Do You Have German Genealogy? | Ancestral Findings Podcast

"The Family Tree German Genealogy Guide: How to Trace Your Germanic Ancestry in Europe"
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AF-268: Do You Have German Genealogy? | Ancestral Findings Podcast
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Do You Have German Genealogy? A German surname has a history of the Middle Ages, and each one tells a story about the original medieval person who bore it. Knowing the history of these names can tell you things about your ancient ancestors that written records cannot. Join me today on the Ancestral Findings Podcast, and I’ll talk about what you need to know about your German surname and what it can tell you about your ancestors.
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[@Ancestralfindings]

Thank you for listening to the podcast and subscribing... I really appreciate it

[@henriettebrown4220]

Can anyone please help me. My biological father's family is Hartzenberg. Henry Stephen? .

[@dees9502]

Good to see all my fellow humans of German heritage chatting here. Wish there were more places to do so! 🙏🇩🇪🇺🇸

[@reddykilowatt]

need some Lebensraum?

[@isaiahgowdy7149]

Me not being German 😭🥲

[@joycebaron672]

All Anglo Saxons have German in them from centuries ago.

[@carolynrandle5454]

My mother in law was German.

[@RiceaRoni354]

My surname is kaulffuss. I had no idea how many were in the US until the onset of the internet.

[@F3aVVX]

In Germany there is a fairly well known scientist who is specialised in onomatology. His name is Prof. Jürgen Udolph. He appears regularly on radio and explains familynames. He is damned good and I've learned a lot from him. If someone's interested to know more about his family name, he is the best adress.

[@roseadams3397]

My grandmother was born a Shutler. I don't know anything about their name her father was from AlSase Lorraine France But his father was Johann Shutler and was in Germany before the borders changed. I would like to find out the origin of SHUTLER.

[@josiahz21]

My grandfather showed up one day with a book as thick as a Bible after visiting a distant cousin. It was a, mostly complete, family history of Ketterman’s in the USA. I say mostly as my immediate and closely related family wasn’t in it. It dated back to 1790. Ketterman’s came over on a boat from Germany, bought a mountain in West Virginia and it’s still called mount ketterman today. A ket is a chain link and the family crest is a wolfs hook so we were mostly blacksmiths back then. It was cool looking through it. There was even a distant relative that shared my name and birthdate, 90 years difference tho. I think everyone should look back, if they’re able, to their history.

[@karinland8533]

Kett is an old verb with the meaning to to join/ conect together. A Kette is a chain.

[@edifice2773]

I'm a Ketterman with ancestors from West Viriginia too. And while "Kette" is the modern German word for necklace or chain, in medieval times it usually referred to chain maille. The original Ketterman (whoever that was) probably made armor for knights.

[@demonxmoo99]

@@edifice2773 I also have a German surname and live in West Virginia. Mine is Seigler which is the Americanized version of Sigler/Ziegler

[@patriciajrs46]

That's truly a cool story you have. You, or someone, need to write your family's history and add your story in your great book. That would be cool. When I saw your last name it reminded me of the movie Dirty Dancing. That resort was named the same as your last name.

[@sandyfields678]

Dna cant be changed.....paperwork can.....

[@BL-no7jp]

My mother was a Brandenburg, a descendant of Frederick the Great. When she found this out in the late 90’s, she laughed in sarcasm. I did the ancestry and research backwards and forward. Yes, my mother was 7 generations from the monarchy. My ancestor, Wilhelm and the Kaiser had a fallen out when he and his brothers insulted the Roman Catholics who came to visit Berlin. Mathias and his brothers came here as religious refugees. Mathias is buried in the same county my mother’s family came from. We established the 3rd Brandenburg Family Cemetery.

[@patriciaecampbell372]

Very interesting!

[@pamelahomeyer748]

Our families knew each other

[@lisalaunius7389]

Frederick The Great had no descendants.

[@AlexandraVioletta]

I only knew, that somewhere somehow we had a bowel maker in our family 🤣 and some Mongols.

[@BL-no7jp]

@@lisalaunius7389 I researched this recently. They were maternal half brothers and paternal cousins. The first self appointed king in Prussia and third elector replaced my ancestor Fredrick the 2nd elector who was killed in war. The mix ups came from the maternal marriages of the 2nd and 3rd electors.

[@davidschroeder3272]

I never thought with the surname Schroeder that I could find any info on our paternal line. But one day back in 2010 I inputted what data I knew about our gr-grandfather, who arrived in Brooklyn, NY in 1866. I was astounded when a German subscriber to Geneanet provided a link to a database showing Lutheran church records for our Schroeder lineage all the way back to 1705 which was "about" the birth year of our 5th gr-grandfather.

[@oldgysgt]

I remember one day during a College Sociology class, the instructor took a lot of time to explain why one student in the class, who had an Italian Surname, could have Blond hair, blue eyes and very Nordic features. He explained how Northern Italy had a strong Austrian Trans-Alps heritage. After class I felt obliged to inform the instructor that in fact the young man in question was adopted! Researching your Surname can be fun, but don't place too much importance in the result.

[@angelaj8958]

the coincidence you mention does not negate the veracity of the instructor's depiction of the residents of northern Italy, and the origin of that stock. Norsemen did indeed cross over to the continent, and after generations made it to the Alpine areas. They left their genetic heritage all along the route they took south.

