrated to Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil our last name was changed to Closs sometime during WW2 due to the Brazilian government fearing that the large German populations might side with the Nazi.
More likely reason that non-german typewriters don't have a sharp S, just like keyboards outside Germany don't have Umlaute. As a result, Germans in the US either started using the vowel followed by 'E;, or just dropped it entirely.
Have lots of info on dad's paternal side, but his maternal side not so much. They were Hessians. Used the name Stabal, but even they used variants. Wife was listed as Bechstein. He was listed as a musician on immigration roles.
My Mom's side are Munchkins as well! Germany's a wonderful place to visit, but by far the Bavarians are the warmest people in the whole land, they're such good folks!
Hello K : Same as you!, my Grandmothers Maiden name was a centuries old town by Munich. Don't believe old Pudding down below, and siberia isnt Bavaria! Puddings been in the beer!! LOL, and you're Not Franke either, again too many beer! You've Got Bavarian Blood and that's all that matters, it doesn't get better than that!! Bavarians are about the nicest people on the Planet, to everybody, but if you tell them your past family was Bavarian, you'll be welcomed in like family!!! Super warm culture!
My maternal family line eventually changed their name (over generations) from Krämer ( spelled Kraemer in English since we don’t use an umlaut) to Cramer, with an intermediate usage of Kramer.
Wasserzieher: occupational name to Middle Low German watertoger (water scoop), to Middle High German waççertrager, -treger, especially in the bathhouse or to Middle High German waççergrâve (sworn art expert of hydraulic engineering and milling).
It's wonderful to hear about your pride in your German heritage! German history is indeed rich and fascinating, full of diverse traditions, influential historical figures, and significant events. It's always great to hear how listeners connect with their heritage. Thanks for listening and for your enthusiasm about German genealogy!
My oldest known ancestor is Johann Friedrich Sponheimer born circa 1698 in Germany. He immigrated to Philadelphia in 1748 with his wife Anna Elsabeth and family. Possibly we are related.
Well my father was German, he came to the US when he was 19. His last name is Weiberg. I tried to research my family tree but he could not tell me what my great grandparents names were, or anything about them. They both died before he was born. There were 5 boys total in his family and NONE of his brothers even remember their actual names. Only Oma and Opa. I do know there's a town over there named Weiberg but I'm pretty sure none of us are from there.
Meier/Meyer/Maier/etc. has to my knowledge nothing to do with a mayor, as the office is translated with Burgermeister. Though I learned that a Meier has to do with dairy. So it may rather be the milkman. It also makes mor sense to me, as the Muller, Schmied are the other most common names. They would always be needed, not drafted as often into the military service, having essential jobs that allowed them to stay allive and procreate. Apart from that every little town would have their miller, smith or milkman. Just a thought.
Yes, Meier etc. can come from the dairy industry. But Meier (and similar spellings) were also the medieval professional designation for the administrator of a property, such as Vogt, Hofmann or Schultheiß.
The Meier is the oerson who oversee of the Meiererei - the dairy farmery. It is a common name like Müller and Schmid and Bauer (Miller, Smith and Farmer). Not because they didn’t get drafted but there were so many of them.
I plan to check these websites out. One grandmother was a Bärfelz, the other was a Scheibach. The spelling of both of those names have probably been altered over the years, so it makes it difficult to find their ancestors.
This is a name of a village: de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bärnfels And a name of a Little River : www.lagis-hessen.de/de/subjects/idrec/sn/fln?id=122306&tbl=flurname So may Be they came from there.
Thank you for listening to the podcast and subscribing... I really appreciate it
Can anyone please help me. My biological father's family is Hartzenberg. Henry Stephen? .
Good to see all my fellow humans of German heritage chatting here. Wish there were more places to do so! 🙏🇩🇪🇺🇸
need some Lebensraum?
Me not being German 😭🥲
All Anglo Saxons have German in them from centuries ago.
My mother in law was German.
My surname is kaulffuss. I had no idea how many were in the US until the onset of the internet.
My grandfather showed up one day with a book as thick as a Bible after visiting a distant cousin. It was a, mostly complete, family history of Ketterman’s in the USA. I say mostly as my immediate and closely related family wasn’t in it. It dated back to 1790. Ketterman’s came over on a boat from Germany, bought a mountain in West Virginia and it’s still called mount ketterman today. A ket is a chain link and the family crest is a wolfs hook so we were mostly blacksmiths back then. It was cool looking through it. There was even a distant relative that shared my name and birthdate, 90 years difference tho. I think everyone should look back, if they’re able, to their history.
Kett is an old verb with the meaning to to join/ conect together. A Kette is a chain.
I'm a Ketterman with ancestors from West Viriginia too. And while "Kette" is the modern German word for necklace or chain, in medieval times it usually referred to chain maille. The original Ketterman (whoever that was) probably made armor for knights.
@@edifice2773 I also have a German surname and live in West Virginia. Mine is Seigler which is the Americanized version of Sigler/Ziegler
That's truly a cool story you have. You, or someone, need to write your family's history and add your story in your great book. That would be cool.
When I saw your last name it reminded me of the movie Dirty Dancing. That resort was named the same as your last name.
Dna cant be changed.....paperwork can.....
In Germany there is a fairly well known scientist who is specialised in onomatology. His name is Prof. Jürgen Udolph. He appears regularly on radio and explains familynames.
He is damned good and I've learned a lot from him. If someone's interested to know more about his family name, he is the best adress.
My grandmother was born a Shutler. I don't know anything about their name her father was from AlSase Lorraine France But his father was Johann Shutler and was in Germany before the borders changed. I would like to find out the origin of SHUTLER.
