Luxembourg Naming Customs

Online Tools

 * Names and Surnames in Luxembourg
 * Most Common Last Names In Luxembourg
 * Luxembourgish Submitted Names: Behind the Name
 * FamilySearch's surname experience - enter your last name to find its meaning and origin

Surnames Historical Development

 * 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 several sources. For example:
 * Occupational (based on a person’s trade, such as Carter or Smith)
 * Geographical (based on a person’s residence, such as Drayton or Debenham)
 * Patronymic (based on a person’s father’s name, such as Jones, son of John)
 * Descriptive or nickname (such as Joy or Child)
 * 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.

Surname Changes of Immigrants in the United States
As Immigrants moved into English-speaking countries, their surnames were impacted in a variety of ways.


 * Most of the time the surname spelling changed to accommodate the different phonetic spelling in the English language. In other words, the recorder tried to write the name the way he heard it.
 * Surnames may also have been translated outright into English, sometimes with a slight twist.
 * Within the community, such as the local parish, immigrants may continue to use the original name, while at the same time using English-language equivalents when dealing with local government, census takers, and other English speakers.
 * Different branches of the same family may adopt various surname spellings.
 * Prior to 1900, formal surname changes documented in local court records are relatively rare.
 * During the early 20th Century, especially the World War I era, surname changes are recorded more frequently, as immigrants or, more often, their children, tried to adopt more neutral surnames.

For Further Reading
This dictionary of names brings together Luxembourgish family names with extensive descriptions of all 2,500 names in relation to the type of name, etymology, linguistic history, and geographical scope. It includes Luxembourg’s border regions with Germany, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

Reference work on 2500 family names in today’s Luxembourg Also describes the geographic spread into border regions of Germany, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands

Geography of Luxembourg surnames based on the 1930 census - this published book lists the most common surnames according to location in Luxembourg. The book can also be purchased here.

Online-Kartierung - Luxemburgischer Familiennamenatlas - this online map shows distribution of surnames in Luxembourg and nearby parts of Germany, France, and Belgium.

FamilySearch Library
Additional sources are listed in the FamilySearch Catalog: