German Surnames: Meaning, Origin & Coat of Arms (page 3 of 7)

"tanner"

Spear-hardy

From the name Gerlach

A nickname from the vulture, or someone from Geyer

From the name Giso

Someone who came from Gunzburg, in Bavaria

Glazier

Someone who dealt in glass

A nickname or a place

From the name Gottfried

Short form of Gottfried

Gold mountain

Someone who came from Goldberg (gold mountain)

Gold man

Gold stone

A shortened form of a longer name containing the word God

"servant of God"

From Götz, a pet form of Gottfried

Digger

Dweller by a ditch

Count; reeve

Green mountain

Someone who made and used or sold verdigris

Quarreller

A cricket nickname or place

Someone who came from Grill

Grim, fierce

A grey-haired man

Big, tall

Big man

A Low German name for a big man

Dweller in a hollow

Someone living in a valley or low ground

Someone from a green wood, or a descendant of Gronwald

Battle army

Battle army

Good man

Hedge, enclosure

Hare

Hare

Someone who grew oats

Hedged enclosure

Rooster

Man of the cockerel

From the name Johannes

Someone from Hamburg

Small village / wether

Smith, hammer maker

A descendant of Hanto, or a trader

Someone who bought and sold goods, a dealer or trader

A descendant of Hans

Someone from Haardt, or a dweller near a wood

"son of Harm"

Strong, brave man

Brave in battle

A descendant of Hazzo

A descendant of Hazzo

Hug- / trader

Head

"one from a house or farm"

Pike

"one who lived by a hedge"

Someone living on heathland

A dweller near heath or rough grassland, or a countryman

From Heidenreich

From heil, "healthy, whole"

The sound or healthy man

The sound or healthy man

Home

A descendant of Hagiman (enclosed place, man)

From Hein, a short form of Heinrich

From the name Heinrich

Home ruler

From Heinz, a pet form of Heinrich

Someone living near heath or rough land

A day labourer, or someone from a small house

"hero"

From the Heller coin, or from Halle

Man from Helle

Little Johannes or Heinrich

A descendant of Hering (son of Here, army)

Army man

"herald"

A lord or master, perhaps a manor servant

Army man, warrior

Deer mountain

A dweller at the sign of the heart

Duke

From Hesse

A haymaker, or a tenant who paid rent

From the name Hildebrand

Chicken

Son of Hinrich

A descendant of Hinz, a short form of Heinrich

Stag

Man of the deer

"tall" or "one living high up"

"farmer from a Hof"

Manor farmer or court steward

"steward of a court"

Manor farmer; courtier

Someone from Hofstetten or Hofstetter, a farmstead place

The high or tall man

The high or tall man

Someone who cut wood in the forest

Woodland dweller

Someone who cut wood in the forest

Someone who cut wood in the forest

The high or tall man

The high or tall man

Hop grower, or a nickname

Horn-shaped land; horn blower

February / illegitimate

From the high homestead

A haymaker, someone from Hannover, or a descendant of Hucger

Farm holder

Holder of a Hube (farm holding)

Holder of a hide of land

"bumblebee"

A dweller at the sign of the goose

Hat making, a hut, or work at a furnace

Someone living at the court or farmstead

Someone who came from Eisenberg (iron mountain)

Son of Jacob

Hunter

From Johann (John)

A descendant of little Jahn, from Johannes

From Jakob (Jacob)

A descendant of little Jan

Son of Jan (John)

"son of Jan"

German personal-name forms rather than one Biblical route

A descendant of Johannes or Johann (gracious gift of Jehovah)

From the name Jodocus

Young

Young man

Emperor

A chamberlain, superintendent or overseer

Man of the field

The soloist who sang liturgical music in the synagogue

A descendant of Kapp, a pet form of Kaspar (treasure)