What does the prefix mean? Number of names and family prefixes What does the word von mean in German surnames

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 period (in 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 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 assume that one of his ancestors was engaged in 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 the end of the 17th century, became a country where every enterprising and hard-working person could find their place in life. There was enough work for everyone, new cities were built at an accelerated pace, especially in Novorossiya, which had been conquered from 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 economic conditions were created for foreigners coming to the country, as well as for its own citizens who wished to develop new lands, and political stability, supported by the military power of the regional leader, guaranteed 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 which 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 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!

Family prefixes- 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 merge with it.

Use in various countries

England

  • Fitz - "son anyone", Anglo-Norman fitz(eg: Fitzgerald, Fitzpatrick)

Arab countries

  • al (ar, as, at, ash) - indicates where a person comes from (صدام حسين التكريتي‎ saddam husayn at-tikritiy"Saddam Hussein of Tikrit")
  • abu - father - abu-Mazen (father of Mazen)
  • ibn - son - ibn-Khottab (son of Hottab)
  • Haji is an honorary title for a Muslim who has made a pilgrimage to Mecca

Armenia

  • Ter or Turn - [տեր] կամ Տերն, in the ancient Armenian original tears(Armenian տեարն), “lord”, “master”, “master”. For example: Ter-Petrosyan (Armenian: Տեր-Պետրոսյան).
  • Nor - [Նոր], an uncommon form of prefix in Armenian surnames.

Germany

  • von and other options (von der, von dem, vom, von und zu, von und zum, vom und zum, von zu, von und zu der, von in der) (for example: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe) Belonging to the nobility, aristocracy, ancient family.
  • tsu and other options (tsur, tsum, tsu in) (for example: Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg)
  • in and other options (in der, im)
  • an der, am
  • auf and other options (auf der)
  • aus and other options (aus dem)

Israel

  • Ben - (Hebrew בן‏‎ - son) (for example: David Ben-Gurion)
  • Bar - same

Spain

  • de - (for example: Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra)

Italy

  • della

Netherlands

  • van is 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 particle “von” (von), Dutch (van) cannot, however, be considered, like the first, a sign noble origin. [Those Dutch names with the prefix Van, Van de, etc. which are not included in the number of words beginning with the syllable Van, should be searched under the letters with which the name itself begins.]
  • van de
  • van den
  • van der
  • van ten

Portugal

As in Galicia, Spain, France and other countries that arose after the collapse of the Roman Empire, in Portugal and the Portuguese-speaking countries the family prefix de is an identifier of noble birth:

  • de( de) - Gomes Freire de Andrade
  • du ( do) m.r. units h.
  • Yes ( da) and. R. units Part - Vasco da Gama
  • shower ( dos) m.r. pl. h.
  • dash ( das) and. R. pl. h.

France

In France, surname prefixes denote noble origin. Translated into Russian, the prefixes mean Genitive, “from” or “…skiy”. For example, Cesar de Vendôme is the Duke of Vendôme or Vendôme. For example: d'Artagnan means that the person bearing this surname is a nobleman from Artagnan.

The most common prefixes:

  • if the surname begins with a consonant:
    • affairs
    • de la
  • if the surname begins with a vowel:
    • de l".

Ireland and Scotland

  • O" means “grandson.” For example, O’Reilly, O’Hara, etc.
  • Mac - meaning "son" - in Irish and Scottish surnames usually indicates their origin. In most cases in Russian it is written with a hyphen, but there are exceptions. So, for example, it is generally accepted continuous writing such names as MacDonald, McDowell, Macbeth, McGonaggle, McCoy, McLuhan and others. General rule does not exist, and the spelling is individual in each case.

Others

  • Yep (Arab countries)
  • af (Sweden)
  • Al (Arab countries)
  • Be (Finland)
  • bey, bek, ben (Arab countries; at the end of the surname)
  • Bet (Assyria), Bet Mushul
  • yes, dalla, de, della, del, degli, di (Italy)
  • da, di, dos, dos, dos (Portugal, Brazil)
  • Zadeh, Dhul (Arab countries; at the end of the surname)
  • kyzy (Azerbaijan; at the end of the name)
  • ogly (Azerbaijan; at the end of the name
  • ool (Tuvian language), means "son"
  • Ol (Arab countries)
  • Pasha (Arab countries; at the end of the surname)
  • Ul (Arab countries)
  • khan (Arab countries; at the end of the surname)
  • ol (Arab countries; at the end of a surname)
  • Shah (Arab countries; at the end of the surname)
  • Ed (Arab countries)
  • el (Arab countries; at the end of a surname)
  • ES (Arab countries)
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What does the prefix "pro" (cm) mean?

pro-Ukrainian, pro-Russian, pro-American and many many other options.

