Hofmeister GermanMeans
"master of the household", from Old High German
hof "yard, court, house" and
meistar "master" (from Latin
magister).
Holzknecht GermanOccupational name for a forester's helper, from Old High German
holz "wood" and
kneht "servant, apprentice".
Holzmann GermanDerived from Old High German
holz "wood" and
man "man", a name for someone who lived close to a wood or worked with wood.
Horn English, German, Norwegian, DanishFrom the Old English, Old High German and Old Norse word
horn meaning
"horn". This was an occupational name for one who carved objects out of horn or who played a horn, or a person who lived near a horn-shaped geographical feature, such as a mountain or a bend in a river.
Huber GermanOccupational name for a farmer, derived from Old High German
huoba "plot of land, farm".
Hummel 2 German, DutchNickname for a busy person, from Middle Low German and Middle Dutch
hommel, Middle High German
hummel, all meaning
"bee".
Ingersleben GermanFrom the name of the town of Ingersleben, Germany, which meant "Inge's village".
Jäger GermanMeans
"hunter" in German, from Old High German
jagon meaning "to hunt".
Jöllenbeck GermanFrom the name of a village in western Germany, itself derived from the name of the Jölle, a small river, combined with Low German
beck "stream".
Jung 1 GermanMeans
"young" in German, from Middle High German
junc.
Kahler GermanFrom a nickname derived from German
kahl meaning
"bald".
Kaiser GermanFrom Middle High German
keiser meaning
"emperor", originally a nickname applied to someone who acted kingly. The title ultimately derives from the Roman name
Caesar.
Kalb GermanOccupational name meaning
"calf (animal)" in German.
Kalbfleisch GermanOccupational name for a butcher who dealt in veal, from German
kalb meaning "calf" and
fleisch meaning "meat".
Kappel German, DutchName for a person who lived near or worked at a chapel, ultimately from Late Latin
cappella, a diminutive of
cappa "cape", arising from the holy relic of the torn cape of Saint
Martin, which was kept in small churches.
Kästner GermanMeans
"cabinet maker", derived from Middle High German
kaste "box".
Kaube GermanFrom the name of the town of Kaub in Germany.
Keil GermanMeans
"wedge shaped" in German. It was used to denote a person who owned a wedge-shaped piece of land.
Keller GermanMeans
"cellar" in German, an occupational name for one in charge of the food and drink.
Kerner GermanDerived from Old High German
kerno "seed", an occupational name for one who sold or planted seeds.
Kiefer 2 GermanOccupational name for a barrel maker, derived from Old High German
kuofa meaning
"barrel".
Kirchner GermanDerived from Middle High German
kirchenaere meaning
"sexton".
Kistler GermanOccupational name meaning
"chest maker, cabinetmaker" from Middle High German
kiste.
Klein German, Dutch, JewishMeans
"small, little" from German
klein or Yiddish
kleyn. A famous bearer of this name is clothes designer Calvin Klein (1942-).
Klossner GermanDerived from German
Klausner, Middle High German
klosenære meaning
"hermit".
Knef GermanOccupational name for a shoemaker, derived from Low German
knif meaning
"shoemaker's knife".
Kneller GermanOriginally a nickname for a noisy or disruptive person, derived from Old German
knellen "to make noise, to cause a disturbance".
Knochenmus GermanFrom German
Knochen "bone" and
Mus "sauce". It probably referred to someone who worked in the butcher trade.
Knopf GermanMeans
"button" in German, originally belonging to a button maker or button seller.
Kohl GermanDerived from Middle High German
kol "cabbage".
Kohler GermanFrom Middle High German
koler meaning
"charcoal burner" or
"charcoal seller".
Kolbe GermanFrom Middle High German
kolbe meaning
"club".
Krämer GermanMeans
"shopkeeper, merchant" in German, derived from Old High German
kram meaning "tent, trading post".
Kranz German, JewishDerived from Old High German
kranz meaning
"wreath", an occupational name for a maker of wreaths or an ornamental Jewish name.
Kraus GermanFrom Middle High German
krus meaning
"curly", originally a nickname for a person with curly hair.
Krebs GermanMeans
"crab" in German, perhaps a nickname for a person with a crab-like walk.
Kron German, SwedishFrom German
Krone and Swedish
krona meaning
"crown" (from Latin
corona), perhaps a nickname for one who worked in a royal household.
Krückel GermanNickname for a crippled person or someone who walked with a cane, from Middle High German
krücke meaning
"cane".
Krüger 1 GermanIn northern Germany an occupational name for a tavern keeper, derived from Middle Low German
kroch meaning
"tavern".
Krüger 2 GermanIn southern Germany an occupational name for a potter, derived from Middle High German
kruoc meaning
"jug, pot".
Küchler GermanOccupational surname for a baker who made small cakes or cookies, derived from Middle High German
kuoche "cake, pastry".