[@flhxri]

Thanks Karen

[@monabiehl6213]

My maiden name is Helgesen. It would surprise people when they would see me with dark hair, dark eyes, some Native American features. People would ask me how I could have a Scandinavian surname and be darker than the stereo-typed Scandinavian. Well, we have two parents

[@oldgysgt]

@@angelaj8958; yes, there are blue eyed blond haired Italians, but the person he used as an example was a bit laughable. Because of marriages, Ellis Island abbreviations, and such, surnames can be very misleading. My surname is Irish, but nowhere in my family tree can I find anyone from Ireland. It could be that my Great, Great, Great Grandfather was a horse thief and took an assumed name to avoid a long drop at the end of a short rope.

[@oldgysgt]

@@monabiehl6213; EXACTLY! With the "melting pot" of America, surnames can be very misleading.

[@stevenbaer5999]

I am a German Bavarian decent person, my ancestors were actually warriors and also military personnel. Military life is actually handled down by generation. Very extremely hard workers, farming, and also military life.

[@jaengen]

I am a decent person too, I think. I’m not Bavarian though.

[@winnietheshrew2957]

Dwight D. Eisenhower (Eisenhauer = iron hewer = miner) is a good example for an occupational surname. His ancestor came from what is now the tiny German federal state of Saarland. Iron ore and coal deposits in the area gave rise to a thriving mining & iron smelting industry that lasted for at least a millenium and ended in the early 1980s.

[@tonithomas393]

I am of “Eisenhauer “ lineage although a different family line than that of Dwight D.

[@mercomania]

The area of Tirol, is mostly inhabited by darker haired peoples. The Süd Tirol is still occupied by Italy after the treaties after WWI. The area is divided, northern and eastern Tirol remain in Austria. After a century of occupation, Süd Tirol has stuck to its culture, even after Italian attempts to wipe out the Tirolean culture, food and music.

[@vegetariansuniteworldwide8091]

There is a video here on KZbin that talks about President Eisenhower’s Black ancestry.

[@Ul.B]

However, the name Eisenhauer may also refer to a blacksmith, not just a miner.

[@OVTraveller]

My wife’s paternal family name is Hanstein and might have originated from the Hamburg area. Parents, uncles and ourselves have visited Burg Hanstein on the East German side of the previous border, but that yielded no further information. Regrettably the bombing of Hamburg in WW11 appears to have wiped out any distant relatives, or documentary linkages with this ancestor.

[@ottosaxo]

If the name originated in the North, it has been changed later. "Stein" had been "Sten" or "Steen" in and around Hamburg. "Han-" translates to "Hohen-" in modern Standard German. So, the meaning of the name, also the name of the castle, is "High stone", which again doesn't really suggest a place in the North German plains. Nevertheless, the Thirty Years War was the first powerful mixer within Germany.

[@imahick5723]

I grew up in a German farming community on Long Island. German was spoken in the church and shops into the early 60s.My family has Birklbauers, Bausbachers, Kasers. PS one of the Birklebaer ladies married a Mr. Jones. Who could blame her???

[@jamebrooke894]

My mother's father's family came to Canada from Prussia in 1870s. Later 1890s half the family moved to America ,Iowa and Washington state. Klampe was their name.

[@collnss]

My grandmother in Eastern Kentucky was a Mutter: “South German (also Mütter): occupational name for an official employed to measure grain, from Middle High German mutte, mütte 'bushel', 'grain measure' (Latin modius) + the agent suffix -er.”

[@sabinesteil4690]

Mutter means also mother

[@collnss]

@@sabinesteil4690 Yes! I have been told she was a Jewess.

[@jtenrec1]

My grandfather lived in a German speaking community in Missouri. His first name was Wilhelm. When WW1 broke out, he changed it to William.

[@leatonyaking1]

Hermitage Missouri

[@halweilbrenner9926]

I have an ancestor from Germany named Wilhelm Weilbrenner.

[@rickprice6312]

I'm a Priess. Anglicized to Price in the 1850s.

[@warringtonfaust1088]

The English Battenbergs changed their name to Mountbatten.

[@harrylime8077]

I believe it was common to change names for social and political reasons. I lived in Canada for a few years and a city in Ontario called Kitchener was known as ‘Berlin’ before WW1. Additionally, I believe the royal family’s last name was ‘Hapsburg’ at the time of WW1 and changed it to ‘Windsor’.

[@alvincash3230]

My last name is Mittlestadter. Within the past month, I accidentally learned there is a city in Germany named Mittelstadt. It seems obvious where my ancestors were from. I'm happy to have found this out. The switching of the l and e also explain a comment I remember my grandmother one time making- that my grandfather was angry that the immigration authorities switched the l and e.

[@lolb3526]

its funny as a german because for me its so obvious hahaha

[@maggiegarber246]

Mittelstadt means middle town, but you probably know that.

[@Colin-Fenix]

@@maggiegarber246 so which town center were his ancestors from?

[@roryschweinfurter4111]

My surname is Schweinfurter and it's been determined that my ancestors immigrated from the town of Schweinfurt Which in English means schwein= pig And furter= crossing And the town is at a narrow spot in a river where they used to cross their pigs

[@leahtate261]

On my dad's side we have the names Linkous and Shelor. I have learned that Shelor is a form of Schuller, and a book has been written about Henry Linkous immigrating from Germany and all his descendants. Interestingly, almost all the Linkous and Shelor families are concentrated in the small area in and around Montgomery County in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia.

[@maevemaiden]

I'm only partly German/Jewish on my father's side but Montgomery County is quite specific as well as the Blue Ridge Mountains(have camped there as a kid)our surname is Linzer and had to say hallo 😊

[@leahtate261]

@@maevemaiden Hello! Thanks for answering.

[@maevemaiden]

@@leahtate261 sure no problem I love to hear about people's history and family stories:)

[@Oorlich95]

Do you live here? I'm not far from there at all. If so, hello, fellow Appalachian.