What exactly does it mean?

Natalya100

Everyone famous expressions"pro" and "contra" came to modern language from ancient Latin meaning “for” and “against” respectively, without losing its original meaning.

Depending on which part of speech the prefix “pro” is added to, the meaning of the formed words and phrases also changes. About-communist, about American, about-presidential - denotes lobbying and commitment to the concepts that this prefix accompanies. IN in this case the prefix is ​​used as an antonym for the word “anti.” The political connotation of words with this prefix depends on its use.

When added to verbs, the prefix denotes the direction of action.


When added to nouns, this prefix can indicate a position between something: about gap, about street

There are also ancient Greek roots “pro” - meaning “before”.

Then the prefix “pro” can denote the initial stage of a process that precedes something: about greenery, about seventh or previous stage of development of organisms - about echidna

Many new and fashionable cases of newly formed (neologisms) words with “about” have appeared, denoting supremacy, leadership, priority: about news, about biotics.

The above adjectives use the prefix PRO of Latin origin - pro. In Latin it meant something like FOR, FOR, FORWARD. Now it is used in adjectives to give them the meaning of a sign approving something, as in the words PRO-American, PRO-Russian and others. It can be used in two ways in nouns. As a separate morpheme, the prefix PRO is used to mean INSTEAD and, as a rule, forms nouns that denote something replacing, for example, PRO-rector, PRO-gymnasium. But more often this prefix is ​​part of the root, that is, it loses its uniqueness as a morpheme and then we get the words PROTECTION, PROGRESS and others.

Vladimir

It came from Latin. IN ancient Rome, in addition to the procurators in charge of the economy, there were also Caesaris pro legato and legatus pro praetore. In general, there it corresponded to the prefix “for”. And later, some of the clericalisms remained in Latin.

Murochka striped

The prefix “pro” came to our language from Latin and it means “for”, “instead of”, “for”. For example: pro-American means for the Americans.

But there are also many words in which “about” is included in the root of the word.

What does the prefix mean?

The prefix is ​​used in formation:
1. Nouns with meaning:
a) space near or along something (coast, seaside);
b) a set of objects characterized by an action named by the original word (growth).
2 Adjectives with meaning:
a) completed after what is indicated by the basis (post-reform);
b) characterizing productivity, measurability or distribution (income, alternate);
c) located, located near something (Volga region).
3. Verbs and means:
a) performing an action for some, often short, time (running);
b) strengthening the effect of any sign of quality, condition (increase);
c) beginning of action (run);
d) bringing the action to the desired limit (to fall in love);
e) bringing the action to its natural limit (turn purple).
4. An adverb with the adverbial meaning of place and time (everywhere, in the morning).

What does the prefix "pro-" mean? For example, PRO-American agent.

Dr Morgan

The prefix pro-, tied to negatively assessed phenomena official ideology, enters the signified in the negative evaluation field.
The prefix of Latin origin pro- in the first half of the 20th century. showed little activity. For example, in Ushakov’s Dictionary only three derivative words with it are noted (pro-Japanese, pro-German, pro-fascist), and this prefix itself is characterized as follows: “Forms nouns and adjectives with the meaning: being a supporter, acting in the interests of someone, something.” In “New in Russian Lexicon-60” there are only two words with pro- (pro-imperialist, pro-Western); “New in Russian vocabulary-70” notes several of them (pro-Israeli, pro-Chinese, pro-colonialist, pro-NATO, pro-government, pro-junta). The prefix pro-, tied to phenomena negatively assessed by the official ideology, introduces the signified into the field of negative assessment. Therefore, with the word pro-communist in “New in Russian Lexicon-70”, an additional indication was needed about where this word is used: in the terminology of anti-communism: in other words, such a word can only be created by the enemies of communism.

The issue “New in Russian Vocabulary-81” includes the word pro-Sovietism with an explanation: On supporting politics Soviet Union(term of imperialist propaganda).

In the 1980s - 1990s, the evaluative component was eliminated from the semantics of the prefix pro-; it begins to connect with neutral words that do not express ideological assessment. Until the mid-1980s, this prefix was combined with adjectives based on the name of a country, party or nationality (pro-Israeli, pro-fascist, pro-German). Now the circle of its action has expanded and includes names of persons, including proper names, names of any processes (inflation, reforms), some other types of producers: pro-presidential, pro-Yeltsin, pro-government, pro-reform and pro-reformist, pro-inflationary, pro-Soviet, pro-Zionist, etc. Words like pro-market, pro-government can be used by supporters of different parties; they are devoid of ideological assessment.

