What does von mean in German surnames? German surnames: meaning and origin

So, my first post that is not a copy-paste from a magazine on Pokeliga. And it was thanks to which my blog appeared (as written about in the first blog post).

It all started when one day my friend Zoana, who, like me, is fond of writing fan fiction, asked me: what do the prefixes to the surnames of some characters in this or that work mean? I was also interested in the question, but at first I didn’t really want to delve into it. However, literally a day later I asked myself a question: why do some characters have more than one or two names? The answer to my friend’s question did not give any results, and I finally decided to go online and puzzle myself with these two questions, simultaneously writing down the results of the “research” for her and for other interested acquaintances.

Also, in fairness, I will point out that a considerable part of the information presented here was gleaned from the Internet, and together with my own thoughts, it turned out to be a kind of mini-abstract.

Number of names

I decided to start with “my” question - why some characters have one or two names, and some have three, four or more (the longest one I came across was in a story about two Chinese boys, where the poor one was simply called Chong, and the rich man’s name took up a line probably five).

I turned to Mr. Google, and he told me that the tradition of several names today takes place mainly in English-speaking and Catholic countries.

The most obvious is the UK 'naming' system, presented in many books. According to it, according to statistics, all English children traditionally receive two names at birth - a personal name (first name), and a middle name (second name). Currently, the middle name plays the role of an additional distinctive feature, especially for persons who bear widely common first and last names.

The custom of giving a child a middle name, as I found out there, goes back to the tradition of assigning several personal names to a newborn. It is known that, historically, a person’s name had a special meaning, usually indicating life purpose child, and was also associated with the name of God (or another Supreme Patron), on whose patronage and protection the parents counted...

Digressing - at this point I made some hesitation and giggled a little at the thought that if someone cannot find the meaning of their life, then perhaps they need to study their name in more detail and act based on it? Or (seriously), on the contrary, you can give your next character a name that will clearly or covertly indicate his purpose (which, by the way, was done by some famous authors, giving the heroes of their works meaningful names and/or surnames).

In addition, as I read when I interrupted my thoughts, one’s importance in society could depend on one’s name. Thus, often, if the name did not contain the idea of ​​patronage, the bearer was considered to be of low pedigree or insignificant and was not respected.

Several names, as a rule, were given to an important person recognized to perform several glorious deeds - as many as he has names. For example, the emperor, king, prince and other representatives of the nobility could have several names. Depending on the nobility and number of titles full form the name could be a long chain of names and exalting epithets. For royalty, the main lifetime name was the so-called “throne name,” which officially replaced the name received by the heir to the throne at birth or baptism. In addition, a similar tradition is observed in the Roman catholic church, when the elected Pope chooses the name by which he will be known from that moment on.

Of course, the church system of names and denominations is much broader, and can be considered in much more detail (just look at the system “worldly name - church name"), but I’m not good at this and won’t go into depth.

It should also be noted that the church is traditionally the custodian of such customs. For example, a custom, partially preserved in the already mentioned Catholic Church, when a person often has three names: from birth, from baptism in childhood and from confirmation for entry into the world with the grace of the Holy Spirit.

By the way, at this same stage there was once an additional – “nominal” – social stratification. The problem was that, historically, for each extra name, at one time the church had to be paid.

However, poor people managed to get around this “restriction” - partly thanks to this, there is French name, uniting the patronage of all saints - Toussaint.

Of course, for the sake of fairness, I would recall in this regard the saying “seven nannies have a child without an eye”... It’s not for me to decide, of course, although a good story could come out about the fate of a character with that name, whose patrons could not agree on joint patronage. Or maybe there are even such people - I haven’t read many works in my life.

Continuing the story, it is worth noting that middle names can also indicate the type of activity or fate of the person bearing them.

Both personal and personal names can be used as middle names. geographical names, common nouns, etc. The middle name can be significant “generic” - when a child is called a name that the closest relatives did not have, but which appears from time to time in the family, foreshadowing a person’s role. The name can be “family”: when children are named “in honor” of one of the relatives. Any direct association of a name with an already known bearer certainly connects the beneficiary with the one after whom he or she was named. Although the coincidences and similarities here are, of course, unpredictable. And, often, the more tragic the dissimilarity is perceived in the end. In addition, the surnames of the people in whose honor they are assigned are often used as middle names.