[@DanielLehan]

A Daniel Shelor was a store owner on the new River in Montgomery County, VA., in the 1780's.Isaac Taylor gave him his family Bible in his will,c.1783? He had previously bought land from Isaac Taylor. This store still appears on civil war maps of Montgomery County,VA., c. 1864. Use a search for these names,and the map will come up to view.NAT. ARCH. has these to view as well.

[@YountPower]

My last name is Yount, which is the American bastardization of the Original German surname Jundt. I did my research on it, and the surname dates back to 1209, and that is a Germanization of the name Judith, which means "Of Judea," when the Jundt family settled in the Westphalia region. It's amazing to learn such things.

[@josebulang7981]

So your ancestor is from Iudea. Had he been with Herod Archelaus of Iudea, who according to jewish historian Josephus, the Romans vanished to Vienne of the Gaul in 4 AD?

[@hopefulvoyage]

When you say, "American bastardization" what exactly are you referring to? Did they change your last name at some point?

[@YountPower]

@@hopefulvoyage Exactly. According to what I was told, when the first Jundt family came to America, the people who were documenting them did not know how to spell the last name, they just went by pronounciation only. Hence, Jundt became Yount.

[@hopefulvoyage]

@@YountPower I believe something similar happened to my last name as well. Trying to get the truth of the matter.

[@harrietetter9321]

My dad's Nolte uncle wrote the Nolte book in 1950 -- traced family back to the Crusades -- first Heinrich Henry von Nolte came to america before Ellis Island escaping the Prussion War -- many different spellings -- Nulte, Nolty, etc -- I was a child during WW2 and when they put Japanese in camps, I feared they'd be coming for us next

[@yakkwak]

Our family also includes the von Moltke’s. One great, one not so great. Thanks to Lloyd Espenscheid genealogical records.

[@ninavongunten122]

My paternal ancestors were Swiss German and Swiss Italian. They lived in Gunten, Sigriswil and around Lake Thun. Years ago, I received an unexpected letter and scroll in the mail from someone stating that my original ancestor was Polish and was given a title and property from the Pope for his service as a Swiss Guard and for protecting him from 2 separate assassination attempts.

[@craigmilligan616]

On my Mom’s side, was Clossen and Silwold from the Schleswig area near Denmark. They came to America after the American Civil War to Iowa.

[@kennethstreet5734]

Grandfathers name is Treuel from Wedel also part of Schleswig- Holstein left for Australia in 1854.

[@bittehiereinfugen7723]

Hi, I suspect that a spelling mistake happened at some point. In northern Germany, especially towards Denmark, there is the name Classen, which is actually quite common. So a, not o.

[@christopherharrisii1010]

Thanks informational.

[@Deedee-ee1sg]

Fascinating stuff about german surnames. I'm from the UK, but according to my aunt, we have a relative in Nashville, German with surname Dickel, who apparently made whisky!!!

[@christianfischer9971]

Thank you for sharing! It is very interesting. My second great grandfather immigrated from Baden- Wurttemberg, Germany in the early 1900’s. I traced the family back over five hundred years. His wife’s maiden name was Hirzel.

[@deelynn9932]

In the 1950s SoCal, the 1st German generation of my classmates typically had the prefix 'Sch' as in Schiff or Schumer, or one was a Hofdahl, and when they would meet, they would speak to each other in broken English, thick accent. Back then, it was considered bad manners to be in a mixed group and use your native language to the exclusion of your classmates joining in and bonding on common activities.

[@kirstensocialbutterfly6025]

My dad always taught me to speak English in public & German at home.

[@louiscramp4336]

It's still bad manners.

[@gunhed5073]

The Word dahl means Tal (valley )Hof means court

[@winnietheshrew2957]

@@gunhed5073 Hof can also mean farm.

[@candicekellyhomes]

At our Lutheran church in Southern California 75% of the parishioners were sch names!

[@dawnorwig1567]

Mine is Orwig, which I've researched and found it's a Germanized form of Orvik from Norway, even though my 6th great grandparents came from Germany. Orwig is also derived from Urbecht or other variations. But when he landed in America he signed an X by Orwig so it stuck, there's about 20,000 of us just in the USA alone. Everyone named Orwig is related to each other.

[@jamesalexander5623]

There is an Orwigsburg in Schuykill County, Pennsylvania! .... Near Hamburg, Pa. ....

[@dawnorwig1567]

@@jamesalexander5623 yes I know my uncle told us about it back in the 1990s. Ive always wanted to visit there.

[@dearkoalabar1098]

Beautiful picture of Regensburg, my hometown, you got there. :D

[@hollyharvey1986]

My Dad’s paternal grandparents were German. My Great Gramother’s great grandfather, I believe, immigrated to Texas and started buying land and farming, sending money back for his family and eventually sending for his family and any other Germans who wanted to immigrate to Texas and work the cotton farms. The town was eventually named after him (Dr. Julius Caesar Zulch), called North Zulch. I even saw a picture of him and he freakishly looks so much like my father!! My Mother‘s Mom, never really would speak of her heritage, but before she passed I asked her and she replied she only knew they had Black Dutch. I need to just have my DNA tested.

[@cyndimanka]

My great grandmother was a Miller. Grandpa was a Billman. His name was Franz.

[@sandralear684]

My great grandfather was Gustav Claus Christian Hinrichs. Born 2-6-1862 in Meldorf, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.

[@cherylthomson4341]

Don't know where your family settled, but there are 2 towns in NW, just miles apart, Schleswig and Holstein. Interesting!