I remember one day during a College Sociology class, the instructor took a lot of time to explain why one student in the class, who had an Italian Surname, could have Blond hair, blue eyes and very Nordic features. He explained how Northern Italy had a strong Austrian Trans-Alps heritage. After class I felt obliged to inform the instructor that in fact the young man in question was adopted! Researching your Surname can be fun, but don't place too much importance in the result.
the coincidence you mention does not negate the veracity of the instructor's depiction of the residents of northern Italy, and the origin of that stock. Norsemen did indeed cross over to the continent, and after generations made it to the Alpine areas. They left their genetic heritage all along the route they took south.
Thanks Karen
My maiden name is Helgesen. It would surprise people when they would see me with dark hair, dark eyes, some Native American features. People would ask me how I could have a Scandinavian surname and be darker than the stereo-typed Scandinavian. Well, we have two parents
@@angelaj8958; yes, there are blue eyed blond haired Italians, but the person he used as an example was a bit laughable. Because of marriages, Ellis Island abbreviations, and such, surnames can be very misleading. My surname is Irish, but nowhere in my family tree can I find anyone from Ireland. It could be that my Great, Great, Great Grandfather was a horse thief and took an assumed name to avoid a long drop at the end of a short rope.
@@monabiehl6213; EXACTLY! With the "melting pot" of America, surnames can be very misleading.
I am a German Bavarian decent person, my ancestors were actually warriors and also military personnel. Military life is actually handled down by generation. Very extremely hard workers, farming, and also military life.
I am a decent person too, I think. I’m not Bavarian though.
My wife’s paternal family name is Hanstein and might have originated from the Hamburg area. Parents, uncles and ourselves have visited Burg Hanstein on the East German side of the previous border, but that yielded no further information. Regrettably the bombing of Hamburg in WW11 appears to have wiped out any distant relatives, or documentary linkages with this ancestor.
If the name originated in the North, it has been changed later. "Stein" had been "Sten" or "Steen" in and around Hamburg. "Han-" translates to "Hohen-" in modern Standard German. So, the meaning of the name, also the name of the castle, is "High stone", which again doesn't really suggest a place in the North German plains. Nevertheless, the Thirty Years War was the first powerful mixer within Germany.
My grandfather lived in a German speaking community in Missouri. His first name was Wilhelm. When WW1 broke out, he changed it to William.
Hermitage Missouri
I have an ancestor from Germany named Wilhelm Weilbrenner.
I'm a Priess. Anglicized to Price in the 1850s.
The English Battenbergs changed their name to Mountbatten.
I believe it was common to change names for social and political reasons. I lived in Canada for a few years and a city in Ontario called Kitchener was known as ‘Berlin’ before WW1. Additionally, I believe the royal family’s last name was ‘Hapsburg’ at the time of WW1 and changed it to ‘Windsor’.
Dwight D. Eisenhower (Eisenhauer = iron hewer = miner) is a good example for an occupational surname. His ancestor came from what is now the tiny German federal state of Saarland. Iron ore and coal deposits in the area gave rise to a thriving mining & iron smelting industry that lasted for at least a millenium and ended in the early 1980s.
I am of “Eisenhauer “ lineage although a different family line than that of Dwight D.
The area of Tirol, is mostly inhabited by darker haired peoples. The Süd Tirol is still occupied by Italy after the treaties after WWI. The area is divided, northern and eastern Tirol remain in Austria. After a century of occupation, Süd Tirol has stuck to its culture, even after Italian attempts to wipe out the Tirolean culture, food and music.
There is a video here on TH-cam that talks about President Eisenhower’s Black ancestry.
However, the name Eisenhauer may also refer to a blacksmith, not just a miner.
I never thought with the surname Schroeder that I could find any info on our paternal line. But one day back in 2010 I inputted what data I knew about our gr-grandfather, who arrived in Brooklyn, NY in 1866. I was astounded when a German subscriber to Geneanet provided a link to a database showing Lutheran church records for our Schroeder lineage all the way back to 1705 which was "about" the birth year of our 5th gr-grandfather.
I grew up in a German farming community on Long Island. German was spoken in the church and shops into the early 60s.My family has Birklbauers, Bausbachers, Kasers. PS one of the Birklebaer ladies married a Mr. Jones. Who could blame her???
My mother was a Brandenburg, a descendant of Frederick the Great. When she found this out in the late 90’s, she laughed in sarcasm. I did the ancestry and research backwards and forward. Yes, my mother was 7 generations from the monarchy. My ancestor, Wilhelm and the Kaiser had a fallen out when he and his brothers insulted the Roman Catholics who came to visit Berlin. Mathias and his brothers came here as religious refugees. Mathias is buried in the same county my mother’s family came from. We established the 3rd Brandenburg Family Cemetery.
Very interesting!
Our families knew each other
Frederick The Great had no descendants.
I only knew, that somewhere somehow we had a bowel maker in our family 🤣 and some Mongols.
@@lisalaunius7389 I researched this recently. They were maternal half brothers and paternal cousins. The first self appointed king in Prussia and third elector replaced my ancestor Fredrick the 2nd elector who was killed in war. The mix ups came from the maternal marriages of the 2nd and 3rd electors.
My paternal ancestors were Swiss German and Swiss Italian. They lived in Gunten, Sigriswil and around Lake Thun. Years ago, I received an unexpected letter and scroll in the mail from someone stating that my original ancestor was Polish and was given a title and property from the Pope for his service as a Swiss Guard and for protecting him from 2 separate assassination attempts.
My last name is Mittlestadter. Within the past month, I accidentally learned there is a city in Germany named Mittelstadt. It seems obvious where my ancestors were from. I'm happy to have found this out.
The switching of the l and e also explain a comment I remember my grandmother one time making- that my grandfather was angry that the immigration authorities switched the l and e.
its funny as a german because for me its so obvious hahaha
Mittelstadt means middle town, but you probably know that.
