Message: "Re: Last name MENKE"

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Re: Last name MENKE

by Jim Young (guest)

10/29/2005, 1:20 PM

in reply to a message by Christopher Menke

I read on a German website that this is a diminutive of the male given name Mainhard. Now all you have to do is find out what Mainhard means.

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- Sagani (guest)

10/31/2005, 5:48 AM

From Mainhard comes the italian surname Mainardi as well.
It is an old german personal name:
"Magin", strength or power
"hardhu", strong, valiant
So the meaning could be: "hard or redoubtable for his strength".

See E. De Felice / Dizionario dei Cognomi Italiani/ Cognome Mainardi.

- Menke (guest) +1

10/31/2005, 5:26 AM

to be more precise: Menke is a short form of names starting with the Germanic component meine- which comes from Germanic megin meaning "strength". Meinhard is one of those names and the latter part, -hard, means "hard, strong". Other known names are Meinfri(e)d, Mein(h)old and Meinulf or Meinolf. Menke is not only a German surname, but also Frisian, since the firstname Menke is Frisian as well.

- Jim Young (guest)

11/1/2005, 4:07 AM

I believe the English surname Maynard is another version.

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