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German  Surnames Family History Resources

Surnames, their origin and their meaning

Many surnames are associated with the place/locality of where the family lived and in those cases the location is noted as the meaning.
Many surnames are associated with the occupation of the person given the name.

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Surname		Origin	Meaning
Abendroth		German	abend, evening, and roth, red
Albert		German	beort or bert, signifies famous, fair, and clear, bright
Amery		German	Emerich or Immer-reich, always rich
Anger		German	angar, a pasture, meadow
Archibald		German	Erchenbald, a powerful, bold, and speedy learner or observer
Arnold		German	are or ehre, honor, and hold, faithful or devoted to
Arzt		German	doctor
Aubrey		German	Alberic, a name given in hope of power or wealth
Backman		German	Bach, a brook, and man
Bader		German	barber
Baldwin		German	bald, quick or speedy, and win, an old word signifying victor or conqueror
Barnabas		German	Son of exhortation
Barnaby		German	Son of exhortation
Bartul		German	Beorht, and ulph; help in counsel
Bauer		German	farmer
Bauerdt		German	farmer
Baum		German	tree
Bauman		German	builder
Baumann		German	builder
Baur		German	farmer
Baurerdt		German	farmer
Bayer		German	Bavarian
Bayerle		German	little Bavarian
Bayr		German	Bavarian
Becker		German	backer, a baker
Berger		German	townsman
Beyer		German	Bavarian
Bierman		German	taverner beer host
Biermeyer		German	taverner beer host
Bierwirth		German	taverner beer host
Birely		German	little Bavarian
Blauvelt		German	Blau, blue, and veld or feld, field
Brauer		German	brewer
Brawn		German	with brown hair
Brenner		German	distiller
Breuer		German	brewer
Brinker		German	small farmer
Bruder		German	brother
Buchholz		German	beechwood
Burger		German	townsman
Decker		German	Decher, the quantity of ten
Diefendorf		German	thieving, and dorf, a village
Luther		German	loth or laut, loud, famed, fortunate, and er, honor
Mainard		German	stout-hearted
Mann		German	Gentleman or master
Masenfer		German	Messenfer, a great fair or market for merchants
Mauer		German	A wall
Maynard		German	stout-hearted
Meyer		German	Mayor
Moos		German	fen, bog
Morgen		German	morning
Mueller		German	miller
Myers		German	Mayor
Neuman		German	newcomer
Ostheim		German	From Ost, east, and heim, a home, habitation or village
Charles		German	carl, strong, stout, courageous, and valiant
Dittrich		German	Mighty Ruler
Dodd		German	A god-father
Drucker		German	Printer
Druker		German	Printer
Peters		German	son of Peter
Putzkammer		German	A dressing-chamber
Roth		German	Red color
Sales		German	hall or court
Saltz		German	Saltzman
Saltzman		German	Saltzman
Sandler		German	a person who carts sand
Schafer		German	shepherd
Schenck		German	schenke, an inn or public house
Schenker		German	publican
Scherer		German	barber
Schlosser		German	locksmith
Schluter		German	supply keeper
Schmidt		German	smith
Schmuker		German	decorator
Schneider		German	tailer
Schreiber		German	secretary or scribe
Schreiner		German	cabinet maker
Schroeder		German	tailor
Schubert		German	shoemaker or shoeseller
Schuler		German	pupil
Schulman		German	school man
Schultheis		German	village mayor
Schultz		German	village mayor
Schumacher		German	shoemaker
Schuman		German	shoemaker
Schuster		German	shoemaker
Schwartz		German	blacksmith
Segur		German	sieg, victory
Sholtis		German	Schultheiss, a mayor, magistrate
Snyder		German	schneider, a tailor
Spotten		German	To mock, deride, ridicule
Claget		German	klugheit, good sense, wisdom, prudence, dexterity
Cline		German	Klein: Little, Small; Neat, Nice
Eberly		German	From eber, a boar, and ly, like;
Ebert		German	Eberhard/Eberhardt
Eisenhauer		German	iron cutter, miner
Eisenhower		German	iron cutter, miner
Fake		German	A falcon or hawk
Falke		German	A falcon or hawk
Farber		German	painter