@@maggiegarber246 so which town center were his ancestors from?
My surname is
Schweinfurter and it's been determined that my ancestors immigrated from the town of Schweinfurt
Which in English means schwein= pig
And furter= crossing
And the town is at a narrow spot in a river where they used to cross their pigs
@@roryschweinfurter4111 Maybe you have some german-jewish ancestors. Schweinfurter is a typical german-jewish surname of the early 19th century
My mother's father's family came to Canada from Prussia in 1870s. Later 1890s half the family moved to America ,Iowa and Washington state. Klampe was their name.
On my dad's side we have the names Linkous and Shelor. I have learned that Shelor is a form of Schuller, and a book has been written about Henry Linkous immigrating from Germany and all his descendants.
Interestingly, almost all the Linkous and Shelor families are concentrated in the small area in and around Montgomery County in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia.
I'm only partly German/Jewish on my father's side but Montgomery County is quite specific as well as the Blue Ridge Mountains(have camped there as a kid)our surname is Linzer and had to say hallo 😊
@@maevemaiden Hello! Thanks for answering.
@@leahtate261 sure no problem I love to hear about people's history and family stories:)
Do you live here? I'm not far from there at all. If so, hello, fellow Appalachian.
A Daniel Shelor was a store owner on the new River in Montgomery County, VA., in the 1780's.Isaac Taylor gave him his family Bible in his will,c.1783? He had previously bought land from Isaac Taylor. This store still appears on civil war maps of Montgomery County,VA., c. 1864. Use a search for these names,and the map will come up to view.NAT. ARCH. has these to view as well.
My grandmother in Eastern Kentucky was a Mutter:
“South German (also Mütter): occupational name for an official employed to measure grain, from Middle High German mutte, mütte 'bushel', 'grain measure' (Latin modius) + the agent suffix -er.”
Mutter means also mother
@@sabinesteil4690 Yes! I have been told she was a Jewess.
My German surname is Kammerling , meaning keeper of the chamber - hence direct translation into English is Chamberlain. Greetings from Londonistan
There are some Kammerlings in the Moluccas or Spice Islands in Indonesia. I think a Kammerling must have settled centuries ago because they are brown in skin colour now.
Mine is Kammerer -- treasurer or keeper of the chamber.
Greeting from FLA USA, home of the despicable EX45
Tamalia - - there is always some white man in the haystack. lol
keeper of the chamber pot
I grew up bilingual, speaking German and English, so I'm guessing Täubel has something to do with either doves or being deaf. My father and mother are originally from Yugoslavia and Hungary, but I was able to trace my family tree back to Austrian Donauschwaben.
In deinem Fall gibt es zwei Bedeutungen für den Familiennamen. Wat 'ne Scheiße, man macht es dir noch schwieriger bei der Suche nach der Bedeutung des Namens.
Taube is actually the dove. Taub sein means to be deaf. In your case I think it is a sweet way of saying dove. Btw I was German and am now Canadian. ♥️
@@stevensiegert oder leichter
TH-cam KANAL:'die Zuversicht' mit "Die grösste Verschwörung der Geschichte." /// Vielleicht interessiert es sie ja. 👋🇩🇪
@@leopoldpoppenberger8692 5:13
My dad's Nolte uncle wrote the Nolte book in 1950 -- traced family back to the Crusades -- first Heinrich Henry von Nolte came to america before Ellis Island escaping the Prussion War -- many different spellings -- Nulte, Nolty, etc -- I was a child during WW2 and when they put Japanese in camps, I feared they'd be coming for us next
In the 1950s SoCal, the 1st German generation of my classmates typically had the prefix 'Sch' as in Schiff or Schumer, or one was a Hofdahl, and when they would meet, they would speak to each other in broken English, thick accent. Back then, it was considered bad manners to be in a mixed group and use your native language to the exclusion of your classmates joining in and bonding on common activities.
My dad always taught me to speak English in public & German at home.
It's still bad manners.
The Word dahl means Tal (valley )Hof means court
@@gunhed5073 Hof can also mean farm.
At our Lutheran church in Southern California 75% of the parishioners were sch names!
My Dad’s paternal grandparents were German. My Great Gramother’s great grandfather, I believe, immigrated to Texas and started buying land and farming, sending money back for his family and eventually sending for his family and any other Germans who wanted to immigrate to Texas and work the cotton farms. The town was eventually named after him (Dr. Julius Caesar Zulch), called North Zulch. I even saw a picture of him and he freakishly looks so much like my father!! My Mother‘s Mom, never really would speak of her heritage, but before she passed I asked her and she replied she only knew they had Black Dutch. I need to just have my DNA tested.
My husband mothers maiden name was Imhoff...landed in Missouri..became very wealth investing in the first railroad company on the track. The loved America with all their heart.
Imhoff a Name from the middle and south-west Germany.
There is a famous painter in Saskatchewan with the same last name. He came from Germany and lived in St Walburg
Jack Imhoff?
I sat next to mark imhoff in the second grade he liked baseball
There was an Imhoff family in Ferndale Washington years ago.
My last name is Yount, which is the American bastardization of the Original German surname Jundt. I did my research on it, and the surname dates back to 1209, and that is a Germanization of the name Judith, which means "Of Judea," when the Jundt family settled in the Westphalia region. It's amazing to learn such things.
So your ancestor is from Iudea. Had he been with Herod Archelaus of Iudea, who according to jewish historian Josephus, the Romans vanished to Vienne of the Gaul in 4 AD?
When you say, "American bastardization" what exactly are you referring to? Did they change your last name at some point?