There is no law limiting the number of middle names (or at least I haven’t found any mention of it), but more than four additional middle names, as a rule, are not assigned. However, traditions and rules are often created in order to break them. In fictional worlds, the “legislator” is generally the author, and everything written lies on his conscience.

As an example of several names for a person from real world One can recall the fairly famous professor John Ronald Reuel Tolkien.

Another illustrative - but fictitious - example is Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore (Joanne Rowling - Harry Potter series).

Moreover, I recently learned this interesting fact, that in some countries the “gender” of the middle name does not matter. That is, as a man's middle name ( male character) can be used and female name. This happens, as I understand, all from the same fact of naming in honor of the highest patron (patroness in this case). I haven’t seen any examples to the contrary (or I don’t remember), but logically, there can also be women with average “masculine” names.

As an example, I only remember Ostap-Suleiman -Bertha Maria-Bender Bey (Ostap Bender, yeah)

On my own behalf, I will add the fact that nothing, in principle, prevents the author of a particular work from coming up with and justifying his own naming system.

For example: “in the world of Randomia, the number four is considered especially sacred and, in order for the child to be happy and successful, parents try to give him four names: the first is personal, the second is after his father or grandfather, the third is in honor of the patron saint and the fourth is in honor of one of great warriors (for boys) or diplomats (for girls) of the state.”

The example was invented absolutely right away, and your fictional tradition can be much more thoughtful and interesting.

I'll move on to the second question.

Family prefixes

A question that my friend Zoana puzzled me with, and that I once asked myself, although I was too lazy to find out what it was all about.

To begin with, the definition of " Family consoles– in some world nominal formulas, components and integral parts of the surname.

Sometimes they indicate aristocratic origin, but not always. They are usually written separately from the main family word, but sometimes they can merge with it.”

At the same time, as I found out for myself from reading, family prefixes differ from country to country and can have different meanings.

I will also note that in this part of the article there was much more copy-paste and excerpts, since this issue has a much closer connection with history and languages, and my non-core education on the topic is unlikely to be enough for a retelling in a more free style.

England

Fitz - "son anyone", distorted fr. Fils de(eg: Fitzgerald, Fitzpatrick) .

Armenia

Ter- ter [տեր], in the ancient Armenian original tearn (Armenian տեարն), “lord”, “lord”, “master”. For example: Ter-Petrosyan.

This prefix can have two generally similar meanings and mean:

1) The title of the highest Armenian aristocracy, similar to the British lord. This title was usually placed before or after the family name, for example tern Andzewats or Artzruneats ter, and most often referred to nahapet (Head of a clan or leader of a tribe in ancient Armenia), tanuter (In ancient Armenia, the head of an aristocratic family, patriarch) or gaherets iskhan (In I X-XI centuries chapter noble family, corresponding to earlier nahapet and tanuter) of this genus. The same title was used when addressing a person from the highest aristocracy.

2) After the Christianization of Armenia, this title also began to be used by the highest clergy of the Armenian Church. In contrast to the original designation of an aristocrat, the title “ter” in church use began to be added to the surnames of clergy. In such a combination, “ter” is similar to the church “father”, “lord” and is not a pointer noble birth bearer of the surname. Nowadays it is present in the surnames of those who had a priest in their male ancestors. The word “ter” itself is still used today when addressing an Armenian priest or when mentioning him (akin to the more familiar to our ears address “[holy] father”).

Germany

Background(For example: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)

Tsu(For example: Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg)

Basically a family prefix "background", as it turned out, is a sign noble origin. It expresses the idea of ​​land ownership of representatives of the ancient nobility, for example, “Duke von Württemberg”, “Ernst August von Hanover”. But there are also exceptions. In northern Germany, many "common people" are called "von", which simply indicates their place of residence/origin. Also, the granted nobles, originally of burgher origin, who were elevated by the sovereign to the dignity of nobility with the presentation of a copy of the charter of nobility (Adelbrief) and the grant of a coat of arms (Wappen), were given the family prefix “von” and Mr. Müller turned into Mr. Von Müller.

Unlike the "background" predicate "tsu" necessarily included a relationship to a certain inherited land holding, mainly medieval castle- for example, “Prince von und zu Liechtenstein” (Liechtenstein = principality and family castle).