[@annam279]

I am a German-American, born in Germany and raised in the US. My family is from Baden-Württemberg, not to far from Stuttgart. And my mom’s maiden name is Domogalla (which translates to Haushahn) ancestors change it to Latin because of Napoleon. I have no idea why Napoleon made my ancestors change their last names as my mom doesn’t know either. But maybe my Opa can answer that question. All we know from my Opa’s story is that Napoleon made us Latinize it.

[@mikesauer7775]

Got a brochure once from Germany. Place called Sauer Brau. Distillery,beer and pubs

[@nancyhannan1977]

Mine is Wickline..it was Longer once...it goes back To round table times, We have a coat of arms Also

[@queenpangaea3325]

I grew up bilingual, speaking German and English, so I'm guessing Täubel has something to do with either doves or being deaf. My father and mother are originally from Yugoslavia and Hungary, but I was able to trace my family tree back to Austrian Donauschwaben.

[@stevensiegert]

In deinem Fall gibt es zwei Bedeutungen für den Familiennamen. Wat 'ne Scheiße, man macht es dir noch schwieriger bei der Suche nach der Bedeutung des Namens.

[@butterfly5334]

Taube is actually the dove. Taub sein means to be deaf. In your case I think it is a sweet way of saying dove. Btw I was German and am now Canadian. ♥️

[@leopoldpoppenberger8692]

@@stevensiegert oder leichter

[@jurgenjung4302]

KZbin KANAL:'die Zuversicht' mit "Die grösste Verschwörung der Geschichte." /// Vielleicht interessiert es sie ja. 👋🇩🇪

[@susanlegeza7562]

@@leopoldpoppenberger8692 5:13

[@user-cf8rh2kc8b]

Interesting! My grandmother (my father’s side) directed descendants surname was Schmaus back at 400 AD. The location was at Trier, Germany. Our directed ancester arrived at United States at 1739 and his wife (surname Wohlfram or Wohlfrom) was also from Germany.

[@charlottesmith4850]

My first husband's name was Gutliph and his great grandfather came from Baden Baden in Bavaria.

[@brittakriep2938]

Baden Baden (no joke) is a town in former Great Duchy of Baden, western part of current state Baden- Württemberg.

[@reddykilowatt]

Gutliph the Queen!

[@Demetri450]

All cultures have names that have meaning that goes back into history.

[@polyrhythmia]

There was a time when many Germans Latinized their surnames, such a Sartorius instead of Schneider.

[@ecuadorexpat8558]

My ancestor August Krug founded the world famous SCHLITZ Brewery in Milwaukee in 1849..an immigrant from Miltenberg Germany

[@sherrieswaim1064]

My husband mothers maiden name was Imhoff...landed in Missouri..became very wealth investing in the first railroad company on the track. The loved America with all their heart.

[@benjaminzuckschwerdt4779]

Imhoff a Name from the middle and south-west Germany.

[@nadinesawtell3267]

There is a famous painter in Saskatchewan with the same last name. He came from Germany and lived in St Walburg

[@anthonyfuqua6988]

Jack Imhoff?

[@lindadechiazza2924]

I sat next to mark imhoff in the second grade he liked baseball

[@wintonhudelson2252]

There was an Imhoff family in Ferndale Washington years ago.

[@TheDivayenta]

My last name is Weichardt. My Dad was born in Germany and his Dad’s family came from northern Germany. The meaning is “ the strong one in the battle”.

[@nancymills1884]

My great-grandfather was Mueller. When he came to America in the 1800’s he became Miller. It has been a challenge to track him and his wife who was Irish.

[@meredithgreenslade1965]

I have Muellers ancestors too. Mine came to South Australia.

[@gunhed5073]

Miller is equal to müller

[@sylviamartinez1649]

My mothers last name is freimueller from Bavaria

[@tbenedict6335]

Proksch married a Mueller in Poland in the 1890s my great grandparents.

[@jimisno.onefan1864]

My German surname is Kammerling , meaning keeper of the chamber - hence direct translation into English is Chamberlain. Greetings from Londonistan

[@tamaliaalisjahbana9354]

There are some Kammerlings in the Moluccas or Spice Islands in Indonesia. I think a Kammerling must have settled centuries ago because they are brown in skin colour now.

[@E.K.2003]

Mine is Kammerer -- treasurer or keeper of the chamber.

[@dees9502]

Greeting from FLA USA, home of the despicable EX45

[@lindadechiazza2924]

Tamalia - - there is always some white man in the haystack. lol

[@reddykilowatt]

keeper of the chamber pot

[@wes326]

An ancestor of mine named Klass Wasser changed his name to Clearwater when emigrating to the US. This was back in the 1800s so it wasn't because of WWII.

[@MW-mg3qf]

The most German immigrants came long bevor world War 1. Thousends of them even figth in the revolotinarey, and in the Civil war back then.

[@wes326]

@@MW-mg3qf They settled a lot of the Midwest, the Plains, and Texas.

[@MW-mg3qf]

@@wes326 Do you ever heard of the German belt ? They are mostley in the north to the west. Yes and many of them go to the midwest and Texas too, you're rigth.

[@wes326]

@@MW-mg3qf Never heard of it until now. Here in Nebraska there is a lot of German heritage. Chech too.

[@MW-mg3qf]

@@wes326 The German belt discribe the Regions ( 18 US - States ) where in the 19 Century the majority of German Immigrants used to live, mostley in the midwest like you mentioned ( Wisconsin,Ohio,Minnesota, Iowa, Indiana and so on ). Kind Regards from Berlin / Germany

[@addieb1314]

Fun fact: I was adopted at birth into a German-jewish family (German on my dad’s side, jewish on both mom and dad’s side) only to find out in my 20’s that my biological family is also German. The generation on my adoptive father’s side came from a family of blacksmiths and my biological family came from a line of tinkers. It’s crazy how works out

[@dawnschafer1298]

My dads mum and dad was a German Jewish family too sadly never knew my nan and grandad from my dad side all I know they came from the black forest and migrated to England my nan died here and my grandad remarried someone from Croydon but wish I knew my nan and grandad but they say schafer means sheaperd so that all I know

[@kaleahcollins4567]

Yet your picture looks like your black

[@SimpleMinded221]

@@kaleahcollins4567 So ? She could still have German roots /mixture. She looks admixed regardless.

