German Surnames - Meanings & Origins...

[Elveon]

What Does Your German Last Name Mean? I thought this link might be usefull for all of us with German surnames, or just interested in the topic.

http://genealogy.about.com/cs/surname/a ... rnames.htm

[Sigurd]

Thanks for this excellent resource! This could come handy for the odd member!

However, the whole idea of the page has one major hitch --- many of those with an exceedingly common surname will find it easy to find out the meaning of their name anyhow: MÜLLER is obviously a MILLER and SCHUMACHER is obviously a SHOEMAKER.

On the other hand --- the ones who have a less common surname oft have a cryptic enough surname that they have to know where it is derived from anyhow to sort of get at the meaning. Let's take Austrian star ski jumper Gregor SCHLIERENZAUER for example ... It's of course a locational name, referring to the tiny, tiny former riverside forest Schlierenzau in the Upper Inn Valley. But who except a Tyrolese person could even know that one?