Currently, aristocratic titles have become parts of compound surnames in Germany. Such surnames often include the preposition particle “von”, “von der”, “von dem” (translated as “from”), less often “zu” (translated as “in”) or a mixed variant “von und zu”.

It is generally believed that "von" indicates the place of origin of the surname (family), while "zu" means that the territory is still in the possession of the clan.

With the particle " und“No matter how much I read, I still didn’t fully understand it. Although, as far as I understand, it simply plays the role of a link, denoting either a mixture of family prefixes, or the unification of surnames in general. Although perhaps it’s just my lack of knowledge of the language that’s holding me back.

Israel

Ben- - son (presumably following the example of the English Fitz) (for example: David Ben-Gurion)

Ireland

ABOUT‘ - means "grandson"

Poppy- means "son"

That is, both prefixes in Irish surnames usually indicate their origin. Regarding the spelling of the prefix “Mak”, I read that in most cases in Russian it is written with a hyphen, but there are exceptions. For example, it is generally accepted continuous writing such surnames as MacDonald, McDowell, Macbeth, etc. General rule however, it does not exist, and the spelling is individual in each case.

Spain

In the case of Spain, the situation is even more complicated, since, based on what I have read, Spaniards usually have two surnames: paternal and maternal. Moreover, the father's surname ( apellido paterno) is placed before the mother ( apellido materno); so, when officially addressed, only the father's surname is used (although there are exceptions).

A similar system exists in Portugal, with the difference that in a double surname, the first is the mother’s surname, and the second is the father’s.

Returning to the Spanish system: sometimes the paternal and maternal surnames are separated by an “and” (for example: Francisco de Goya y Lucientes)

Further, in some localities there is a tradition of adding to the surname the name of the locality where the bearer of this surname was born or where his ancestors come from. The particle “de” used in these cases, unlike in France, is not an indicator of noble origin, but is only an indicator of the place of origin (and, indirectly, the antiquity of origin, since we know that places sometimes tend to change names for one reason or another ).

In addition, when married, Spanish women do not change their surname, but simply add the husband’s surname to “apellido paterno”: for example, Laura Riario Martinez, having married a man with the surname Marquez, can sign Laura Riario de Marquez or Laura Riario, Señora Marquez, where is the particle "de" separates the surname before marriage from the surname after marriage

The “revelry of naming” is limited by the fact that, according to Spanish law, a person can have no more than two names and two surnames recorded in his documents.

Although, of course, any author, creating his own own story and, guided by the Spanish naming model for its characters, can simply ignore this law, coupled with the above-mentioned tradition of middle names. Remember such entertainment as double names? What about the tradition of double surnames in some languages ​​(Russian, for example)? Have you read the above information about the number of names? Yes? Four double names, two double surnames- Can you imagine it already?

You can also come up with your own naming tradition, as I wrote above. In general, if you are not afraid that your character will look too extravagant, you have a unique opportunity to reward him or her with a family name design for at least half a page.

Italy

IN Italian historically the prefixes meant the following:

De/Di- belonging to a surname, family, for example: De Filippo means “one of the Filippo family”,

Yes- belonging to the place of origin: Da Vinci - “Leonardo from Vinci”, where Vinci meant the name of a city or locality. Subsequently, Yes and De became simply part of the surname and now do not mean anything. It is not necessarily an aristocratic origin.

Netherlands

Wang- a particle that sometimes forms a prefix to Dutch surnames derived from the name of a locality; often it is written together with the surname itself. Corresponding in grammatical meaning to the German “von” » and French "de" » . Often found as van de, van der and van den. It still means “from”. However, if in German "von" means noble origin (with the exceptions mentioned), then in the Dutch naming system the simple prefix "van" has no relation to nobility. Noble is the double prefix van...tot (for example, Baron van Vorst tot Vorst).

The meaning of other common prefixes such as van den, van der- see above

France

French prefixes, for me personally, are the most famous and indicative

In France, surname prefixes, as mentioned earlier, denote noble origin. Translated into Russian, the prefixes mean Genitive, “from” or “…skiy”. For example, Cesar de Vendôme- Duke of Vendôme or Vendôme.