[@brendajerez2235]

@@kaleahcollins4567 Give it your best to expand your horizon ..........germans

[@keinedaten1640]

@@kaleahcollins4567 She wrote about her biological fathers side and not her mothers. Therefore I don't really understand your comment.

[@Messymy]

Have lots of info on dad's paternal side, but his maternal side not so much. They were Hessians. Used the name Stabal, but even they used variants. Wife was listed as Bechstein. He was listed as a musician on immigration roles.

[@craftsandcards]

This is awesome!

[@stevenmoore4612]

Three out of four of my grandparents surnames have German origins. My grandmas surname “my dads mom” is Dietrich, my grandpas surname “my moms dad” is Hallmann, and my grandmas surname “my moms mom” is Staut. Only my last name Moore isn’t German, and my Moore line comes from Ireland/Scotland. Just thought I’d share.

[@tanjawesseling1904]

Q

[@tanjawesseling1904]

Our surname is Wesseling,we are Dutch but Wesseling is the name of a German City

[@stevenmoore4612]

Yeah the city of wesseling is in the Dutch/German border area. Quite possibly your wesseling ancestors could have been Germans that came from that city and moved to the Netherlands.

[@walther7147]

Hallman Could have been a man who saled Salt or came from Halle where salt was for sale.

[@keinedaten1640]

Dietrich is a first name that is also a last name. You could translate it with Ruler of the People....but that does not mean that your ancestor was a ruler ;-). Old germanic male first names often had this kind of content. Hallmann: depends on the region your ancestors came from. If they came (orignially, which means the first person who used this last name) from Silecia, Bohemia or Lausatia it is a variation of the name Heilmann and would mean something like Happy Man. If they are from Westfalia or Hannover (I would assume the former kingdom of Hanover ...not only the city) it refers to the city of Halle. Then it would probably be a man from Halle. Staut probably means that your ancestor lived near shrubs. I take no guarantee for the information....was just curious and read german websites about the etymology of last names.

[@richdiddens4059]

My dad's family came from southwestern Germany near the French border between 100 and 150 years ago. In my great grandfather's generation they were all farmers in the upper mid-west. I can only find three Diddens listen from Germany. Interestingly, all three were or are named Diddo Diddens. I've also found record of a Jan Diddens on the Belgian World Cup team in the '30s. There are also at least 2 Diddens who are or were involved with universities in The Netherlands. Trying to pin something down is frustrating.

[@matthiasscherer9270]

For me it Diddens sounds a bit more northern maybe Rheinland-Pfalz, Nordrhein-Westfalen or maybe Belgium or Netherlands. But of course they also could have been to the southwest before Emigration. Around 150 Years ago the German Revolution failed, and a lot of people emigrated to America. One main Region of this revolution was the State of Baden, that is in the south west (Now Part of Baden-Württemberg). But of couse there were a lot of People involved also from or in other parts of Germany.

[@katelangworthy8698]

You might want to check Mennonite records. They had communities that lived in Switzerland, southeastern France, southwestern Germany, and for fear of persecution and death moved, as groups, further into Germany, up into the Netherlands, and into eastern Europe/Russia in the 1500s through 1700s (approximate history). My mother's relatives were all Mennonite, with one or two Amish or Brethern.

[@keinedaten1640]

I wrote a longer answer two hours ago...but I can not see it anywhere. I try to reconstruct the research I did by memory now: About 30 entrys of Didden in the german telephone book (that does not mean there are not more of them....most people today have mobile numbers and are not in the telephone register). Most of them live in Northrhine-Westphalia. Another source had thousands of Diddens, mostly in the Netherlands and Belgium (Northrine-Westphalia is on the boarder of both countries). One source said it is a frisian name and comes from the First name Diethard (Ruler of the people). Another source just traced it back to "from the people".

[@YT-BenG]

I'm Shetler on my dad's side an Beiler on my mom's an also Shmucker from a grandma, we spoke an read German growing up in PA.

[@sherrymoore131]

My great grandmothers maiden name was Miller/Mueller.

[@andreasnachname2022]

The video shows my beautyful hometown Regensburg 😄

[@rickkaylor8554]

Interesting video. My last name is Kaylor which is the Americanized version of Kohler (coal burner). My grandmother was able to trace our family back to the 1600s in America but couldn't find any direct relatives in Germany. My descendants settled mainly in Pennsylvania.

[@reddykilowatt]

also a fine toilet!

[@rickkaylor8554]

@@reddykilowatt :-) I only wish that I was part of that family. They are wealthy. I am not.

[@lesleyhenderson1771]

Close to my maiden name..Cole..changed from Kohl

[@mistiroberts1576]

Were they possibly from Russia? My family is 100% German (one line) but they were from Russia, where appx 27000 German families settled along the southern Russian border between 1760-1799

[@johnkaler4863]

My name is spelled Kaler. My 5th G. Grand was Johann Heinrich Koehler from Nenderoth Germany in the Rhineland. He with his family settled in present day Waldoboro Maine with many other families from that area.

[@lynnquillen4813]

My German ancestors' names are Henckell and Eichorn, anglicized to Jenkins and Acorn respectively.

