It may refer to a count or earl and is typical among regal-sounding German family names. The rarest German last names are frequently the strangest too. Often they became known as Germans, ensnared in tensions that flared as Germany and America clashed during two world wars. Bergmanns origin is German and Swedish since it means mountain man in both languages. [17], The Czechs, however, were still not satisfied with bilingual status and proposed creating two separate constituent colleges, one for the Germans and one for the Czechs. Its also found in nearby countries like Slovakia, Poland, Croatia, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic. It was used for Franciscan monks who were often without shoes to honor their vow of poverty. Dutch Meerten Institute confirms name origin. For Jaksch and his social democratic compatriots, it was a question of survival after a possible Nazi takeover. 1931), American teacher, feminist, science fiction writer, and political activist, Bertrand Wesley "Bud" Gearhart (1890-1955), American lawyer and politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California (1935-1949), Nick Gearhart, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Texas 8th District, 1976, 1978, J. H. Gearhart, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Mississippi, 1948 (alternate), 1952, Frederick K. Gearhart, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1924, Cathryn W. Gearhart, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1936, Bonham R. Gearhart, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1888, (Another 2 notables are available in all our. However, they gradually accepted remaining in Czechoslovakia and took part in the first elections in 1920. Hartmann also means descendant of Hartmann or strong man. The German hart means hardy or tough, making it the best among German last names for boys who are strong. She studied film at NYU, Irish Theatre Studies at Trinity College Dublin, and has an MFA in Creative Writing Nonfiction from The New School. When German women marry, they usually take their husbands surname, although some decide to keep their maiden name. Ships from United States. Sauer used to be a nickname for a miserable person. Egger, (German origin) these surnames mean "plowman or farmer". List of the most common surnames in Germany[ edit] Data updated to 12 February 2021. But 70 years ago the Czech government found grounds enough to expel 1/3 of the citizens of the country, mostly based on language. Brta Czech From a given name that was a diminutive of Bartolomj. Bartel is based on the personal name Bertwald and may appear as a short form of the name. Electoral officials were very careful to demarcate areas as clearly either German or Czech and to assure that there would be no conflict as to which ethnicity had a majority in any constituency. On 1 October 1933, Konrad Henlein with his deputy, Karl Hermann Frank, aided by other members of the Kameradschaftsbund, a youth organization of mystical orientation, created a new political organisation. For geographical reasons, however, a territorial solution would have been impossible unless those regions, together with Austria, had been incorporated into Germany. : Orderly and Humane. The army moved into position on the border. See details. Whether a tavern keeper or potter, Krger uses the krug root, meaning jug.. See Terms of Use for details. Two of the common types of family names found . Origin: German, French Meaning: Shepherd Pronunciation: BUHR-ger Variations: Barger Namesakes: scar Berger, the President of Guatemala from 2004 to 2008. Berger is one of the more common German surnames on our list and ranked 881st in the U.S. in 2010. The region became the site of small-scale clashes between young SdP followers, equipped with arms smuggled from Germany, and police and border forces. Eich, (German origin) meaning "oak", it was a topographic name for someone living near an oak tree. [8] Even in German the broader use of "Bohemian" is also found. US $18.00Standard Shipping. Although the Social Democrats continued to champion democratic freedoms, the masses supported the SdP. Many of those who survived the Nazi persecution were later expelled, together with other Sudeten Germans, on the basis of Bene decrees. Get in touch! On 14 October, Raphael Pacher succeeded, together with the social democrat, Josef Seliger, in uniting all German parties and members of parliament in Bohemia and Moravia into a coalition. Anja Origin: Russian, German Meaning: Gracious, merciful Alternative Spellings & Variations: Anya, Anna, Anne, Aine, Anje, Ania Famous Namesakes: German mountaineer Anja Blacha, Danish charity worker Anja Ringgren Lovn German nationalism in the coal-mining region of southern Silesia, which was 40.5% German, was restrained by fear of competition from industry in the Weimar Republic. Richter was a surname for an arbiter or judge. It uses the German root rihten, meaning to make right, which is a judges prime directive in life. On 26 September 1918, his successor, Max Hussarek von Heinlein, offered the Czechs wide-ranging autonomy within Imperial and Royal Austria. [11] In the late 12th and in the 13th