The most common prefixes:

If the surname begins with a consonant

de

du

If the surname begins with a vowel

d‘

Other

In addition, there are a number of different family name prefixes, the origin of which, unfortunately, I was not able to find out.

Below are just a few of them.

• Le(?)
• Yes, do, shower (Portugal, Brazil)
• La (Italy)

So, as I eventually found out, the traditions of naming and “collecting” surnames are quite extensive and varied, and most likely I only looked at the tip of the iceberg. And even more extensive and varied (and, often, no less interesting) can be the author’s derivatives of these systems.

However, in conclusion, I’ll add: before you raise your hands over the keyboard in anticipation, think about it: does your character really need a half-page name? By itself long name character is an unoriginal idea and, if there is nothing behind it other than the author’s “wish”, quite stupid.

In the world of Naruto, two years flew by unnoticed. Former newcomers joined the ranks of experienced shinobi at the rank of chunin and jonin. The main characters did not sit still - each became a student of one of the legendary Sannin - the three great ninjas of Konoha. The guy in orange continued his training with the wise but eccentric Jiraiya, gradually ascending to a new level of combat skill. Sakura became the assistant and confidant of the healer Tsunade, the new leader of the Leaf Village. Well, Sasuke, whose pride led to his expulsion from Konoha, entered into a temporary alliance with the sinister Orochimaru, and each believes that they are only using the other for the time being.

The brief respite ended, and events once again rushed with hurricane speed. In Konoha, the seeds of old strife sown by the first Hokage are sprouting again. The mysterious Akatsuki leader has set in motion a plan for world domination. There is turmoil in the Sand Village and neighboring countries, old secrets are resurfacing everywhere, and it is clear that bills will have to be paid someday. The long-awaited continuation of the manga has breathed new life into the series and new hope into the hearts of countless fans!

© Hollow, World Art

In today's episode of the program we will talk about what the prefix “von” means before German surnames, whether the title of nobility exists in Germany today and what privileges it gives to its owner.

For lovers of long-distance reception next issue DH rubrics.

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“Are there any noble titles left in Germany, for example, Baron von Straube, and what does the prefix “von” mean? I asked Elizabeth Wiebe to answer this question.

Nobility in Germany

First, about the meaning of the word “background”. This is, in the grammatical sense, an ordinary preposition indicating a starting point in space or a starting geographical point. Der Zug von Berlin – (train from Berlin). Der König von Schweden (King of Sweden), der Präsident von Russland (President of Russia). When combined with a surname, von means a title of nobility.

It seems to me that the title of nobility in our time does not play any role. Legally, it is part of the name, just like the Doctor of Science degree. But if you compare, Dr. Mayer means high professional qualifications. When applying for a job, a doctor will be given preference over a non-doctor. What does the prefix “background” do? If von so-and-so has not achieved anything in life, then a noble title will not improve his position in society. An example is our Cologne street musician Klaus der Geiger - Klaus the violinist. He is of noble blood. He has a vagabond lifestyle. Almost homeless.

Yes you are right. People of noble origin in Germany can be found in any profession. The nobles no longer have privileges. They were abolished more than eighty years ago, after the First World War. Then the Constitution of the country stated that all people are equal from birth. Before this, for many centuries the nobles were a privileged class. In the 16th century, under Kaiser Charles the Fifth, in addition to the family aristocracy, nobility appeared, granted a charter from the king or the Kaiser. Among the ancient hereditary families, such nobility was considered unreal, second-class. And since 1919 in Germany, the title of nobility cannot be granted.

But can you buy this noble console for yourself? Sometimes something like this appears in the press.

- Buying does not mean that you pay someone and receive a certificate. A man who wants to become a nobleman must find someone who will adopt him, that is, he will live under the name of his adoptive father, albeit a noble one, but someone else’s. Adopting an adult is a complex procedure, and the nobility is false, even if everything is legally correct.

I think this is rare.

- Yes, it happens much more often that representatives of ancient aristocratic families do not advertise their high origins. For example, a prominent politician from the Free democratic party liberals Hermann Otto Solms is actually Prince zu Solms-Hohensolms-Lich. The real name of the scholar-historian Dominik Lieven is Dominik Prince von Lieven, but “prince” and “von,” his graduate students say, Professor Lieven calls “unmodern nonsense (unzeitgemäßer Unfug).” Another representative of this genus, a biologist, insists that he be named Alexander Prince von Lieven.