[@MsSnow64]

My grandfather's grandparents moved to USA from Prussia (Germany) back in late 1800's. Their surname are Ring.

[@lyndavaughn1187]

Florsheim was my ancestors family name. He was a shoe maker according to the census but not affiliated with Florsheim shoes. I believe they were from Canada.

[@annicaesplund6613]

And people in Canada had immigrated from ...?

[@keinedaten1640]

Maybe he dropped the points on the ö....than it would be Flörsheim and I have been there already. It is a town in Hessia.

[@dennistrull1475]

Met a fellow born in Munich. He said my last name Trull, was pronounced as Truly in German🙂

[@Gunggazer]

No, it´s pronounced as "full".😃

[@AntjeRoestenburg]

In Souther German dialect, we still use the term 'schulze' for 'mayor'

[@grahambraunack217]

Braunack is my surname, from Tirishtiegel used to be called Selisia to South Australia in 1850.

[@yakkwak]

My great uncle invented the transatlantic cable. He was also a genealogist by avocation. Espenscheid. We can now trace back to the 500’s thanks to church documents.

[@karlschneider9479]

Funny you mentioned that about your great uncle. My Opa who was from Kaiserslautern worked for Simplex Wire and Cable who produced those cables here in Boston.

[@randomhistoryfan7803]

Damn I can only go back to 1566

[@leopoldpoppenberger8692]

@John Smith meaning parting like in divorce scheide the cover of a knife scheiden meaning go apart saying good bye or the parting of the vulva but there are a few more

[@Elephunky215]

That’s amazing! I can only go back to ~1700 with most lines and that’s if I’m lucky!

[@andrewdowson1601]

@@karlschneider9479 are you from Germany?

[@marymcmahon659]

My paternal grandmother's surname was Bihn. I guess I'll have to research it to see what it means.

[@christophm8021]

It might have it's roots in "Bien/Biehn" which could refer to 'beekeeper'.

[@4jeffgordon]

Your graphic appears to be Regensburg. If so, where can I find it to download?

[@blancamiranda7424]

Fogle an Gaskin they came from Germany....my great grandma 100 percent German blood line...settled in southern Indiana......

[@kennethstreet5734]

Great grandfather Johannes Heinrich Treuel emigrated in 1854 from Wedel in what was then part of Schleswig- Holstein, principality of Denmark now Germany.

[@ronleasa1729]

my ancestors also came to canada in 1854 from Hanover,Germany.

[@ronleasa1729]

In german it is spelled Liese

[@user-mf6li4sw6n]

I do! I’m proud of my Germanic roots. German/Norwegian. Hard working, resourceful Honest!

[@jimmyhamm6041]

I've alreadey had my accessory dated back so far as 1438 so far ; have 12 book binders of information.

[@yellowiris123]

A lot of my heritage comes from Germany. Especially on my mothers side. There is Kettler, Schrader, Jobusch, Mosbacher and others. I am just getting into my history and I'm excited about it.

[@andrewdowson1601]

You are from Germany?

[@yellowiris123]

No, I am from the US. My mother's family came to the US in the 1700s.

[@andrewdowson1601]

@@yellowiris123 I want to know more about US can i get your any contact if you not any problem.

[@andrewdowson1601]

@@yellowiris123 I want to know the detail of USA which is the best place for office in USA ( virtual office)

[@elainegoad2111]

My paternal great grand mother was a "Noppenberg". Great great grandfather was Walentin (Valentine) Kahl. I know they were farmers.

[@rebawasswass3716]

I married into a German family here in Minnesota and the last name is Wasserzieher, meaning water drawer or water puller.

[@lisamirako1073]

Wasserzieher: occupational name to Middle Low German watertoger (water scoop), to Middle High German waççertrager, -treger, especially in the bathhouse or to Middle High German waççergrâve (sworn art expert of hydraulic engineering and milling).

[@marysmith7792]

Kempter and Zeitler in my grandmother's family.

[@51Leenie]

My maiden name is Kraemer which means merchant or storekeeper. Lol, they just mentioned it in a list of names!!

[@maggiegarber246]

My maternal family line eventually changed their name (over generations) from Krämer ( spelled Kraemer in English since we don’t use an umlaut) to Cramer, with an intermediate usage of Kramer.

[@peggyherrington2820]

I am a Kramer

[@karlaluhrs6039]

I went on that atlas website and went on a long winding road to find the meaning of my surname Luhrs. Basically it means warrior. Also a bad warrior or army. The thing with surnames is that they change with wherever they go.

[@ottosaxo]

In Germany the name does only exist with an umlaut "Lührs". It is of Low Saxon origin and still most common in Northwestern Germany along the North Sea coast. It derives from the male first name Lüder, in that region often shortened to "Lühr". Another surname of the same meaning is "Lüders". It seems to refer to the personal traits "loud and clear".

[@patrickditzen4911]

My great grand father was Ditzen from Germany. I live in the Caribbean.

[@sandygreenleaf6586]

My paternal grandmother's maiden name was King, translated from the German Koenig, I was told. Also I went to school with some kids named Rudat.

[@Gunggazer]

Maybe it is not translated, because King or Küng is an old alemannic form of Küning (modern standardgerman König). It is a common name in the southwest of the german speaking area.

[@tmross4]

My paternal grandmother's maiden name was Steinbocker, which, I believe means "stone breaker". I've been able to trace it back to Prussia.

[@brittakriep2938]

This would be ,Steinbrecher', a Steinbock is an alpine animal with big horns.

[@tmross4]

I spelled it wrong. It's spelled "Steinbacher". It's a place name per the website mentioned. It means from Steinbach, which was a place in Prussia.