Derivatives with the prefix act as antonyms of words with anti-: ...the government tried in December - January to return to a pro-inflationary policy. . Now anti-inflationary policy is not based on ideological beliefs. . .

Tatiana Lagunova

It means "positively disposed towards someone", "expressing someone's interests."
By the way, you gave an incorrect example: strictly speaking, it is impossible to express it the way you did it! You can, for example, say: “pro-American sentiments.” But an agent or spy can simply be “American” - without the prefix “pro”.

Tell me, who knows. What does the prefix “under” mean in the word substation, for example electrical?

What does the prefix “under” mean in the word substation, for example, electrical?
The prefix “under” in nouns gives them the meaning of representing a part of some whole, a department of some institution, for example, subdivision, subgroup, subclass, substation.
Indeed, the electrical station itself (representing a set of installations, equipment and apparatus used directly for the production of electrical energy, as well as the structures and buildings necessary for this, located in a certain territory) is a producer of electricity, and a substation, that is, an electrical installation intended to receive, transformation and distribution of electrical energy, consisting of transformers or other electrical energy converters, control devices, distribution and auxiliary devices, is only a link, a certain part of the chain in the production and distribution of electrical energy.

Hello dears.
Have you ever paid attention to complex surnames? On all sorts of backgrounds and tsu? Personally, these things have always stood out to me. And I understood that this is not always connected with noble origin or titles. Because it happens in different ways :-) Let's look at some examples.

Ursula von der Leyen
Let's start with the German ones themselves. The most famous prefix to a surname is actually von (von). Most often this is a truly aristocratic surname. It can be translated as “from.” The prefix “von” indicates the place of origin of the surname, although there were cases when the surname was not associated with the place of residence. Well, Otto von Bismarck, for example. Alternatively, there is not “von”, but “fom”. These are abbreviations for variants with the articles “von der”, “von dem”. The essence is the same

Vladimir Fedorovich von der Launitz
Another option for aristocratic surnames was the prefix tsu (variants “tsum”, “tsur”, etc.). It can be translated as "in". And most often it was used in the mixed version “von und zu”, for example, Hartmann von und zu Lichtenstein.

The combination of the prefixes “von” and “zu” in the form “von und zu” indicates that person of noble origin, whose ancestors have lived in a given territory since the Middle Ages, that is, this territory is in the possession of the clan at the time the surname is “fixed”. In addition, the prefix “tsu” was worn primarily by the so-called “ruling princes”, who, due to the mediatization of 1803-1806, did not lose princely title, but lost their “territorial” supremacy (for example, Zu Isenburg, Zu Stolberg). Thus, they differed from those princes who ruled after 1815 and bore the prefix “von”.
Here are the options
in, im, inder, an der, am, auf, auf der, aus, aus dem, aus den were not at all a sign of a noble family. Unless they were integral part ownership title. Although they also meant “from”. So-and-so is from such a place.
Here is a famous German hockey goalkeeper, for example, whose last name is Danny aus den Birken

Meanings close to German in Scandinavia and Finland. This or natural noble families, or altered after receiving the title of nobility. For example, Carl von Linné. Before he was given the title, he was simply Carl Linnaeus :-)

Although other prefixes were sometimes used. For example, af, or even the French de or de la (though rarely).
But Swedish hockey player Jacob de la Rose plays in the NHL

They followed a similar path in Lithuania. The conferment of some awards equates to receiving a knighthood, that is, nobility and thus can change the surname. The famous media personality Anastasia von Kalmanovich changed her last name after her late (alas) most interesting husband Shabtai Kolmanovich received the Order of Grand Duke Gediminas.

To be continued...
Have a nice time of day.

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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Basil Ivanovich Kuts from the city of Zhitomir, he once served in the GDR in an aviation division near Berlin and has been listening to our broadcasts for more than 15 years. Vasily Ivanovich addressed us with the following question:

“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 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 Liberal Party, 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 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.

Our radio listener from Kyiv, Afanasy Serebryansky, congratulates us on the 12th anniversary of the reunification of Germany and complains that we rarely answer him. Dear Afanasy, Thanks a lot for the congratulations! We get great amount letters that Deutsche Welle employees try not to leave unanswered. But letters sometimes travel a very long way – in both directions. But Afanasy Serebryansky’s request to include in the program one of the songs performed by famous group“Backstreet boys” we gladly perform.

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