Well. If such a name, such a surname. I think it sounds beautiful. And since you have inherited a noble surname from your ancestors, then wear it with honor, so that it is not shameful to pass it on to your children and grandchildren. Do the descendants of the last German Kaiser still live in Germany?

- Yes. This is a big family. Even a few families that don't get along very well. Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia recently made headlines due to the fact that he sold at auction 17 thousand items from the Kaiser's heritage: porcelain, silver. He needs the money to pay inheritance tax to the financial department. After the death of his grandfather, Georg (he was 26 years old) became the head of the House of Hohenzollern and the main heir. But he must pay a share of the inheritance to six relatives - uncles and aunts. By the way, the potential Kaiser is studying at the university and his fellow students simply call him Georg, and not “Highness.”

To summarize: the noble prefix in Germany is part of the surname, it does not give privileges, the title of nobility - unlike England - is no longer assigned to anyone. Nevertheless, the descendants of nobles are often rightfully proud of their ancestors and their surname. Thanks for the information, Elizabeth Wiebe.

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Due to their sonority and beauty, German family nicknames are very popular among the people of many countries. Each of the proper names is unique and has a specific origin. Anyone who wants to join the culture of the peoples of Germany will be able to choose a nickname to their liking, beautiful in sound or with sacred meaning.

German names and surnames

The history of the appearance of German names and surnames begins in ancient times. Personal names were designed to carry not only a beautiful combination, but also magical meaning, which endowed the owner certain qualities character. The family nicknames of the Germans had a slightly different character of formation. They began to emerge from the meanings of nicknames, which reflected:

• already existing bright qualities of a person (Braun - brown, Schwarz - black, Klein - small);
• the area where he lived (von Berne, von der Vogelweide);
• the profession of the owner or his type of activity (Becker - baker, Koch - cook, Bauer - peasant);
• many were formed from personal names (Peters, Walter).

Gradually, peculiar nicknames began to be written down in official documents and acquired the meaning of the first German surnames, which were adopted by all the descendants of the people who bore them. Business papers began to distribute them widely. In many modern families In Germany, it is customary to address servants simply by name, without using addresses that are familiar to this European country and have a respectful meaning:

• Herr – for men;
• Frau – for women.

The prefix "von" in German surnames

Many Germanic surnames have the prefix “von” at the beginning. It was very honorable to have one, since it was assigned exclusively to people of noble blood - aristocrats. In ancient times, only feudal lords - people who owned servants and land plots - could have such a registration. Today, the prefix “von” in German surnames can be found among people of any kind of activity, since all noble privileges have been abolished.

German surnames for girls

Girls with sonorous names can assign themselves a second name of foreign origin. To address women with respect, the word "Frau" is used in Germany, meaning "mistress." Beautiful German surnames female with their meaning for girls:

• Kaufman - merchant;
• Becker - baker;
• Riger – from Riga;
• Klee – clover;
• Hertz - courage;
• Reuss - on behalf of;
• Schultz – headman;
• Mayer - farmer, burgomaster;
• Till is a strong ruler;
• Junghans - on behalf of the family.

German male surnames

German male surnames should have a noble and majestic meaning. Representatives of the stronger sex can choose them by translation, in accordance with their profession or appearance. To emphasize significance, the word “Herr” should be used when addressing. List of popular beautiful male German proper names with their meaning:

• Fisher - fisherman;
• Schmidt – blacksmith;
• Becker - baker;
• Koch is a cook;
• Richter – judge;
• Brown - brown;
• Lange – big;
• Klein – small;
• Schroeder - tailor;
• Koehler - coal miner;
• Kening is the king;
• Krause – curly;
• Lehmann is a landowner.

Popular German surnames

Common German surnames are often used as nicknames. They are beautiful, noble, sonorous. Many people have such family nicknames. famous people. List of popular beautiful Germanic proper names with meanings:

• Muller - miller;
• Mayer - land manager;
• Weber - weaver;
• Wagner - carriage maker;
• Schultz – headman;
• Hoffmann - courtier;
• Schaefer - shepherd;
• Bauer is a peasant;
• Wolf - wolf;
• Neumann is a new man;
• Zimmerman – carpenter;
• Kruger is a potter;
• Schwartz – black;
• Hartmann - from a male personal name.