@@hopefulvoyage Exactly. According to what I was told, when the first Jundt family came to America, the people who were documenting them did not know how to spell the last name, they just went by pronounciation only. Hence, Jundt became Yount.
@@YountPower I believe something similar happened to my last name as well. Trying to get the truth of the matter.
My great grandmothers maiden name was Miller/Mueller.
My last name is Weichardt. My Dad was born in Germany and his Dad’s family came from northern Germany. The meaning is “ the strong one in the battle”.
There was a time when many Germans Latinized their surnames, such a Sartorius instead of Schneider.
An ancestor of mine named Klass Wasser changed his name to Clearwater when emigrating to the US. This was back in the 1800s so it wasn't because of WWII.
The most German immigrants came long bevor world War 1. Thousends of them even figth in the revolotinarey, and in the Civil war back then.
@@MW-mg3qf They settled a lot of the Midwest, the Plains, and Texas.
@@wes326 Do you ever heard of the German belt ? They are mostley in the north to the west. Yes and many of them go to the midwest and Texas too, you're rigth.
@@MW-mg3qf Never heard of it until now. Here in Nebraska there is a lot of German heritage. Chech too.
@@wes326 The German belt discribe the Regions ( 18 US - States ) where in the 19 Century the majority of German Immigrants used to live, mostley in the midwest like you mentioned ( Wisconsin,Ohio,Minnesota, Iowa, Indiana and so on ). Kind Regards from Berlin / Germany
Beautiful picture of Regensburg, my hometown, you got there. :D
Thank you for sharing! It is very interesting. My second great grandfather immigrated from Baden- Wurttemberg, Germany in the early 1900’s. I traced the family back over five hundred years. His wife’s maiden name was Hirzel.
Three out of four of my grandparents surnames have German origins.
My grandmas surname “my dads mom” is Dietrich, my grandpas surname “my moms dad” is Hallmann, and my grandmas surname “my moms mom” is Staut. Only my last name Moore isn’t German, and my Moore line comes from Ireland/Scotland. Just thought I’d share.
Q
Our surname is Wesseling,we are Dutch but Wesseling is the name of a German City
Yeah the city of wesseling is in the Dutch/German border area. Quite possibly your wesseling ancestors could have been Germans that came from that city and moved to the Netherlands.
Hallman Could have been a man who saled Salt or came from Halle where salt was for sale.
Dietrich is a first name that is also a last name. You could translate it with Ruler of the People....but that does not mean that your ancestor was a ruler ;-). Old germanic male first names often had this kind of content.
Hallmann: depends on the region your ancestors came from. If they came (orignially, which means the first person who used this last name) from Silecia, Bohemia or Lausatia it is a variation of the name Heilmann and would mean something like Happy Man. If they are from Westfalia or Hannover (I would assume the former kingdom of Hanover ...not only the city) it refers to the city of Halle. Then it would probably be a man from Halle.
Staut probably means that your ancestor lived near shrubs.
I take no guarantee for the information....was just curious and read german websites about the etymology of last names.
My great uncle invented the transatlantic cable. He was also a genealogist by avocation. Espenscheid. We can now trace back to the 500’s thanks to church documents.
Funny you mentioned that about your great uncle. My Opa who was from Kaiserslautern worked for Simplex Wire and Cable who produced those cables here in Boston.
Damn I can only go back to 1566
@John Smith meaning parting like in divorce scheide the cover of a knife scheiden meaning go apart saying good bye or the parting of the vulva but there are a few more
That’s amazing! I can only go back to ~1700 with most lines and that’s if I’m lucky!
@@karlschneider9479 are you from Germany?
Interesting video. My last name is Kaylor which is the Americanized version of Kohler (coal burner). My grandmother was able to trace our family back to the 1600s in America but couldn't find any direct relatives in Germany. My descendants settled mainly in Pennsylvania.
also a fine toilet!
@@reddykilowatt :-) I only wish that I was part of that family. They are wealthy. I am not.
Close to my maiden name..Cole..changed from Kohl
Were they possibly from Russia? My family is 100% German (one line) but they were from Russia, where appx 27000 German families settled along the southern Russian border between 1760-1799
My name is spelled Kaler. My 5th G. Grand was Johann Heinrich Koehler from Nenderoth Germany in the Rhineland. He with his family settled in present day Waldoboro Maine with many other families from that area.
Interesting! My grandmother (my father’s side) directed descendants surname was Schmaus back at 400 AD. The location was at Trier, Germany. Our directed ancester arrived at United States at 1739 and his wife (surname Wohlfram or Wohlfrom) was also from Germany.
My great grandfather was Gustav Claus Christian Hinrichs. Born 2-6-1862 in Meldorf, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.
Don't know where your family settled, but there are 2 towns in NW, just miles apart, Schleswig and Holstein. Interesting!
Mine is Orwig, which I've researched and found it's a Germanized form of Orvik from Norway, even though my 6th great grandparents came from Germany. Orwig is also derived from Urbecht or other variations. But when he landed in America he signed an X by Orwig so it stuck, there's about 20,000 of us just in the USA alone. Everyone named Orwig is related to each other.
There is an Orwigsburg in Schuykill County, Pennsylvania! .... Near Hamburg, Pa. ....
@@jamesalexander5623 yes I know my uncle told us about it back in the 1990s. Ive always wanted to visit there.
Fun fact: I was adopted at birth into a German-jewish family (German on my dad’s side, jewish on both mom and dad’s side) only to find out in my 20’s that my biological family is also German. The generation on my adoptive father’s side came from a family of blacksmiths and my biological family came from a line of tinkers. It’s crazy how works out
My dads mum and dad was a German Jewish family too sadly never knew my nan and grandad from my dad side all I know they came from the black forest and migrated to England my nan died here and my grandad remarried someone from Croydon but wish I knew my nan and grandad but they say schafer means sheaperd so that all I know
Yet your picture looks like your black
@@kaleahcollins4567 So ? She could still have German roots /mixture. She looks admixed regardless.
