Germany Naming Customs

Understanding German surnames and given names can help you find and identify your ancestors in the records.

Surnames
Before record keeping began, most people had only one name, such as John. As the population increased, it became necessary to distinguish between individuals with the same name. The problem was usually solved by adding descriptive information. John became John the smith, John the son of Matthew, John the short, or John from Heidelberg. At first “surnames” applied only to one person, not to the whole family. After a few generations, these names became hereditary and were passed on from generation to generation.

Surnames developed from four major sources:

1689:  Patronymic, based on a parent's name, such as Johann Petersohn (son of Peter).

1690:  Occupational, based on the person's trade, such as Johann Weber (weaver).

1691: Descriptive or nickname, based on a unique quality of the person, such as Johann Langbein (long leg).

1692: Geographical, based on a person's residence, such as Johann Schlesier (a person from Schlesien).

The nobility and wealthy land owners were the first to begin using surnames. Merchants and townspeople then adopted the custom, as did the rural population. This process took two or three centuries. In most of Germany, the practice of using surnames was well established by the 1500s.

Patronymics. The use of patronymic names was prevalent in the Schleswig-Holstein and Ostfriesland areas in northern Germany. Patronymic names changed with each generation. For example, Hans Petersen was a son of a man named Peter. If Hans had a son Jens, the son was known as Jens Hansen (son of Hans). The use of patronymics continued until decrees were passed that required persons to adopt permanent hereditary family names. Subjects were often reluctant to comply, so several decrees were needed. These decrees were passed in 1771, 1820, and 1822 in the province of Schleswig-Holstein and in 1811 in Ostfriesland.

Alias Surnames. In some areas of Germany, individuals took a second surname. In the records, the second surname may be preceded by the wordgenannt, vulgo, modo, sive, or alias. This practice was common in the provinces of Westfalen and Hannover and parts of Rheinland and Schlesien.

The development of alias surnames was often tied to agriculture. When a man moved to a new farm, he sometimes changed his name to the name of the farm. Also, when a man married a woman who had inherited a farm, his name may have changed to her family name. In this situation, some of the children born to the couple may have used his surname, while others in the same family used the wife's family name.

Jewish Naming Customs. Before the 1800s, the use of a family name by Jews was left to the discretion of the individual. Jews in Germany followed the custom of using only a given name and the name of the father, such as Isaac, son of Abraham. Most Jews did not adopt hereditary family names until required to do so by law. In 1790 Baden was the first German state to require fixed surnames. Preußen issued an edict on 11 March 1812 that required that permanent family names be adopted within six months. Compulsory surname laws were enacted in the German states of Bayern and Mecklenburg in 1813 and 1814. By the 1820s, most small German states had extended civil rights to Jews and required them to adopt surnames.

Given Names
German given names are usually derived from Biblical names, such as Josef (Joseph); from the names of saints, such as Joannes (Joan); or from Old German, such as Siegfried.

When baptized, children were usually given two or more given names. In most of Germany, the child was normally called by the first name given at baptism. In some areas, however, it was more common for the child to be called by the second name. For example, if the first two males born in a family were named Johann Christoph and Johann Friedrich, they were usually called by their second given names. If an elder child died young, the parents frequently reused the deceased child's exact name on the next born child of the same gender. Do not assume an older child of the exact name died, however, unless you find his/her death date.

Some children received as many as four or more given names at baptism. Multiple given names were often the names of parents or other relatives. Many of these names were frequently dropped as the child matured. Thus, a person's later records do not always use the name he or she was given at birth.

Grammatical Effects on German Names
Gender and grammar can affect German word endings. Feminine names often end with -in. For example, Barbara Meyer may appear as Barbara Meyerin. Germans occasionally use -chen and -lein as diminutive endings meaning “little.” Gretchen could be translated little Greta (Margret). The endings -s or -es show possession. Hermann Josefs Sohn would mean Joseph's son Hermann.

Names in Foreign Languages
Because German genealogical records were kept in various languages, you may find your ancestor's name in different languages at different times. For example, your great-grandfather's name could be in Latin on his birth record, in French on his marriage record, and in German on his death record. Some given names are often very different when translated into different languages, as shown by the following table.

The following source contains given names translated into 23 different European languages, including English:

Janowowa, Wanda, et al. Słownik Imion (Dictionary of names). Wrocław, Germany: Zakład Narodowy im Ossolińskich, 1975. (FHL book Ref 940 D4si; film 1181578 item 2; fiche 6,000,839.)

Variations on Given Names
Many given names have variants and dialectical forms. Barbara, for example, can appear as Barbel, Barbele, Barbeli, Bärbel, Bärbchen, Bärmel, Bäbi, or even Wawerl or Wetti. Several books are available that give variant forms of given names.

For more details about German naming customs, spellings, grammatical endings, and variants read Kenneth L. Smith's German Church Books: Beyond the Basics Camden, Maine : Picton Press, 1989. (943 D27skL.)

There are also many books that discuss German names and their meanings. Some indicate the cities or regions where some surnames are most common or the earliest date and place the name was documented. One such source is listed below:

Bahlow, Hans. Deutsches Namenlexikon (German name dictionary). Frankfurt/Main, Germany: Suhrkamp Taschenbuch, 1972. (FHL book 943 D4ba 1972.)

More such books are listed in the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:

GERMANY - NAMES, PERSONAL