There are others beautiful nicknames:

• Walter;
• Berg;
• Borman;
• Bremer;
• Brunner;
• Ganz;
• Gruber;
• Geller;
• Seiler;
• Simmel;
• Singer;
• Keller;
• Kramer;
• Liebknecht;
• Leitner;
• Merkel;
• Meyer;
• Moritz;
• Neller;
• Osterman;
• Pearl;
• Preuss;
• Riedel;
• Rogge;
• Rothman;
• Frieze;
• Fuchs;
• Hoffman;
• Zuckerman;
• Schwartz;
• Schiller;
• Schmidt;
• Schneider;
• Shredder;
• Matte;
• Ebel.

IN European countries, as in the rest of the world, a person’s identity has been identified for many centuries by his name. An example is the son of God Jesus himself, who was named Emmanuel at birth and then called Yeshua. Need to differentiate different people with one name required explanatory additions. This is how the Savior began to be called Jesus of Nazareth.

When did the Germans get surnames?

German surnames arose according to the same principle as in other countries. Their formation among the peasantry of various lands continued until the 19th century, that is, it coincided in time with the completion of state construction. The formation of a united Germany required a clearer and more unambiguous definition of who is who.

However, already in the 12th century, nobility existed on the territory of the current Federal Republic of Germany, and at the same time German surnames first appeared. As in other European countries, patronymics are not used for personal identification here. But at birth, a baby is usually given two names. You can address any person by adding a word indicating their gender. Women's German surnames are no different from men's, they just use the prefix “Frau” in front of them.

Types of German surnames

According to linguistic origin, German surnames can be divided into groups. The first and most common is formed from names, mostly male. This is explained by the fact that the mass assignment of surnames occurred in a fairly short (in the historical sense) period, and there was simply no time for the manifestation of any sophisticated imagination.

Surnames derived from given names

The simplest of them are those in the creation of which they did not think for a long time, but simply formed them on behalf of their first owner. Some peasant's name was Walter, and so his descendants received that surname. We also have Ivanovs, Sidorovs and Petrovs, and their origin is similar to the German Johannes, Peters or Hermanns. From the point of view of historical background, such popular German surnames say little, except that some ancient ancestor was called Peters.

Profession as a morphological basis of a surname

German surnames are somewhat less common, indicating the professional affiliation of their first owner, one might say, the ancestor. But the diversity of this group is much wider. The most famous surname in it is Müller, which means “miller” in translation. The English equivalent is Miller, and in Russia or Ukraine it is Melnik, Melnikov or Melnichenko.

The famous composer Richard Wagner could have assumed that one of his ancestors studied freight transportation on his own cart, the ancestor of the storyteller Hoffmann owned his own farm yard, and the great-grandfather of the pianist Richter was a judge. The Schneiders and Schroeders once did tailoring, and the Singers loved to sing. There are other interesting German male surnames. The list continues with Fischer (fisherman), Becker (baker), Bauer (peasant), Weber (weaver), Zimmerman (carpenter), Schmidt (blacksmith) and many others.

Once upon a time during the war there was a Gauleiter Koch, the same one who was blown up by underground partisans. Translated, his surname means “cook.” Yes, he made some porridge...

Surnames as a description of appearance and character

Some male and possibly female German surnames are derived from the appearance or character of their first owner. For example, the word “lange” means “long” in translation, and it can be assumed that its original founder was tall, for which he received such a nickname. Klein (little) is his complete opposite. Krause means “curly”; such an attractive feature of the hair of some Frau who lived a couple of centuries ago can be inherited. Fuchs' ancestors were most likely as cunning as foxes. The ancestors of Weiss, Brown or Schwartz were, respectively, blonde, brown-haired or brunette. The Hartmans were distinguished by excellent health and strength.

Slavic origin of German surnames

The German lands in the east always bordered on and this created conditions for the mutual penetration of cultures. Well-known German surnames with the endings “-itz”, “-ov”, “-of”, “-ek”, “-ke” or “-ski” have a distinct Russian or Polish origin.

Lützow, Disterhoff, Dennitz, Modrow, Janke, Radecki and many others have long become familiar, and their total share is a fifth of total number German surnames. In Germany they are perceived as one of their own.

