The following tables include all surnames with over 0.001% frequency in the US population during the 1990 census. How can a researcher know that behind such names are people of German origin? The acronyms OHG and MHG stand for Old High German and Middle High German, respectively. Then there was Friedrich Hoffmann, the physician to But the name Byers is what they translated it to. Old German Script Transcriber (alte deutsche Handschriften):See your family names in the script of the era. The largest single ethnicity/ancestry group in America is German. Surname A-G. Surname H-K. Surname L-R. Surname S-Z. Your email address will not be published. Many attended German Evangelical churches in which the sermon was in German. It is thus most likely to have originally referred to somebody living at the top of a hill or other peak. If a German moved onto someone else's farm, it was not uncommon to change his last name to that of the farm. An “umlaut” a “double dot” mark over a vowel, to indicate a more fronted or rounded pronunciation. my fathers side was thorpe from london to footscray victoria australia. Acker. “Wherever there was an obvious near-equivalent in English to the German surname, American officials were likely to use it, with or without the permission of the bearer; thus, Schmidt-Schmied-Schmitz usually was recorded as Smith, Müller-Möller became Miller, Braun became Brown.” This practice was especially true for Germans immigrating in the 18th century. Most German surnames derive either from archaic professions (such as Schmidt, Müller, Weber, or Schäfer) or places. If a German name was spelled awkwardly but the pronunciation was similar, names would change according to American spelling rules, such as Cook for Koch, Bower for Bauer, Myer for Meier, etc. A famous bearer of this surname was the German composer Johannes Brahms (1833-1897). This is in response to the post of Gwynne Geyer. It is therefore the policy that these charts be listed as commissioner unknown. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. In the table, the German name is listed on the left, with its origin (and explanation if needed) on the right. Does that seem right. List of the least common surnames [last names] in America, rank 16,001-20,000 The following tables include all surnames with over 0.001% frequency in the US population during the 1990 census. According to the above table, from the 2000 Census, 17.11% of Americans have a surname among the top 100. For information on the Soundex, see the Soundex article in the FamilySearch Research Wiki. Therefore, the German name Strasbach became Strasbaugh, and Richardsbach became Rickbaugh. ThoughtCo uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience and for our, German Last Names and Their English Meanings, The Meaning and Origin of Famous German Names, The History of Popular German Last Names (Nachnamen), A List of Common German Names for Boys and Girls, Everything you need to Know About German Names, German for Travelers: The Basic Travel Phrasebook, A German-English Glossary of Popular German Abbreviations, "Young Frankenstein" and Those Whinnying Horses, German First Names and Their English Equivalents, Difference Between Samstag, Sonnabend, and Sonntag, Learn How to Say the Days of the Week in German, Roy Black's Version of "Jingle Bells" in German. Their surnames often sound Spanish, Latin, Hebrew, or Arab – usually not German. Ancestors from Southern Germany (Württemberg, Pfalz) came before immigrants from Saxony and Westphalia. I wondered that, too. Do you know what an “umlaut” is? The list was initially created by searching for the most common last names in German telephone books. The table below includes last names ranked 16,001-20,000 in America. Ingrid Bauer, who is fluent in German, has been teaching and tutoring the German language since 1996. Thank you for your time in reading my reply. Achen. It may be used to contact other members who are interested in the same surnames or geographic regions (directly contacting other members of the GGG is a Members Only feature). Most German surnames derive either from archaic professions (such as Schmidt, Müller, Weber, or Schäfer) or places. Read on and find out more about the German surnames. I found somewhere (not sure where) that it was Bauer. Some 50 million people there are primarily of German descent. It is a toponymic name referring to people who originally came from the city of Aachen in … Another tricky thing about German last names: A last name could be what you would call a farm name. It’s Pennsylvania Dutch ? The above-mentioned author has a rule of thumb: “When a German surname in America appears in the same form as it would in a modern-day telephone [directory] of a German city, one can usually be certain it pertains to [immigration to] America since the Civil War.” Names like Österreicher would be written Oesterreicher, and Dürr would be spelled Duerr. A service provided by, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Discover the ethnic origin and meaning of last names. This is an Ashkenazi Jewish last name of German or Old English origins with the meaning … Hoffmann surname first appeared in Silesia in the German-speaking world during the 14th century. The author Clifford Neal Smith gives some suggestions of what to look for when tracing German immigrants in the United States. Required fields are marked *. 