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ArchivesRe: Juchau name meaning (English)
in reply to a message by jonesilove
The name originated with the Huguenots (as previously noted on this forum: https://www.behindthename.com/bb/baby/5436702). Further information is available here: https://www.huguenotsofspitalfields.org/huguenot-family-stories/tom-juchau/. It seems to have gone extinct wherever it originated.
The meaning of this name is obscure, so please note the following is personal speculation:
Seeing the spelling of the name and pronunciation, my first thought was German (though the pronunciation would be anglicized). Noted on the Huguenots' website, Tom Juchau was referred to as "the Swiss" as his name was thought to be Swiss. I find this interesting as he is the son of a French immigrant, and according to French orthography the name would be pronounced zhuy-SHOH (this could simply be due to self-anglicization or the ignorance of others, however). Upon further research, the Huguenots themselves are from eastern France (Alsace, Moselle, and Montbéliard) near the border with Switzerland and Germany, and their name is believed to have Swiss or German origins. Given the Juchaus' affiliation with the family, I wondered if their name could be Swiss German. While Tom Juchau's father emigrated from Deux-Sèvres (in western France), this could have been the result of earlier internal migration due to the contemporary persecution of the Huguenots.
Assuming the above is true, I looked for places named Juchau but could not find any. But, searching for places named Juch, I got several hits from the GNS database (available here: https://geonames.nga.mil/geonames/GeographicNamesSearch/), all in Switzerland. Searching for definitions of juch I found it to be an interjection equivalent to "yay" or "hooray." However, I think it is far more likely to be an Alemannic German form of Joch, meaning "ridge; mountain pass; col." As for the suffix -au, it is a common place name element from Old High German ouwa, meaning "stream; island; marsh." Thus, I think it is plausible that Juchau originates from Switzerland and means "stream of the ridge/pass," or something like that. Or "Juch's stream," since Juch is also a surname (records here: https://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=juch).
Again, I must stress this is all speculation, besides the fact that Juchau is associated with the Huguenots and comes from France.
The meaning of this name is obscure, so please note the following is personal speculation:
Seeing the spelling of the name and pronunciation, my first thought was German (though the pronunciation would be anglicized). Noted on the Huguenots' website, Tom Juchau was referred to as "the Swiss" as his name was thought to be Swiss. I find this interesting as he is the son of a French immigrant, and according to French orthography the name would be pronounced zhuy-SHOH (this could simply be due to self-anglicization or the ignorance of others, however). Upon further research, the Huguenots themselves are from eastern France (Alsace, Moselle, and Montbéliard) near the border with Switzerland and Germany, and their name is believed to have Swiss or German origins. Given the Juchaus' affiliation with the family, I wondered if their name could be Swiss German. While Tom Juchau's father emigrated from Deux-Sèvres (in western France), this could have been the result of earlier internal migration due to the contemporary persecution of the Huguenots.
Assuming the above is true, I looked for places named Juchau but could not find any. But, searching for places named Juch, I got several hits from the GNS database (available here: https://geonames.nga.mil/geonames/GeographicNamesSearch/), all in Switzerland. Searching for definitions of juch I found it to be an interjection equivalent to "yay" or "hooray." However, I think it is far more likely to be an Alemannic German form of Joch, meaning "ridge; mountain pass; col." As for the suffix -au, it is a common place name element from Old High German ouwa, meaning "stream; island; marsh." Thus, I think it is plausible that Juchau originates from Switzerland and means "stream of the ridge/pass," or something like that. Or "Juch's stream," since Juch is also a surname (records here: https://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=juch).
Again, I must stress this is all speculation, besides the fact that Juchau is associated with the Huguenots and comes from France.
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Replies
My last name is Juchau. It is indeed French. When they traveled to America they changed it from Juchaux to Juchau to try and fit in better.
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It is probably of Breton origin, there is a noble family Juchault from Brittany.
For place names, there is (today's Polish name) Juchowo, formerly Juchow, in Pommerania.
For place names, there is (today's Polish name) Juchowo, formerly Juchow, in Pommerania.
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Thanks for the additional suggestions (I meant to mention Juchowo, but forgot). Reading the genealogy of the Juchaults (from here: https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5531420g.texteImage), I could not find any direct evidence they inhabited Deux-Sèvres, but they originated from Nantes, right next to Deux-Sèvres. However, I think I may have found direct evidence in records that the name Juchau comes from Juchault:
- Pierre Juchault, who lived in Deux-Sèvres in the 17th century, whose last name was alternatively spelled Juchau (here: https://gw.geneanet.org/cecelmich?n=juchault+ou+juchau&oc=2&p=pierre); and
- Louis Juchau, also in Deux-Sèvres in the 17th century, died in England in the 18th century, and whose father was named Isaac Juchault (here: https://gw.geneanet.org/gcarju?n=juchau&oc=&p=louis)
As for the meaning of Juchault, there is another noble line, the du Juchs, that predate the Juchaults (with Alain I du Juch born before 1238: https://gw.geneanet.org/hamety?lang=en&iz=0&p=alain+ier&n=du+juch). While I cannot find any evidence that they are related, the suffix -au is a variant of the adjectival suffix -al. Additionally, the du Juchs are from the town of Le Juch, pronounced luh zhuyk, possibly explaining the pronunciation joo-KOW (or could be a coincidence). Le Juch, according to French Wikipedia, is from Breton yoh, meaning "heap; pile."
- Pierre Juchault, who lived in Deux-Sèvres in the 17th century, whose last name was alternatively spelled Juchau (here: https://gw.geneanet.org/cecelmich?n=juchault+ou+juchau&oc=2&p=pierre); and
- Louis Juchau, also in Deux-Sèvres in the 17th century, died in England in the 18th century, and whose father was named Isaac Juchault (here: https://gw.geneanet.org/gcarju?n=juchau&oc=&p=louis)
As for the meaning of Juchault, there is another noble line, the du Juchs, that predate the Juchaults (with Alain I du Juch born before 1238: https://gw.geneanet.org/hamety?lang=en&iz=0&p=alain+ier&n=du+juch). While I cannot find any evidence that they are related, the suffix -au is a variant of the adjectival suffix -al. Additionally, the du Juchs are from the town of Le Juch, pronounced luh zhuyk, possibly explaining the pronunciation joo-KOW (or could be a coincidence). Le Juch, according to French Wikipedia, is from Breton yoh, meaning "heap; pile."
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Update:
As a place name element, Juch also occurs in Saxony, Germany.
As a place name element, Juch also occurs in Saxony, Germany.
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