[@brittakriep2938]

@@tmross4 : Up to 1938 the small town Wernau next to my village consisted of two villages Steinbach and Pfauhausen. Keep in mind, Prussia and Germamy is not the same.

[@tmross4]

It was a small spot of Germany in the region of Prussia.

[@leopoldpoppenberger8692]

Or Stonemason

[@johnsteiner2960]

Mine is Steiner an occupational surname which originated from Austria and from what I understand is common in Bavaria although my ancestors came from Switzerland 🇨🇭.

[@brittakriep2938]

Stoner in english ;-)

[@johnsteiner2960]

@@brittakriep2938 That's correct, Stoner in English.

[@andrewsawchak8153]

My mother's maiden name was Steiner ( Gwenyth here, posting under my husband Andrew; can't figure out how to create my own account on youtube, lol). My 7x great grandfather came from near Austria. Also on com dot ancestry, I found some of my branch of Steiners came from France, bordering Germany. Some were from Alsace Lorraine, France. There is a Steiner winery there to this day! No wonder I like to drink wine, lol. The tree went back to 1655, when my 7x great-grandfather Sebastien Steiner was born in Reith-im-Winckel (it's on the border of southern Germany and Austria, Salzburg is east of it). He married Madeleine Steinbach, who was born in 1660, in the same town.

[@kimberlypatton205]

According to my ancestry research, my ancestry begins Niederndorf , Austria… 2 brothers were recruited from there to work in the coal mines in Virginia and came to the US in the late 1700’s. My family name of the 2 brothers was “Kunz”, from which my maiden name ,”Counts “ developed from. Our family is very large and the list is long!

[@cindybakley7130]

Mine was Hermann, Harman and now Harmon. My Harmons came from Germany was was one of the first settlers of eastern Ky.

[@GylleneGott]

My mother's maiden is Yungblut but they were all farmers in Ontario. They emigrated from Germany before WWII because they didn't like what Hitler was doing.

[@lisamirako1073]

Yungblut = Jungblut: byname to Middle High German junc-bluot (young, merry person). A byname (Latin agnomen) is an additional personal name, which is added to a person to designate him more precisely.

[@joeyroth7855]

Cool vid...the landscape you use is of Regensburg, in Bavaria. Specifically the view shown is the same view from my grandparents apartment on the Danube until they moved into town. I've literally stood there when visiting in my youth. Last name Roth. Maternal gm name was Grugelstein.

[@iamahorsenut7541]

My family are also from regensburg my auntie and cousins still live there

[@julietrask7497]

I wish I could find my family, Enzenbacher from Bavaria. I wonder what the name means? Someone said there is a River Enzen in Germany?

[@iamahorsenut7541]

@@julietrask7497 have you tried the German consulate in your area to find your German family, yes Enzen River Enzen in the region of Rheinland-Pfalz with its 49 habitants is a town located in Germany - some 354 mi or ( 569 km ) South-West of Berlin , the country's capital .

[@julietrask7497]

@@iamahorsenut7541 Thank you!

[@sweetdeepants]

Yes I clicked the vid because I recognized Alt Stadt

[@rodbutler8069]

I had a relative named Manfred Goetchen from Düsseldorf.

[@Oorlich95]

A few of the familial lines I descend from were German and Scottish immigrants. Hongartner, Zueller, and Getz, from my German side, Tennant and Wark from my Scottish side.

[@bittehiereinfugen7723]

I would bet there was a typo in the name Zueller and the name was originally Mueller. And Getz rather indicates a Polish origin (the city of Gac = "Gatz").

[@Oorlich95]

@@bittehiereinfugen7723 Very well could've been, but it's spelled that way in the records we used. The closest name I've found was Zoeller, which is apparently Bavarian in origin, but she immigrated from the Nordrhein-Westfalen area in the 1700's. As for Getz, is it not Ashkenazic? I also forgot to mention in the original post, my mother's side are Crawford.

[@sueoorbeck4887]

I plan to check these websites out. One grandmother was a Bärfelz, the other was a Scheibach. The spelling of both of those names have probably been altered over the years, so it makes it difficult to find their ancestors.

[@walther7147]

This is a name of a village: de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bärnfels And a name of a Little River : www.lagis-hessen.de/de/subjects/idrec/sn/fln?id=122306&tbl=flurname So may Be they came from there.

[@brittakriep2938]

Schelbach is surely a village or town. Bärfelz is surely also a placename ( Bärenfeld/ Bärenfels), but Bärenfell ( bears fur) is also not impossible.

[@sueoorbeck4887]

@@brittakriep2938 Thank you!

[@patricialivingston4605]

My great great great relation on my mom's side was Johannes Miller. He fought in the Revolutionary War on the front lines for our freedom.

[@stevenmoore4612]

Was his name perhaps changed from Muller or Moeller? Miller can also be a British surname. Just curious.

[@patricialivingston4605]

@@stevenmoore4612 Not that I know of. Our Miller relatives are still in East Greenville, Pa. The Millers and the Shantzes. Pa. is so beautiful and I loved visiting as a child.

[@stevenmoore4612]

Oh ok. My grandmas dads side the Stauts were originally from Pennsylvania, and were mostly Pennsylvania Dutch- “German” origins that date back to the mid 1600’s before the country was even founded. I know that a few of my relatives from that side fought in the revolution as well! Most of my other lines are more recent immigrants from Germany, Poland, and Scandinavia that came over between the 1870’s and 1920’s.

[@linajurgensen4698]

That’s right, Miller (Americanized form), „Müller“ is THE most common surname in Germany. Greetings from Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.

[@Gunggazer]

@@linajurgensen4698 In the southern regions of the german-speaking-area we have Müller as well as Miller. So Miller could be originally german, too. Liebe Grüße aus Tirol!