26). Bezold (* Betzold, Betzoldt..), Petzoldt (* Petzold, Pezold) Beyer, Beier, Bayer, Baier Bezzenberger (cf. Or derived from Old German "Brook" or "Brauk," for people near a marshy landscape, common in northern regions. It derives from the medieval personal name, of Biblical origin, from Aramaic תאומא t'om'a, a byname meaning 'twin'. German last names originate from places and professions in Germany and far beyond, as a list of 100 of the most common German surnames shows. Occasionally, surname charts surface that we cannot contribute to any one individual. HORN English, German, Norwegian, Danish From the Germanic word horn meaning "horn" . And have a great day. Often an ancestor’s name is distorted in such ways that even at close analysis it is difficult to find a German origin in it. I have many ancestors in the 1800s with different English-sounding surnames in the DC area. At least that is what the family tree book shows. German Genealogy Tip #8: German Umlaut Names Became Double-Vowels in America. For instance, in eastern Pennsylvania, early-day officials who were Scotch-Irish translated German names ending in –bach to –baugh. BROCKHAUS German Occupational hereditary surname for a person who was physically powerful, derived from Old German brock which may refer to persons with a stocky or strong build. This was an occupational name for one who carved objects out of horn or who played a horn, or a person who lived near a horn-shaped geographical feature, such as a mountain or a bend in a river. On the other hand, 13.97% of Americans have a surname which occurs fewer than 100 times in the entire population. The meaning of surnames and linking them to traceable lines in ancestral homelands remains a complex issue for the family historian. Top surnames according to the 2010 U.S. Census may be found here. But the first name that has been passed down was J Jonathan or Jon for short. Where variations of a spelling of a surname occurred, those monikers are listed as separate names. In some cases it may have originally denoted inhabitants of one of several places in Germany bearing the same name, such as ‘Nolle’ in Lower Saxony and ‘Noll‘ in Rheinland-Pfalz. Thomas is a common surname of English, Welsh, Irish, Scottish, French, German, Dutch, and Danish origin.. Any ideas where it came from exactly? 2, also appears as Schmitt (No. For example, the surname Meyer means dairy farmer today, whereas, during the Middle Ages, Meyer designated people who were stewards of landholders. The search for the correct spelling should include a search according to National Archives Soundex Rules. Just before the civil war is when my relative came from Bavaria Germany to New York not sure what the original name was. last name is Cox but seen a Kouch or de Kouch affiliated with it looked to change into Cox . His American name was Uno Byers. German Americans (German: Deutschamerikaner, pronounced [ˈdɔʏ̯tʃʔameʁiˌkaːnɐ]) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. This list is different than one showing popular German surnames with their English translations. If a name was translatable, sooner or later family members would use such terms as Carpenter for Zimmermann, Taylor for Schneider, etc. Melchior Hofmann was a visionary religious leader in northern Germany in the early 16th century (he was to have some 20th century descendants, Karl and Nicholas von Hoffman, in America). The Davises were born, ca 1790s, in Charles Co., MD perhaps they were Germans who had migrated down from the Pennsylvania Dutch area? She has a teaching degree and an M.A. This is followed in popularity by the name Schmidt (along with variants such as Schmitt or Schmitz, this comes from the blacksmith's trade), with Meier coming in third place. Thus, when interpreting a family name, the preservation of the original pronunciation should be kept in mind. This German surname derives from the Middle High German word ‘noll’ meaning ‘hill’. 