Farman		German	Fahr-mann, master of a ferry-boat
Faukner		German	A catcher of trainer of hawks
Ferdinand		German	From Fred, peace, and rand, pure
Fischer		German	fisherman, fishmonger
Fleischer		German	butcher
Fleischman		German	butcher
Stark		German	Starck, strong, firm, confirmed to the utmost degree
Starr		German	Stiff, rigid, inflexible
Steinhauer		German	stonecutter
Stell		German	A place, station, office
Studebaker		German	pastry baker
Ulman		German	All man
Wagner		German	wagon-maker or driver
Walter		German	keeper of the wood
Weber		German	weaver
Werden		German	From Wehr, a fortification, and den, a hill; a town in the Netherlands called Woerden
Werner		German	warrier
Conrad		German	Able counsel
Coon		German	Kuhn, Bold, Keen
Frederick		German	Rich peace, or peaceable reign
Fuchs		German	a fox or clever, cunning person
Gallup		German	Gottlieb
Gebauer		German	peasant or tiller of the field
Gerber		German	tanner
Germain		German	native of Germany
Gervas		German	Steadfast, honorable
Getman		German	from kette, a chain, and mann
Gilbert		German	Bright pledge
Godard		German	God-like disposition
Godfrey		German	God and frid or frede, peace, or from Gau
Groscup		German	gross, big, and kopf, head
Gross		German	large
Grossman		German	large
Haff		German	A sea, bay, or gulf
Hahn		German	Rooster
Haller		German	belonging to a salt-work
Hartman		German	hardy and strong man
Hayne		German	Hech or Hohe, high, and narr, a fool, a jester, a merry fellow, king's fool
Hayner		German	Hech or Hohe, high, and narr, a fool, a jester, a merry fellow, king's fool
Hermance		German	Heer, a master, lord, or ruler, and mensch, a man
Hermann		German	Army Man
Herr		German	Sire, lord, master
Higginbottom		German	Ickenbaum, oak-tree
Hoffmeyer		German	a court farmer
Holsapple		German	Holz, a wood, an apple, or apfel, an orchard
Holzapfel		German	From Holz, a wood, an apple, or apfel, an orchard
Wolf		German	someone living at a house distinguished by the sign of a wolf.
Yager		German	huntsman
Zahm		German	tame or domestic
Zahn		German	tooth or dentist.
Zedler		German	scribe
Zellner		German	lives near a shrine
Ziegler		German	tile maker.
Zimmerman		German	carpenter
Zuckerman		German	sugar seller
Cram		German	Kram, a retail shop
Cramer		German	Kramer, a retail dealer
Cramp		German	chrampf krampf, curved, a hook
Cronkhite		German	krankheit, sickly, rickety
Cuyler		German	Keiler, a wild boar
Huber		German	a small farmer or leading man of the village
Ingraham		German	Engelramus, from Engel, Saxon, angel, and rein, purity. Pure as an angel
Ingram		German	elements Ing (the name of a Germanic god) + hraban raven
Jaeger		German	Hunter
Jahnke		German	little John
Juengling		German	youth
Jung		German	Young
Kaiser		German	Emperor from the Latin Caesar
Kaufman		German	An occupational name for a merchant or tradesman
Kellerman		German	worker or dweller in a wine cellar or tavern
Kessler		German	coppersmith
Ketman		German	From Kette, a chain, and mann
Keyser		German	An emperor
Kiel		German	Town in Lower Saxony
Kipp		German	a situation on or near a precipice
Klein		German	small, little
Kling		German	Klinge, a blade, a sword
Knapp		German	Knappe, a lad, boy, servant, workman
Kohler		German	charcoal burner
Krause		German	someone with curly hair
Kriege		German	war or warrior
Krieger		German	war or warrior
Krugar		German	a maker or seller of stoneware mugs and jugs
Kuester		German	sexton
Kunstler		German	artist or skilled artisan.
Kuster		German	sexton
Lang		German	tall person
Lear		German	Town on the Ems, in Westphalia
Lederman		German	leather maker
Ledermann		German	leather maker
Lehmann		German	feudal tenant
Lehrer		German	teacher
Leir		German	town of Lear, on the Ems, in Westphalia
Lesser		German	custodian of a forest, game keeper
Lichtermann		German	lamplighter
Lilienthal		German	The vale of lilies, from lilie, a lily, and thal, a vale

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