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[Surname] origin of the surname Zehrfuss
Could anyone explain me the origin of this german surname please?Thank you
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Zehr is a pretty common German surname; many were Swiss-Germans who were Mennonite converts. Zehrfuss is a less common surname but is still 'plain old' German. ZEHR comes from an Old German verb 'zehren' meaning to live off, live by, live on, support, be supported by, stand, etc. with idiomatic expressions related to standing, walking, running, stepping. FUSS in German did and still does just mean... FOOT. A Zehrfuss could have been somebody who did their living/working on foot, a traveler, etc. --like a traveling bard, doctor, priest, etc.
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Kind of busy ...so I'll just take a wild shot at it without looking it up, but it looks a variation of the Persian name Cyrus ...meaning "sun" ...Many European names have ancient roots that have been transformed over time ...please correct me if I'm misguided ...
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