@@kaleahcollins4567 Give it your best to expand your horizon ..........germans
@@kaleahcollins4567 She wrote about her biological fathers side and not her mothers. Therefore I don't really understand your comment.
My ancestor August Krug founded the world famous SCHLITZ Brewery in Milwaukee in 1849..an immigrant from Miltenberg Germany
I do! I’m proud of my Germanic roots. German/Norwegian. Hard working, resourceful Honest!
My great-grandfather was Mueller. When he came to America in the 1800’s he became Miller. It has been a challenge to track him and his wife who was Irish.
I have Muellers ancestors too. Mine came to South Australia.
Miller is equal to müller
My mothers last name is freimueller from Bavaria
Proksch married a Mueller in Poland in the 1890s my great grandparents.
A lot of my heritage comes from Germany. Especially on my mothers side. There is Kettler, Schrader, Jobusch, Mosbacher and others. I am just getting into my history and I'm excited about it.
You are from Germany?
No, I am from the US. My mother's family came to the US in the 1700s.
@@yellowiris123 I want to know more about US can i get your any contact if you not any problem.
@@yellowiris123 I want to know the detail of USA which is the best place for office in USA ( virtual office)
My surname “Crites” is the Americanized spelling of the German surname “Creutz” or “Kreutz”. One of my ancestors, Philip Creutz, was born around 1710 in Palatinate, Germany. He and his wife came to the United States on the ship Europa and settled in Hardy County, WV. According to my dna I am about 95% German.
lucky they weren't on the Princess Augusta which went down off Block Island in 1738 in December, right on Christmas. Most died of bad water and starvation due to the captain being a sadistic weirdo.
My mom's family was Heppinstall. Anyone know what that means. My dad's was Werner...Verner in Germany. Don't know what that means either but that side came 1850ish. I read there is a Werner family coat of arms that I LOVE to see. It was given to the grandpa that came to America. I'm not sure if he was military. From what I've read he was a painter/sculptor/artist & went to a fancy school, lol, but seriously he was kinda "famous". He did historical scenes & traveled & hung out with aristocrats. The one I can remember without looking was the Treaty of Worms. I think Fredrick II gave him the coat of arms & a "von" middle name.😂 If interested look up Anton von Werner, it's cool. Another one wrote a play that translated to "24th of February" too! The other side we traced back & got a last name of "Cordes". It said it was about a medieval occupation of making cords. Idk, but it's fun & interesting!!
I’m a maternal Heidt and Schafer from German immigrants in the early 1700s. The spelling was changed to Hite and we’re all over the place in WV. Does anyone what those names mean?
@@countessratzass5408 I would bet that "Schafer" was originally spelled "Schäfer" or "Schaefer". "Schäfer" means here in Germany shepherd.
"Heidt" could well be a geographical name (there are some places or districts that are so named), but could also be a short name for someone who lives in the heather (... where traditionally there are / were many sheep farms) or as a name denigration of a non-baptized person.
@@angiebaby1976 Werner: originally a given name that became the surname of certain families.
Heppinstall: possibly reformulation of "Hippenstiel", a metonymic occupational name for a maker of handles for scythes, from Middle High German heppe 'scythe' + stil 'handle'.
Cordes: Low German cose form for the given name Konrad.
I am a German-American, born in Germany and raised in the US. My family is from Baden-Württemberg, not to far from Stuttgart. And my mom’s maiden name is Domogalla (which translates to Haushahn) ancestors change it to Latin because of Napoleon. I have no idea why Napoleon made my ancestors change their last names as my mom doesn’t know either. But maybe my Opa can answer that question. All we know from my Opa’s story is that Napoleon made us Latinize it.
Fascinating stuff about german surnames. I'm from the UK, but according to my aunt, we have a relative in Nashville, German with surname Dickel, who apparently made whisky!!!
Mine is Wickline..it was
Longer once...it goes back
To round table times,
We have a coat of arms
Also
All cultures have names that have meaning that goes back into history.
Our family also includes the von Moltke’s. One great, one not so great. Thanks to Lloyd Espenscheid genealogical records.
I'm Shetler on my dad's side an Beiler on my mom's an also Shmucker from a grandma, we spoke an read German growing up in PA.
My mother's maiden is Yungblut but they were all farmers in Ontario. They emigrated from Germany before WWII because they didn't like what Hitler was doing.
Yungblut = Jungblut: byname to Middle High German junc-bluot (young, merry person). A byname (Latin agnomen) is an additional personal name, which is added to a person to designate him more precisely.
Florsheim was my ancestors family name. He was a shoe maker according to the census but not affiliated with Florsheim shoes. I believe they were from Canada.
And people in Canada had immigrated from ...?
Maybe he dropped the points on the ö....than it would be Flörsheim and I have been there already. It is a town in Hessia.
On my Mom’s side, was Clossen and Silwold from the Schleswig area near Denmark. They came to America after the American Civil War to Iowa.
Grandfathers name is Treuel from Wedel also part of Schleswig- Holstein left for Australia in 1854.
Hi, I suspect that a spelling mistake happened at some point. In northern Germany, especially towards Denmark, there is the name Classen, which is actually quite common. So a, not o.
My grandfather's grandparents moved to USA from Prussia (Germany) back in late 1800's. Their surname are Ring.
According to my ancestry research, my ancestry begins Niederndorf , Austria… 2 brothers were recruited from there to work in the coal mines in Virginia and came to the US in the late 1700’s. My family name of the 2 brothers was “Kunz”, from which my maiden name ,”Counts “ developed from. Our family is very large and the list is long!
