indicate the level to which a name has been verified.
Type Surname (from nickname)
Usage German (East Prussian)
Meaning & History
East Prussian German (and thus heavily Lithuanian influenced) name meaning "squirrel", from Old Prussian wowere and Lithuanian voveraite (which, apart from "squirrel", also means "chanterelle").
As a surname, it was a nickname given to young men working in beekeeping: in the old days, bees were kept in "apiaries" in pine trees about five meters above the ground and the young beekeeper had to climb up the tree to collect the honey - like a squirrel that climbs up trees.
As a surname, it was a nickname given to young men working in beekeeping: in the old days, bees were kept in "apiaries" in pine trees about five meters above the ground and the young beekeeper had to climb up the tree to collect the honey - like a squirrel that climbs up trees.