Kunkel GermanOccupational name for a maker of distaffs, from Middle High German
kunkel "distaff, spindle", of Latin origin.
Kurz GermanMeans
"short" in German, ultimately from Latin
curtus.
Landau German, JewishDerived from the town of Landau in the Palatinate region of Germany, of Old High German origin meaning "land valley".
Lehmann GermanFrom Middle High German
lehenman meaning
"vassal, liege man".
Lehr GermanFrom Old High German
loh meaning
"meadow, clearing".
Leitner GermanReferred to one who lived on a hillside, from Middle High German
lite "slope".
Leitzke GermanEither from
Leitzkau, the name of a town in Saxony-Anhalt, or from a diminutive of the given name
Leutz, a variant of
Lutz.
Lenz GermanFrom a nickname meaning
"springtime" in German.
Luther GermanFrom the old given name
Leuthar. It was notably borne by the religious reformer Martin Luther (1483-1546).
Mandel German, YiddishMeans
"almond" in German, an occupational name for a grower or seller, or a topographic name for a person who lived near an almond tree. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.
Mann German, EnglishFrom a nickname meaning
"man". This may have originally been given in order to distinguish the bearer from a younger person with the same name.
Marquardt GermanFrom Old High German
marka "border, boundary" and
wart "protector". This was an occupational name for a border guard.
Maurer GermanOccupational name meaning
"wall builder" in German.
Maus GermanFrom a nickname meaning
"mouse", from Old High German
mus.
Meissner GermanOriginally denoted a person from the German town of Meissen, which is probably of Slavic origin.
Melsbach GermanFrom the name of a German town, possibly meaning "mill stream".
Mendel 2 GermanDerived from a diminutive of the given name
Meino. A famous bearer was Gregor Mendel (1822-1884), a Czech monk and scientist who did experiments in genetics.
Merkel GermanFrom a diminutive of the given name
Markus. A notable bearer is the former German chancellor Angela Merkel (1954-).
Messer GermanOccupational name for a person who made knives, from Middle High German
messer "knife".
Messner GermanOccupational name for a sexton or churchwarden, from Old High German
mesinari.
Metz 1 GermanOccupational name for maker of knives, from Middle High German
metze "knife".
Meyer 1 GermanFrom Middle High German
meier meaning
"bailiff, administrator", derived from Latin
maior meaning "greater". Later it also denoted a tenant farmer. The spellings
Meier and
Meyer are more common in northern Germany while
Maier and
Mayer are more common in southern Germany.
Moser GermanName for someone who lived near a peat bog, from Middle High German
mos.
Müller GermanGerman equivalent of
Miller, derived from Middle High German
mülnære or
müller.
Nagel German, DutchMeans
"nail" in German and Dutch, an occupational name for a carpenter or nailsmith.
Oberst GermanFrom Old High German
obar meaning
"above, upper", indicating a person from the uppermost end of a village or the top of a house.
Oelberg GermanMeans
"oil hill" from Middle High German
öl "oil" and
berg "mountain, hill".
Ohme GermanFrom Middle High German
oem meaning
"maternal uncle".
Oppenheimer GermanOriginally indicated a person from Oppenheim, Germany, perhaps meaning "marshy home". A notable bearer was the American physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (1904-1967).
Oursler GermanOriginally a name designating a person from Ursel (now Oberursel) in Hesse, Germany.
Papp 2 GermanNickname perhaps related to Late Latin
pappare meaning
"to eat".
Pfaff GermanFrom a nickname meaning
"priest, cleric" from Old High German
pfaffo, from Latin
papa.
Pfeiffer GermanOccupational name meaning
"pipe player" in German, from Middle High German
pfifen "to whistle".
Pfenning GermanFrom Old High German
pfenning meaning
"penny, coin". It was used in reference to feudal tax obligations.
Plank German, EnglishMeans
"plank", from Old French, itself from Late Latin
planca. This could have referred to a person who lived by a plank bridge over a stream, someone who was thin, or a carpenter.
Pletscher GermanPossibly from the name of a field where cattle fodder was grown, from German
Bletsch.
Polzin GermanFrom the name of a town in Pomerania, Poland (formerly part of Germany). In Polish it is called Połczyn.
Porsche GermanPossibly derived from German
Bursche meaning
"boy, servant" or from the given name
Boris.
Prinz German, JewishMeans
"prince", used as an ornamental name by Jews or as a nickname for someone who acted in a princely manner.
Protz GermanFrom a nickname meaning
"showy, pompous", derived from an old southern German word meaning "toad".
Rapp 2 GermanFrom Middle High German
raben meaning
"raven", a nickname for a person with black hair.
Raskopf GermanPossibly from German
rasch "quick" and
Kopf "head".