My paternal great grand mother was a "Noppenberg". Great great grandfather was Walentin (Valentine) Kahl. I know they were farmers.
Cool vid...the landscape you use is of Regensburg, in Bavaria. Specifically the view shown is the same view from my grandparents apartment on the Danube until they moved into town. I've literally stood there when visiting in my youth. Last name Roth. Maternal gm name was Grugelstein.
My family are also from regensburg my auntie and cousins still live there
I wish I could find my family, Enzenbacher from Bavaria. I wonder what the name means? Someone said there is a River Enzen in Germany?
@@julietrask7497 have you tried the German consulate in your area to find your German family, yes Enzen River Enzen in the region of Rheinland-Pfalz with its 49 habitants is a town located in Germany - some 354 mi or ( 569 km ) South-West of Berlin , the country's capital .
@@iamahorsenut7541 Thank you!
Yes I clicked the vid because I recognized Alt Stadt
The video shows my beautyful hometown Regensburg 😄
My great grand father was Ditzen from Germany. I live in the Caribbean.
Im half Greek half German, my grandparents (mom's parents) came from westphalia and their last name is Feldhaus meaning “field house”
Thanks for sharing! That’s interesting! My great aunts married name is Poulos. Her husband was from Greece.
Fogle an Gaskin they came from Germany....my great grandma 100 percent German blood line...settled in southern Indiana......
Great grandfather Johannes Heinrich Treuel emigrated in 1854 from Wedel in what was then part of Schleswig- Holstein, principality of Denmark now Germany.
my ancestors also came to canada in 1854 from Hanover,Germany.
In german it is spelled Liese
My first husband's name was Gutliph and his great grandfather came from Baden Baden in Bavaria.
Baden Baden (no joke) is a town in former Great Duchy of Baden, western part of current state Baden- Württemberg.
Gutliph the Queen!
Braunack is my surname, from Tirishtiegel used to be called Selisia to South Australia in 1850.
In Souther German dialect, we still use the term 'schulze' for 'mayor'
My great great great relation on my mom's side was Johannes Miller. He fought in the Revolutionary War on the front lines for our freedom.
Was his name perhaps changed from Muller or Moeller? Miller can also be a British surname. Just curious.
@@stevenmoore4612 Not that I know of. Our Miller relatives are still in East Greenville, Pa. The Millers and the Shantzes. Pa. is so beautiful and I loved visiting as a child.
Oh ok. My grandmas dads side the Stauts were originally from Pennsylvania, and were mostly Pennsylvania Dutch- “German” origins that date back to the mid 1600’s before the country was even founded. I know that a few of my relatives from that side fought in the revolution as well! Most of my other lines are more recent immigrants from Germany, Poland, and Scandinavia that came over between the 1870’s and 1920’s.
That’s right, Miller (Americanized form), „Müller“ is THE most common surname in Germany. Greetings from Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.
@@linajurgensen4698 In the southern regions of the german-speaking-area we have Müller as well as Miller. So Miller could be originally german, too. Liebe Grüße aus Tirol!
My maiden name is Harmon. I've been told it's German. I'm related to Queen Victoria's Husband's line.
👩💻My middle name is Ellen. In Old English it means "Courage" or "To have courage." Which really ironic for the life I have led. I know much of English is German. So maybe. Just wanted to be part of the group. Much love and peace.🙋♀️🪔🌠🖖🥰***
My name is German (Weilbrenner) although some ancestors were Welsh in UK.
I've found this on a german page:
"The name Ellen comes from ancient Greek and goes back to the name "Helene", which directly translated means "the shine" and "the rays of the sun" and is another form of Helena. The most popular interpretations of Ellen are therefore "the radiant", "the sun-like" and "the beautiful"."
My family last name is Boettcher, derived from "COOPER" (barrel maker). My paternal grandmother is a miller.
I was born in central Italy, from a family tree search, my maternal ancestors come from Holland (Amsterdam, 1600) my mother's surname is Schieda which was originally Schied, the same name as a place in Holland. She has green eyes my brother has blue eyes and blonde hair. I also have confirmation from Dna analysis that finds a genetic match in holland and Germany. My family has dutch/german mentality and not an italian one. I fell like an orphan of these two nations that i miss very much.
I went on that atlas website and went on a long winding road to find the meaning of my surname Luhrs. Basically it means warrior. Also a bad warrior or army. The thing with surnames is that they change with wherever they go.
In Germany the name does only exist with an umlaut "Lührs". It is of Low Saxon origin and still most common in Northwestern Germany along the North Sea coast. It derives from the male first name Lüder, in that region often shortened to "Lühr". Another surname of the same meaning is "Lüders". It seems to refer to the personal traits "loud and clear".
Met a fellow born in Munich. He said my last name Trull, was pronounced as Truly in German🙂
No, it´s pronounced as "full".😃
I like the idea of using the profession as a surname. My Chinese surname is a royal one.
What does Ng mean? Or it like a rank you know like Baron or prince?
@@tamaliaalisjahbana9354 my Chinese family name is written as 吳，and NG is the English translation by the Hong Kong Government during the British colonial time. Other possible translation is WU,
That’s my son’s doctor’s last name. It’s pretty cool 😎!
My maiden name is Cole..changed from Kohl..no I don't have stock or money from department store..I also am a Yost..both sides lots of German and Celtic descent...I always love to hear of past ancestors..hope to visit both countries in my lifetime.
For over 30 years we lived in Ste. Genevieve, Mo. Lots of German decendants their and also French. Lot of the names you all have mentioned are in that area. Klein, Mueller, Gegg, Naeger, Figge, Grein, Roth, Koetting, Krug, Baumann, Schweis, Zerwig, Kreitler, and more. Check out towns with German family names. It might lead to something. Check their tourist info. Centers, Churches.
