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ArchivesGerman surname Schwebin
I am trying to find anyone who can help me locate the origin of the above name. For context, in the 1750's birth/marriage records for Württemberg, my ancestors are listed with three of their children recorded. Father's name is Christoph Joseph Bëchtal (another spelling is Bechtel) and his wife is recorded as "Anna Maria, geb Schwebin". I sent a copy to a friend in Germany to see if what I read is correct and he confirmed that he reads the same thing.
The problem I am running into, even though the old record clearly shows the above, is that somehow her name has been changed in ancestry records to "Schwab". Is anyone familiar with this last name? A Google search shows only a close approximation of "schweben". Any help would be appreciated.
The problem I am running into, even though the old record clearly shows the above, is that somehow her name has been changed in ancestry records to "Schwab". Is anyone familiar with this last name? A Google search shows only a close approximation of "schweben". Any help would be appreciated.
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It is coming from the ‘Suebi’. There is false information in the wiki. Suebi were a Serbian tribe, not Germanic. So as Vandals, Wends and Prussians. Goths were not Germanics, either. Serbs were indigenous people in Germany and founded many cities (Berlin, Dresden, Leipzig, Brandenburg, etc). You can easily find their original names and meanings. Martin Luther, Leibnitz and Empress Catherine were of Serbian origins, too. Some links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suebi
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Mecklenburg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niklot
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suebi
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Mecklenburg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niklot
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German is a language that uses noun gender; "-in" is a feminine noun suffix that turns a masculine noun into a feminine one.
In centuries past, it was not uncommon to add this suffix also to the surnames of women, at least in everyday life and occasionally also in records. Particularly in the south of the country (which is where Württemberg is located).
Now, if you add "-in" to the surname Schwab, you technically get "Schwäbin". The letter "ä", however, is in fact a younger development of "ae". So "Schwaebin" or "Schwäbin" could have easily turned into "Schwebin", especially because in this case "ä" and "e" sound almost alike.
In centuries past, it was not uncommon to add this suffix also to the surnames of women, at least in everyday life and occasionally also in records. Particularly in the south of the country (which is where Württemberg is located).
Now, if you add "-in" to the surname Schwab, you technically get "Schwäbin". The letter "ä", however, is in fact a younger development of "ae". So "Schwaebin" or "Schwäbin" could have easily turned into "Schwebin", especially because in this case "ä" and "e" sound almost alike.
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Schwebin or Schwäbin is a feminine form of Schwab, a very common last name which denotes an individual from Swabia, which in German is Schwaben. See https://tinyurl.com/575crepa for more information on this region.
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