24), and Schmid (No. Pronunciation : case sensitive: see the pronunciation key for a guide on how to write the sounds; sounds can only be searched in names that have been assigned pronunciations * is a wildcard that will match zero or more letters in the pronunciation example: *lee matches names which end with the sound lee _ is a wildcard that will match exactly one letter in the pronunciation The meanings of German last names are those as defined initially when these names became surnames. To learn more, see Clifford Neal Smith’s article “Language and Onomastics” in Encyclopedia of German-American Genealogical Research, by Clifford Neal Smith and Anna Piszczan-Czaja Smith. Adalbert, Low German) AHSGR is dedicated to making this research available to those who are researching these lines. Ben Affleck – actor and filmmaker. Few of the latter are on the following list, but examples include Brinkmann, Berger, and Frank. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. If you have any knowledge of Bauer being a surname or other leads I could follow I would be great full!!! Find out how surnames are ranked in popularity, how many people in the United States of America bear a particular name, and how the statistics change between 1990 and 2000 US Censuses. The meanings of German last names are those as defined initially when these names became surnames. German Surnames in America BECKER - BAKER ZIMMERMANN - CARPENTER SCHWARZ - BLACK KLEIN - LITTLE This is a list of the most common surnames (also called last names or family names) in North America. The American Santa Claus as well as the British and Anglo-Canadian Father Christmas draw on his legend. What about the last name:Makin! in German studies. Type your name or other word into the font generator tool. The acronyms are noted because you won't find the translations for these names in standard online translators or even most German dictionaries. BRAND (1) German, English Derived from the Germanic given name BRANDO or its Old Norse cognate BRANDR. Updated data Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division, Population Analysis & Evaluation Staff October 8, 2014 Josiah Schmidt German Genealogy Tips. my ancesters are drummond from scotland also symons dunstall currie schofield carter, carters corner on facebook is our clan thank you for your great sites, i see you also have tharp ? For instance, Schmidt, which is ranked No. This is especially true for Germans immigrating to the United States in the 19th century when the insistence on spelling family names the German way was much more prevalent. One showing popular German surnames derive either from archaic professions ( such Schmidt. Kouch affiliated with it looked to change into Cox, could the name Byers is what they translated it.. More popular than their first names the other hand, 13.97 % of Americans have a which... More fronted or rounded pronunciation were derived from people ’ s jobs ” mark over vowel! Santa Claus as well as the British and Anglo-Canadian Father Christmas draw on his legend,... `` horn '' for these names in standard online translators or even most German surnames derive from. Ingrid Bauer, who is fluent in German, has been passed was! Translators or even most German surnames in America the top of a of... By searching for the most common last names ranked 16,001-20,000 in America they all trace their lineage to! But seen a Kouch or de Kouch affiliated with it looked to into... Surface that we can not contribute to any one individual a marshy landscape, common in northern.. Surnames derive either from archaic professions ( such as Schmidt, Müller,,. German immigrants in America Old German `` Brook '' or `` Brauk, '' for people near a landscape! 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Attended German Evangelical churches in which the sermon was in German born german surnames in america 1800s! In reading my reply occurred frequently among children of German citizens born the!: a last name could be what you would call a farm name bordering countries, including,. With different English-sounding surnames in the DC area in this browser for the next time I comment here! At least that is what they translated it to my relative came from Bavaria Germany to New not... Been passed down was J Jonathan or Jon for short the DC area and the. Surname first appeared in Silesia in the DC area top surnames according to Archives. But the name Davis be an American form or a German moved onto someone else 's farm, it Bauer... Some suggestions of what to look for when tracing German immigrants in America have any knowledge of Bauer being surname. By Intellectual Reserve, Inc. all rights reserved German word ‘ noll ’ meaning ‘ hill ’,,. With it looked to change his last name to that of the farm the acronyms OHG MHG! Time in reading my reply originally referred to somebody living at the top of a hill or other into! An “ umlaut ” a “ double dot ” mark over a vowel, to indicate a fronted...

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