Name Hazelbaker. From the House of Kessel. He was the baker of the Hess Kessel !!! My relatives were Hessian soldiers brought over from Germany to fight in the American Civil War. They were given land grants for fighting for the North. We settled in Pennsylvania. Love the history behind this. I have a copy of the original land grant.
That's fascinating, Hazelbaker! Your family's history is truly remarkable. Being descendants of Hessian soldiers who fought in the American Civil War and receiving land grants is a unique part of American history. It's great that you have a copy of the original land grant; that must hold significant historical value. Thanks for sharing this interesting piece of your family history!
My great grandmother was a Miller. Grandpa was a Billman. His name was Franz.
Kopp. Either from the town Kopp. Or it can mean chicken farmer. My favorite is Kopp means someone with a particularly large head. I’m guessing all three for the trifecta.
Or a short form of Jakob.
My grandfather was a German soldier General who fought with Hitler. He came from Germany to Veracruz, Mexico in 1936 where he met my grandmother Sofía, they got married and my mother was born in 1937. Her name was Irma and Irma in Germany means "Hope". In the Marriage reigistration he wrote Hermann Kühne as his name. When I Googled the name, it appears that it is a German Destroyer Boat of War. I don't know who he really was, but I thank him with my heart and soul because thanks of him I´m alive, and very proud of being his grandaughter.
Hermann Kuhne was a Zerstorer/destroyer on the 1936 class. Also called Z19. It was sunk in action with British destroyers in Herjangsfjord, Norway, on 13.4.40.
All that class of ships were named after naval heroes of World War 1.
Have you tried taking a DNA test? It might help with finding your actual surname.
Kühne is a very common German surname. Just like Hermann was a very common first name in those times. Hermann Kühne might easily have been his real name, and there will have been several hundreds more, no matter that a ship shared this name, too.
Mine was Hermann, Harman and now Harmon. My Harmons came from Germany was was one of the first settlers of eastern Ky.
Yes I do on my Mother's side are the Gishs and volland and OTT BALLAUF..
I'm a Bieler (hatchet). From Germany goes back to the mideviel times. And I'm proud
Hail!
My dad's family came from southwestern Germany near the French border between 100 and 150 years ago. In my great grandfather's generation they were all farmers in the upper mid-west. I can only find three Diddens listen from Germany. Interestingly, all three were or are named Diddo Diddens. I've also found record of a Jan Diddens on the Belgian World Cup team in the '30s. There are also at least 2 Diddens who are or were involved with universities in The Netherlands. Trying to pin something down is frustrating.
For me it Diddens sounds a bit more northern maybe Rheinland-Pfalz, Nordrhein-Westfalen or maybe Belgium or Netherlands.
But of course they also could have been to the southwest before Emigration.
Around 150 Years ago the German Revolution failed, and a lot of people emigrated to America.
One main Region of this revolution was the State of Baden, that is in the south west (Now Part of Baden-Württemberg).
But of couse there were a lot of People involved also from or in other parts of Germany.
You might want to check Mennonite records. They had communities that lived in Switzerland, southeastern France, southwestern Germany, and for fear of persecution and death moved, as groups, further into Germany, up into the Netherlands, and into eastern Europe/Russia in the 1500s through 1700s (approximate history). My mother's relatives were all Mennonite, with one or two Amish or Brethern.
I wrote a longer answer two hours ago...but I can not see it anywhere.
I try to reconstruct the research I did by memory now: About 30 entrys of Didden in the german telephone book (that does not mean there are not more of them....most people today have mobile numbers and are not in the telephone register). Most of them live in Northrhine-Westphalia. Another source had thousands of Diddens, mostly in the Netherlands and Belgium (Northrine-Westphalia is on the boarder of both countries).
One source said it is a frisian name and comes from the First name Diethard (Ruler of the people). Another source just traced it back to "from the people".
The Status of Forces Agreement allowed my husband and I, as Americans, to marry while stationed in Germany in 1988. We had to get a state certified translator and went to city hall in Weisbaden to marry. At the time we filed our application, we were told of the option to keep my maiden names, take my husband's, or for my husband to take my name. My maiden name is Dietrich. Btw, you pronounce Mainz as My-inz, not Manz, as you did.
@Karen Stewart
I lived in Wiesbaden and surrounding until 2000, I lived even close to Camp Lindsey (Waldstrasse)
@@Venusoftx42 I was stationed at Camp Lindsey. From the google earth images I've seen recently, it in no way resembles the Camp I knew. :(
@@karenstewart8818
Yes I know, all houses, apartments for rent and commercial buildings - nothing looks like it was before. Same is with Amelia Earhart Hotel and hospital. You wouldn’t recognize the area anymore
@@Venusoftx42
Und ich bin aus Mainz am Rhein
My surname is from the border of the Netherlands. It means near the marshy ground, which makes since, considering the low-lying land in the area where klompen and windmills were very common.
21 YEARS searching and still no direct answers!!
My paternal grandmother's maiden name was Steinbocker, which, I believe means "stone breaker". I've been able to trace it back to Prussia.
This would be ,Steinbrecher', a Steinbock is an alpine animal with big horns.
I spelled it wrong. It's spelled "Steinbacher". It's a place name per the website mentioned. It means from Steinbach, which was a place in Prussia.
@@tmross4 : Up to 1938 the small town Wernau next to my village consisted of two villages Steinbach and Pfauhausen. Keep in mind, Prussia and Germamy is not the same.
It was a small spot of Germany in the region of Prussia.
Or Stonemason
Our last name was Cloß, (ß in German makes an SS sound)
When our family left Germany and emigrated to Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil our last name was changed to Closs sometime during WW2 due to the Brazilian government fearing that the large German populations might side with the Nazi.
