What does the prefix von mean in German surnames? German surnames for men and women. List of beautiful and famous German surnames with translation

The meaning and origin of male and female German names and surnames. Ancient and modern German names. Interesting facts about German names.

4.08.2016 / 14:19 | Varvara Pokrovskaya

You have acquaintances, friends, business partners from Germany and you want to know more about their names and surnames. Then this article will surely be useful to you.

Features of German names

German names formed in several stages under the influence of political, historical, cultural processes. Based on their origin, they can be divided into three groups:

• ancient Germanic names

They were formed back in the 7th–4th centuries. BC e. They are closely associated with magic, mythology, totemic, military symbols and were designed to influence the future fate and character of a person. Some of them are of Scandinavian origin. Consist of two parts. In modern use there are no more than several hundred of them. The rest are long outdated.

• Latin, Greek, Hebrew (Biblical) names

They are still widespread today due to their versatility. They are familiar to representatives of any country and go well with surnames. They are used both in their original form and with some phonetic changes characteristic of the German language. For example: Victor, Katharina (Ekaterina), Nicholas (Nikolai), Alexander, Johann (Ivan), Joseph (Joseph), etc.

• foreign names used in abbreviated form

Fashion for them appeared in the middle of the last century. At first they were French - Marie, Annette, Catherine. Later they were joined by Russians (Sasha, Natasha, Vera, Vadim) and Arabic/Turkic variants Jem (Jamil), Abu (Abdullah) and others.

The meanings of some ancient Germanic names

There is still a tradition in Germany to give a newborn several names, sometimes there are up to ten. Upon reaching adulthood, this number can be reduced at your discretion. The usual practice is 1-2 first names + last names. Middle names are not used.

Did you know that full name the legendary Catherine I - Sophie Auguste Friederike von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg), the brilliant Mozart - Johann Chrysostom Wolfgang Theophilus Mozart, the current Vice-Chancellor of Germany - Angela Dorothea Merkel (Kasner) - Angela Dorothea Merkel (Kasner)?

But they are far from the record holder. In 1904, one baby was given a name of 740 letters at birth. It looked something like this: Adolph Blaine Charles David Earl Frederick Gerald Hubert Irwin John Kenneth Lloyd Martin Nero Oliver Paul Quincy Randolph Sherman Thomas Juncas Victor William Xerxes Yancy Zeus Wolfe schlegelsteinhausenbergerdor + several hundred more difficult-to-read and practically untranslatable letter combinations. It was accompanied by an equally impressive surname, but a little more modest - only 540 letters.

Restrictions

German society is known for its conservatism and pedantry. This also affected names. Unlike Russia and the CIS countries, which are liberal in this regard, where registry offices quite officially register children with the names Tsar, Cinderella, Dolphin and even Lucifer, such a number will not work in Germany. Parents who love exotic things will have to defend their opinion in court, the decision of which is unlikely to be comforting for them. Exists a whole series restrictions enshrined at the legislative level + list of allowed names.

Forbidden:

• Giving a name without a clear gender characteristic, i.e. calling a boy a female name or a girl a male name. The exception is the name Maria. It can be chosen as the second male: Paul Maria, Hans Maria, Otto Maria.
• Use topographic names - cities, towns, countries.
• Religious taboos - Allah, Judas, Demon, Christ, Buddha.
• Offensive, controversial names. For example, Peter Silie - Parsley.
• Surnames of famous people.
• Titles.
• Brand names - Porsche, Pampers, Joghurt.
• Call children from the same family the same name. But this ban can be easily circumvented if desired. It is enough to register double names with the same first names, but different second names: Anna-Maria and Anna-Martha, Karl-Richard and Karl-Stefan.

For obvious reasons, to this day the name Adolf is an unspoken taboo.

Phonetics

Incorrect: Heinrich Heine, Wilhelm Hohenzollern

Right: Heinrich Heine, Wilhelm Hohenzollern

Error: Hans, Helmut

Right: Hans, Helmut

But: Herbert, Gerwig, Gerda, Herman

German female names

In modern Germany, abbreviated female names have become widespread. Instead of Katarina - Katya, Margarita - Margot. You can often find forms formed by merging two different names: Anna + Margaret = Annagret, Maria + Magdalena = Marlena, Anna + Maria = Annamaria, Anna + Lisa = Anneliese, Hannah + Laura (Laureen) = Hannelore. German female names end in -lind(a), -hild(a), -held(a), -a, ine, -i. An exception is the name Erdmut (Erdmute).

List of common German female names:

• Agna, Agnetta, Agnes - chaste, holy;
• Anna, Annie - mercy (of God), grace;
• Astrid - beautiful, goddess of beauty;
• Beata - blessed;
• Bertha - brilliant, magnificent;
• Wilda - wild;
• Ida - kind;
• Laura - laurel;
• Margareta, Greta is a pearl;
• Rosemary - reminder;
• Sophie, Sophia - wisdom;
• Teresa - strong and loved;
• Ursula - bear;
• Hannah - God is merciful;
• Helga - divine;
• Helena - torch;
• Hilda - practical;
• Frida - peace-loving;

Erma is harmonious.

