October 1, 2008

What Is The Meaning Of Your Friend's German Last Name?

Do you ever wonder about German surnames? What are their meaning? I occasionally do. It's sometimes fun to try to figure out what their English translation might be. Many of the family names also have more than one meaning and variants in English, German, French, and others. There are also many Jewish meanings.

Some examples:

Fromme: a nickname for an honorable man.

Frey: free man (as not being a serf).

Ringler: a maker of bone, horn, or ivory rings (occupation).

Schwartzkopf: nickname for someone with dark hair.

Rinkus: (variant of Rink): buckle maker.

Zucker: nickname for someone with sweet tooth. ALSO "an offensive nickname for someone thought to be a thief".





Family Education German Surnames
http://genealogy.familyeducation.com/browse/origin/german

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