Regenbogen German, JewishFrom a German nickname meaning
"rainbow", probably a habitational name for someone who lived in a house with the sign of a rainbow. As a Jewish surname it is ornamental.
Reich German, JewishNickname for a wealthy or powerful person, from Old High German
rihhi "rich, powerful".
Reiher GermanMeans
"heron" in German, a nickname for a person with long legs.
Reis German, JewishFrom Middle High German
ris meaning
"twig, branch, bush", denoting a person who lived in an overgrown area. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.
Rettig GermanDerived from Middle High German
retich, Middle Low German
redik meaning
"radish", an occupational name for a grower or seller of radishes.
Reuter 2 GermanFrom Middle High German
riutœre meaning
"highwayman, thief".
Richter GermanMeans
"judge" in German, from Middle High German
rihtære.
Ritter GermanFrom Middle High German
riter meaning
"rider, knight", a cognate of
Ryder.
Rose 1 English, French, German, JewishMeans
"rose" from Middle English, Old French and Middle High German
rose, all from Latin
rosa. All denote a person of a rosy complexion or a person who lived in an area abundant with roses. As a Jewish surname it is ornamental, from Yiddish
רויז (roiz).
Roth German, JewishFrom Middle High German
rot meaning
"red". It was originally a nickname for a person with red hair.
Rothbauer GermanFrom Old High German
riuten "to clear land" and
bur "peasant, farmer".
Rothenberg German, JewishFrom Middle High German
rot meaning "red" and
berg meaning "mountain". As a Jewish name it may be ornamental.
Sachs GermanOriginally indicated a person from Saxony (German
Sachsen). The region was named for the Germanic tribe of the Saxons, ultimately derived from the Germanic word *
sahsą meaning "knife".
Saller 1 GermanOriginally denoted a person from the town of Sallern in Bavaria, possibly from a Celtic element meaning "stream".
Saller 2 GermanDenoted a person who lived by a prominent sallow tree, from Middle High German
salhe "sallow tree".
Salzwedel GermanOriginally denoted a person from Salzwedel, Germany, which is of Old Saxon origin meaning "salt ford".
Sauer GermanMeans
"sour" in German, a nickname for an embittered or cantankerous person.
Sauter GermanOccupational name for a cobbler, from Latin
sutor "sewer, cobbler".
Schenk German, DutchFrom Middle High German, Middle Dutch
schenke meaning
"wine server" (from Old High German
scenken "to pour out").
Scherer GermanOccupational name for a cutter of cloth or a sheep-shearer, from Old High German
skeran "to cut".
Schindler GermanOccupational name for a roof tiler, from Middle High German
schindel "shingle". A famous bearer was Oskar Schindler (1908-1974), who saved over a thousand Polish Jews during World War II.
Schirmer GermanMeans
"fencer, fencing master", from Old High German
skirmen meaning "to defend".
Schlender GermanFrom Middle High German
slinderen "to dawdle" or Middle Low German
slinden "to swallow, to eat".
Schlosser GermanOccupational name for a locksmith, derived from Old High German
sloz meaning "lock".
Schmidt GermanOccupational name derived from Middle High German
smit "smith, metalworker", a cognate of
Smith.
Schnur German, JewishFrom Old High German
snuor meaning
"rope, cord", an occupational name for a maker of rope.
Schöttmer GermanOriginally indicated a person from Schötmar, Germany (now part of the city of Bad Salzuflen in North Rhine-Westphalia).
Schreck GermanFrom Middle High German
schrecken meaning
"to frighten, to scare".
Schreier German, JewishOccupational name for a town crier, from Old High German
scrian meaning "to shout, to yell".
Schröter GermanMeans
"beer-porter, wine-porter" in German, an occupational name for a carrier of wine or beer barrels.
Schuchardt GermanFrom Middle High German
schuochwürte meaning
"shoemaker, cobbler".
Schuhmacher GermanFrom the Middle High German occupational name
schuochmacher meaning
"shoemaker".
Schuler GermanMeans
"scholar, student" in German, ultimately from Latin
schola meaning "school".
Schulz GermanOccupational name derived from Middle High German
schultheiße meaning
"mayor, judge".
Schuster GermanMeans
"shoemaker, cobbler", from Middle High German
schuoch "shoe" and
suter, from Latin
sutor "sewer, cobbler".
Schüttmann GermanMeans
"watchman, guard" from Middle High German
schützen "to protect".
Schwangau GermanFrom the name of a town in southern Germany, possibly related to German
Schwan meaning "swan".
Schwarz German, JewishMeans
"black" in German, from Old High German
swarz. It originally described a person with black hair or a dark complexion.
Schwarzenegger GermanFrom a place name, derived from Old High German
swarz meaning "black" and
ekka meaning "edge, corner". A famous bearer of this name is actor and politician Arnold Schwarzenegger (1947-).