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ArchivesRe: Lasmanis?
in reply to a message by aquarius
Many Latvian names come from German, e.g., Ulmanis from Ul(l)man(n), Valdmanis from Waldman(n), so Lasmanis could very well be an adaptation of Lassman(n) whose origin you'll find at http://www.ancestry.com/facts/lassman-family-history.ashx
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Wow, I never knew that about Latvian names. Thanks Marc!
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In the Baltic languages, 'las' is 'wood' or 'forest', so a name starting with 'las' would probably mean 'son of the forest'.
That Ancestry.com link is interesting, as it takes the origin right back to the Slavic where it belongs: "from a form of the personal name Ladislav (of Slavic origin)"
The 'las' comes from my research of our name, Lasevicius, which is Lithuanian, apparently having a strong Polish root. It's origins are a mystery, but the 'las' meaning has been confirmed for us.
Having said all that, the Germans did go into the Baltic territories, so there may well have been a mixing of blood there.
That Ancestry.com link is interesting, as it takes the origin right back to the Slavic where it belongs: "from a form of the personal name Ladislav (of Slavic origin)"
The 'las' comes from my research of our name, Lasevicius, which is Lithuanian, apparently having a strong Polish root. It's origins are a mystery, but the 'las' meaning has been confirmed for us.
Having said all that, the Germans did go into the Baltic territories, so there may well have been a mixing of blood there.
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In our family the earliest I have traced was Janis Lasmanis in Medze Latvia working on an estate. In Latvia surnames have gender, hence Lasmanis - male and Lasmane - female are the same family name. I have heard of the source as being from las a word for a serf or a wood cutter. My Latvian/English dictionary has mezs, koks, kokmaterials, and malka all as words for wood. It has nothing for las, but it has lase for rain or sweat drop. Nor do I have a meaning for Lassman in German; but I have obtained a copy of a dictionary of names that says that the first recorded Lassmans were craftsmen around Hanover in Germany something like a thousand years ago. Also, from Latvian histories I have found that the Germans colonized Latvia (to the dismay of the native Latvian tribes - it was like the Indian Wars, but in Latvia) about 1200 A.D. establishing large estates with palatial homes (many started as forts/castles). The Latvian tribesmen did not have the craft skills required to service the fine works of the estates, so craftsmen were brought in from Germany - do you see how this dovetails with the Lassmans being craftsmen in Germany a thousand years ago. Where did I find Janis Lasmanis. He is my great great grandfather and he was a craftsman on an estate called according to different sources "Zarinos" - from script that I had a very hard time reading, a poor copy of poor writing, or from much more clear script "Sturisos". My Latvian dictionary has "Sturis" as "corner" - perhaps "Sturisos" is corners (Chorisos are a really spicy and good Spanish sausage!) or of the corner. Janis' son Peteris Lasmanis, my great grand father, was also a craftsman. My grand father Karlis Lasmanis in Latvia was a craftsman; in the U.S. he became Carl Lassman and was a very skilled machinist - notwithstanding being an alcoholic he was never out of work during the Great Depression - he made organ pipes and was the best - if he was drunk and did not show up for work the factory owner came and got him out of bed sobered him up and brought him to work - that is craftsmanship!
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