Mine was Kluss
@@KiahSilverdew pretty similar to mine
sorry there is no Santo Cloß in Brazil.
And with good reason. The Nazi enclaves in South America are still alive and well (for some definition of "well").
More likely reason that non-german typewriters don't have a sharp S, just like keyboards outside Germany don't have Umlaute.
As a result, Germans in the US either started using the vowel followed by 'E;, or just dropped it entirely.
My Great Grandfather was a Pfau. Apparently that means peacock in German, meaning proud as a peacock.
Thats correct
I knew a man whose last name was Pfau. The meaning was accurate, 😁
My Great Grandfather was a Kloch. Grandfather Kloch we called him.
Have lots of info on dad's paternal side, but his maternal side not so much. They were Hessians. Used the name Stabal, but even they used variants. Wife was listed as Bechstein. He was listed as a musician on immigration roles.
My mother’s ancestors are from the Sudtirol, and my father’s through Scotland to Germany.
My mother was from Munich, her maiden name was Helmbrect. I believe there is a village called Helmbrechts.
My Mom's side are Munchkins as well! Germany's a wonderful place to visit, but by far the Bavarians are the warmest people in the whole land, they're such good folks!
Helmbrechts is a small city in the north of bavaria. The "little sibiria" of bavaria... Gratulation.. You're a "Franke". (-:
Hello K : Same as you!, my Grandmothers Maiden name was a centuries old town by Munich. Don't believe old Pudding down below, and siberia isnt Bavaria! Puddings been in the beer!! LOL, and you're Not Franke either, again too many beer! You've Got Bavarian Blood and that's all that matters, it doesn't get better than that!! Bavarians are about the nicest people on the Planet, to everybody, but if you tell them your past family was Bavarian, you'll be welcomed in like family!!! Super warm culture!
@@user-hd1qx2bd1r I live in this Town, Blockhead.
Why you took this lot of sh...?
@@rufus8194 Es ist nicht Blockhead, Es ist Squarehead !!! Du verstehst nicht. Loslassen. Servus.
My maiden name is Kraemer which means merchant or storekeeper. Lol, they just mentioned it in a list of names!!
My maternal family line eventually changed their name (over generations) from Krämer ( spelled Kraemer in English since we don’t use an umlaut) to Cramer, with an intermediate usage of Kramer.
I am a Kramer
Traced our Aleshire name back to the 1700's when it was Ehlscheid. Name changed during immigration to the USA
Ehlscheid is a village near Neuwied (Rhineland)
I married into a German family here in Minnesota and the last name is Wasserzieher, meaning water drawer or water puller.
Wasserzieher: occupational name to Middle Low German watertoger (water scoop), to Middle High German waççertrager, -treger, especially in the bathhouse or to Middle High German waççergrâve (sworn art expert of hydraulic engineering and milling).
Im so proud to be German. Its simply an amazing heritage and has so much history
It's wonderful to hear about your pride in your German heritage! German history is indeed rich and fascinating, full of diverse traditions, influential historical figures, and significant events. It's always great to hear how listeners connect with their heritage. Thanks for listening and for your enthusiasm about German genealogy!
My oldest known relative was Gerhard II Lander von Sponheim who died around 1490....
Sponheim is a suburb of Mainz in the Rheinland
My oldest known ancestor is
Johann Friedrich Sponheimer born circa 1698 in Germany. He immigrated to Philadelphia in 1748 with his wife Anna Elsabeth and family. Possibly we are related.
Well my father was German, he came to the US when he was 19. His last name is Weiberg. I tried to research my family tree but he could not tell me what my great grandparents names were, or anything about them. They both died before he was born. There were 5 boys total in his family and NONE of his brothers even remember their actual names. Only Oma and Opa. I do know there's a town over there named Weiberg but I'm pretty sure none of us are from there.
Often people who moved from a town to another were named after the town they came from
They could have been Volga Germans (Germans from Russia) who emigrated back to Germany before coming to the US
Meier/Meyer/Maier/etc. has to my knowledge nothing to do with a mayor, as the office is translated with Burgermeister. Though I learned that a Meier has to do with dairy. So it may rather be the milkman. It also makes mor sense to me, as the Muller, Schmied are the other most common names.
They would always be needed, not drafted as often into the military service, having essential jobs that allowed them to stay allive and procreate. Apart from that every little town would have their miller, smith or milkman. Just a thought.
that is what I learned at school as well
Yes, Meier etc. can come from the dairy industry.
But Meier (and similar spellings) were also the medieval professional designation for the administrator of a property, such as Vogt, Hofmann or Schultheiß.
The Meier is the oerson who oversee of the Meiererei - the dairy farmery. It is a common name like Müller and Schmid and Bauer (Miller, Smith and Farmer). Not because they didn’t get drafted but there were so many of them.
@@karinland8533 - thank you for my confirming my suggestions.
It hasn't to be so. Some Surnames come from Ages before Middleage. Miller also was a Member of a Roman Legion.
I have Gutermuth, Krause, and Hamer in my family tree.. Need to do some more research 🧐
Got a brochure once from Germany. Place called Sauer Brau. Distillery,beer and pubs
I plan to check these websites out. One grandmother was a Bärfelz, the other was a Scheibach. The spelling of both of those names have probably been altered over the years, so it makes it difficult to find their ancestors.
This is a name of a village:
de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bärnfels
And a name of a Little River :
www.lagis-hessen.de/de/subjects/idrec/sn/fln?id=122306&tbl=flurname
So may Be they came from there.
Schelbach is surely a village or town. Bärfelz is surely also a placename ( Bärenfeld/ Bärenfels), but Bärenfell ( bears fur) is also not impossible.
@@brittakriep2938 Thank you!