German male names

In the 20th century, the majestic names of German kings and emperors - Albert, Karl, Wilhelm, Friedrich, Heinrich - were replaced by simpler ones - Andreas, Alexander, Alex, Michael, Klaus, Peter, Eric, Frank. Names have become widespread literary heroes and characters from films: Til, Daniel, Chris, Emil, Otto, Arno, Felix, Rocky. Most German male names end with consonants; often the letter combinations -brand, -ger, -bert, -hart, -mut are used at the end. Less often - oh.

German names and surnames

The first German surnames appeared in the Middle Ages and belonged exclusively to aristocrats. They indicated a person’s origin, personal qualities, and family names. Ordinary people were addressed simply by name. By the beginning of the 20th century, all Germans had surnames, regardless of class.

In modern Germany, surnames mainly consist of one word, occasionally two. The law of 1993 abolished three-syllable or more constructions. Aristocratic prefixes - von der, von, der, von und zu are written together with the main part of the surname: von Berne - Vonbern, der Löwe - Derlöwe. The indication of titles was abolished back in 1919.

Surnames of Slavic origin in Germany do not change their endings, regardless of whether they belong to a man or a woman. Upon marriage, both spouses receive a common surname. Traditionally this is the husband's surname. It is also given to children. Changing surnames in Germany by at will not allowed. The exception is cases with discordant variants. In German identity documents, the main name is indicated first, then the second, and then the last name: Michael Stefan Haase, Mari Stefani Klain, Hanns Gerbert Rosenberg.

Common German surnames

German boy names

In the family, when communicating with peers or in informal settings, diminutives and affectionate terms are used to address boys. short forms names formed by adding the suffixes -lein, -le, -cher, Heinz - Heinzle, Klaus - Klauslein, Peter - Peterle (by analogy with the Russians -chka, -chek-, -enka, - ochka: Vovochka, Vanechka, Petenka).

German girl names

The same rule applies when creating girlish diminutive names: Petra, Velma, Irma - Petralein, Velmacher, Irmachen, Rosechen. When formally addressing girls over 15 years old, Fraeulein is added before the name, to lovely lady younger age- Maedchen.

Beautiful German names

The harsh sound characteristic of the German language gives uniqueness and unique charm to both native German names and borrowed ones, such as Italian or Russian. Beauty and euphony, of course, are subjective concepts, but we managed to compile the top most beautiful German names according to users of social networks.

Top 10 most beautiful female German names

1. Alma
2. Angelica
3. Iolanta
4. Isolde
5. Louise
6. Mirabella
7. Emily
8. Paula
9. Silvia
10. Frederica

Top 10 most beautiful male German names:

1. Stephen
2. Elias
3. Lucas
4. Martin
5. Jurgen
6. Gabriel
7. Emil
8. Ralph
9. Theodore (Theo)

Meaning of German names

Biblical names are found quite often in Germany, only in a slightly modified form. Their meaning corresponds to the original source.

Bible names

Popular German names

According to data obtained from several hundred German birth registration offices, the Standesamt, the most popular in 2015 female names became Sophie, Marie, Mia. Among the men, the leaders are Lucas, Alexander, Max, Ben. Also, many parents are increasingly choosing somewhat old-fashioned names for their newborns: Karl, Julius, Otto, Oswald.

Names for German Shepherd

A correctly chosen dog name will greatly facilitate the process of training and everyday interaction with the animal. The best option is a name with one or two syllables, with voiced consonants, partially characterizing the character or appearance of the pet. It is recommended to name puppies from the same litter with names starting with one letter.

For German Shepherds - smart, disciplined, stately - nicknames-titles such as Kaiser, Count, Lord, King, Milady are suitable. You can use words in German: Schwarz - black, Brown - brown, Schnell - fast, Spock - Calm, Edel - noble. The names of various German provinces sound beautiful in full or abbreviated form - Westphalia, Lorraine (Lori, Lota), Bavaria, Alsace.

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 a 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 part of the 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.

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 with certain character qualities. 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 German families, it is customary to address servants simply by name, without using the 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

Having sonorous names girls can assign themselves a second foreign origin. To address women with respect, the word "Frau" is used in Germany, meaning "mistress." Beautiful German female surnames 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 other 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 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 the title of nobility 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 noble origin in Germany can be found among any professions. 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 then. 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 in 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, thank you very much for your congratulations! We get huge amount letters that Deutsche Welle employees try not to leave unanswered. But letters sometimes travel a very long way – in both directions. But we willingly comply with Afanasy Serebryansky’s request to include one of the songs performed by the famous group “Backstreet boys” in the program.

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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 was 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 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 New Russia. Large 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, 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 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 Man" - 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!