[@nikkimakropoulos]

Im half Greek half German, my grandparents (mom's parents) came from westphalia and their last name is Feldhaus meaning “field house”

[@christianfischer9971]

Thanks for sharing! That’s interesting! My great aunts married name is Poulos. Her husband was from Greece.

[@Freya-bs5tx]

My mother's family name is schulmiester, I love it. And my fathers was simon from the original 15 tribes

[@keinedaten1640]

@Freya: you probably mean Schulmeister? But what do you mean with original 15 tribes? Simon is a first name (from the bible) and in germany first names sometimes became last names. Simon is one of them.

[@arlynaleshire4554]

Traced our Aleshire name back to the 1700's when it was Ehlscheid. Name changed during immigration to the USA

[@FiveContinental]

Ehlscheid is a village near Neuwied (Rhineland)

[@crownhic6827]

Kopp. Either from the town Kopp. Or it can mean chicken farmer. My favorite is Kopp means someone with a particularly large head. I’m guessing all three for the trifecta.

[@Gunggazer]

Or a short form of Jakob.

[@lesleyhenderson1771]

My maiden name is Cole..changed from Kohl..no I don't have stock or money from department store..I also am a Yost..both sides lots of German and Celtic descent...I always love to hear of past ancestors..hope to visit both countries in my lifetime.

[@johngmulhatton9794]

My wife's father was a Colditz (Paul Wilhelm Robert) born 1910

[@petergerritgroen3157]

Castle known from ww2

[@user-vs8bt6dy4e]

For over 30 years we lived in Ste. Genevieve, Mo. Lots of German decendants their and also French. Lot of the names you all have mentioned are in that area. Klein, Mueller, Gegg, Naeger, Figge, Grein, Roth, Koetting, Krug, Baumann, Schweis, Zerwig, Kreitler, and more. Check out towns with German family names. It might lead to something. Check their tourist info. Centers, Churches.

[@ricklander5030]

My oldest known relative was Gerhard II Lander von Sponheim who died around 1490....

[@FiveContinental]

Sponheim is a suburb of Mainz in the Rheinland

[@joannejohnston1703]

My oldest known ancestor is Johann Friedrich Sponheimer born circa 1698 in Germany. He immigrated to Philadelphia in 1748 with his wife Anna Elsabeth and family. Possibly we are related.

[@RoseClimbPaintC]

Mine means your boss or your spiritual master. Which is way cooler than what I've always thought it meant: Mr.

[@quiltmomma5157]

Herr can mean man, husband, Mr. or a term of respect accompanied with a title, such as Herr Doktor. It all depends on how it is used in context. Spiritual master is not a context I’ve ever heard used, a better translation would be a social or cultural superior, such as mein Herr.

[@davidmarsh9526]

Closer translation is Lord.

[@brittakriep2938]

In religious context Der Herr/ the Lord is God himself. Herr was up to 19th century , like Sir, Sire, Seigneur, Senior etc. only allowed to noblemen, or high rank non nobles (Herr Doktor, Herr Direktor, Herr Professor, Herr Pfarrer , Herr Oberst etc.), and Freiherr ( Baronet?) was a german nobility rank. Today it is used like Mister/ Monsieur/ Minheer etc., but for courtesy reasons, some elderly people say, for example, two Herren are waiting, and not two Männer/ men are waiting. Also some people use Herr when they mean an oldstyle gentleman.

[@anissasoots2623]

My surname is Soots but has been changed throughout time. Going backwards, of what I know it was Suitz, then Sutz. I am sure there are some more in there as well.

[@moorek1967]

My great-grandfather was a Brickner from Bavaria, but because of the accent it was pronounced Brigner. My great-grandfather's mother was a Theobald or Tewalt or Tibalt, depending on the relative's names on the records.

[@Cadfael007]

Brickner might be the same as "Brückner". "Brücke" means bridge. In Southwest Germany people say "Brick" instead of "Brücke". Theobald is normally a first name (but can also be surname) Theo = God. Tewald or Thewald is also a surname in Germany (wald = forrest).

[@MMadesen]

@@Cadfael007 The Theo part in Theobald or other germanic names like Theoderich doesnt come from Theo=god but from Þeuda/diota, which means people. Theobald for example is the boldest of the people. Or Theoderich the leader/king of the people. The term Deutsch (german) was originally Thiudisk/diudisk, meaning part of the people/folk. In names of greek origin Theo is linked to god, like in Theophil (Friend of god) or Theodor (gift from god)

[@efs83dws]

My Great Grandfather was a Pfau. Apparently that means peacock in German, meaning proud as a peacock.

[@gunhed5073]

Thats correct

[@lorenwegele7517]

I knew a man whose last name was Pfau. The meaning was accurate, 😁

[@reddykilowatt]

My Great Grandfather was a Kloch. Grandfather Kloch we called him.

[@marka5478]

One of my German ancestral surnames was Selser.

[@sandrasmith8518]

Didn't tell me a thing

[@gunhed5073]

Selser,or selzer, is a german Word for someone, who worked in a salt mine

[@edithschwenk6545]

Looks very interesting

[@tommcconville4270]

Our grandmother's name was Rassman, which meant originally one whose name is Erasmus. Rasmussen is a name linked to Erasmus. The Rassmann name is primarily German, though some Rassmanns reside in Denmark, and some of the other Scandinavian and Baltic countries.

[@michaelstaadt8012]

Another case of corrupted spelling. Rasmus is written with one s. Your name probably was spelled Rossmann. Ross is an old word for horse and a Rossmann is a rider or horse handler.

[@virginiahorste8327]

Schwartzenberger,black mountains