The same applies to the ending “-er”, which comes from the word “yar”, meaning a person in the Old Slavic language. A painter, a carpenter, a fisherman, a baker are obvious examples of such cases.

During the period of Germanization, many similar surnames were simply translated into German, choosing the appropriate roots or replacing the ending with “-er”, and now nothing reminds of the Slavic origin of their owners (Smolyar - Smoler, Sokolov - Sokol - Falk).

Background Barons

There are very beautiful German surnames, consisting of two parts: the main and a prefix, usually “von” or “der”. They contain information not only about unique appearance features, but also about famous historical events in which the owners of these nicknames took part, sometimes actively. Therefore, descendants are proud of such names and often remember their ancestors when they want to emphasize their own birth. Walter von der Vogelweid - it sounds! Or von Richthoffen, pilot and "Red Baron".

However, it is not only past glory that causes such complications in writing. The origin of German surnames can be much more prosaic and talk about the area in which the person was born. What, for example, does Dietrich von Bern mean? Everything is clear: his ancestors came from the capital of Switzerland.

German surnames of Russian people

Germans have lived in Russia since pre-Petrine times, populating entire areas called “settlements” according to ethnic principles. However, then all Europeans were called that way, but under the great reformer emperor the influx of immigrants from German lands was encouraged in every possible way. The process gained momentum during the reign of Catherine the Great.

German colonists settled in the Volga region (Saratov and Tsaritsin provinces), as well as in Novorossiya. Big number Lutherans later converted to Orthodoxy and assimilated, but they retained their German surnames. For the most part, they are the same as those worn by settlers who came to the Russian Empire during the 16th-18th centuries, with the exception of those cases when the clerks who prepared the documents made clerical errors and mistakes.

Surnames considered Jewish

Rubinstein, Hoffman, Aizenstein, Weisberg, Rosenthal and many other names of citizens Russian Empire, the USSR and post-Soviet countries are mistakenly considered Jewish by many. This is wrong. However, there is some truth in this statement.

The fact is that Russia, starting from late XVII century, became the country where every enterprising and hard-working person could find his place in life. There was enough work for everyone, new cities were built at an accelerated pace, especially in Novorossiya, conquered from the Ottoman Empire. It was then that Nikolaev, Ovidiopol, Kherson and, of course, the pearl of the south of Russia - Odessa - appeared on the map.

Extremely favorable conditions have been created for foreigners coming to the country, as well as for its own citizens who wished to develop new lands. economic conditions, and political stability, supported by the military power of the regional leader, ensured that this situation would last for a long time.

Currently, Lustdorf (Jolly Village) has become one of the Odessa suburbs, and then it was a German colony, the main occupation of whose residents was agriculture, mainly viticulture. They also knew how to brew beer here.

Jews, famous for their business savvy, trading spirit and craft skills, also did not remain indifferent to the call of the Russian Empress Catherine. In addition, musicians, artists and other artists of this nationality came from Germany. Most of them had German surnames, and they spoke Yiddish, which in essence is one of the dialects of the German language.

At that time there was a “Pale of Settlement”, which, however, outlined a fairly large and not the worst part of the empire. In addition to the Black Sea region, Jews chose many areas of what is now the Kyiv region, Bessarabia and other fertile lands, building small towns. It is also important that living outside the Pale of Settlement was mandatory only for those Jews who remained faithful to Judaism. Having converted to Orthodoxy, everyone could settle in any part of the vast country.

Thus, immigrants from Germany of two nationalities became bearers of German surnames.

Unusual German surnames

In addition to the indicated groups of German surnames, derived from professions, hair color, and appearance features, there is one more, rare, but wonderful. And she talks about the glorious qualities of character, good disposition and fun for which the ancestors of the person bearing this name were famous. An example is Alisa Freundlich, who worthily confirms the reputation of her ancestors. “Kind”, “friendly” - this is how this German surname is translated.

Or Neumann. " New person" - isn’t it beautiful? How great it is to delight those around you, and yourself, every day with freshness and novelty!

Or economic Wirtz. Or Luther with pure thoughts and with an open heart. Or Jung is young, regardless of the number of years he has lived.

Such interesting German surnames, the list of which can be continued endlessly!