century the Pemyslid rulers promoted the colonisation of certain areas of their lands by German settlers from the adjacent lands of Bavaria, Franconia, Upper Saxony and Austria during the Ostsiedlung migration. For information on ethnic Germans in Slovakia, see, Gradual general acceptance of Czechoslovak citizenship, Czechoslovak Chamber of Deputies (19201935), Otto Bauer. However, because exiled Czechs had already achieved the entrance of the United States in the war as an associate power of the Triple Entente. In this article, we interchangeably use the term "German-Bohemians" with the name German-Bohemians gave themselves in their own tongue: the Bhmisch. Schumacher is composed of the High German schuoch, meaning shoe, and machen, meaning to make. Its also found as a surname in Denmark and Sweden. THE ORIGIN OF CZECH/BOHEMIAN SURNAMES . 40. Generally local authorities ordered the expulsions, which armed volunteers carried out. The three hundred and fifty-five German-Bohemian family names that are inscribed in the granite tablets that surround the German-Bohemian Immigrant Monument were compiled by Robert Paulson from the U.S. Federal Census records of 1870, 1880, and 1900, and from the Minnesota State Census from 1895 and 1905 as well as histories of several local Catholic parishes. [citation needed] Surname Index | Germanbohemians Our German Bohemian Legacy by Robert J. Paulson GBHS Founder Home Surname Index German Bohemian Surname Database Data Base Submitters For informaion on Surname (s) in the Database use the form on the following Contact page. Hermann was first the personal name Herman. Schuster was an occupational name for someone who made or repaired shoes. We won't send you spam. Some 250,000 Germans remained on the Czech side of the border, which later became part of the Reich by the establishment of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia under German governors and the German Army. Find your Czech last name and learn about its meaning and origins. Krause derives from the German krse, meaning pitcher. It was used for people who made or sold jugs. [44] In theory, with the accession of the Czech Republic into the European Union, refugee Sudeten Germans and their descendants (or for that matter, also Germans with no previous link to the Bohemian lands) could have moved back there without needing the Czech government's permission but in practice such a move did not materialize in any significant numbers, as they could not reclaim property and many were well established in Germany. A culturally-significant example of German Bohemian prose from the Middle Ages is the story Der Ackermann aus Bhmen ("The Ploughman from Bohemia"), written in Early New High German by Johannes von Tepl (c. 1350 1414) in atec (Saaz), who probably had studied liberal arts in Prague. Jger comes from the Middle German jeger(e), meaning huntsman. Its also an awesome Dutch surname for a man with a bow and arrow who knows his trade. They were typical and appeared as an animal, plant, or flower. Weiss derives from the High German wz, meaning white and bright. It was once a nickname for a person with white hair or a very pale complexion. Before 1945, over three million German Bohemians constituted[1] about 23% of the population of the whole country and about 29.5% of the population of Bohemia and Moravia. The Austrian head of government, Ernst Seidler von Feuchtenegg, wanted to divide Bohemia by setting up administrative counties (Verwaltungskreise), which would be based on the nationalities of the population. Double last names which use the family name of the mother and the father are usually not allowed under German law ( source). The German and Dutch words hahn and haan both mean rooster. It also points to multiple locations named Haan or a place with the sign of a rooster at its door. Due to the historical settlement of Slavs, Slavic names are most common in Saxony, Brandenburg, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (especially in Lusatia, where Sorbs continue to reside today). Press the little "magnifying glass" next to the name of the place - to see a list of all baptisms, marriages and funerals at the Church; or list of burials at the cemetery. See details. About 13% of the German population today has names of Slavic origin. Why so many? Wymarc - (Anglo-Saxon Origin) means 'mouth of the River Wey.' Royal Medieval Surnames 69. The mass demonstrations were put down by the Czech military, involving 54 deaths and 84 wounded.[23]. Durchdenwald is nearly extinct among German girl last names (or boy versions). [22], After the Czechoslovak Republic was proclaimed on 28 October 1918, the German Bohemians, claiming the right to self-determination according to the tenth of US President Woodrow Wilsons Fourteen Points, demanded that their homeland areas remain with Austria, which by then had been reduced to the Republic of German Austria. Engel was a name used for those whose house had the sign of an engle. Germans often have two personal names, including a first and a middle name, so they have three. Typically, European Jews use four different types of surnames : 1 Place Names: For example, the surname Greenberg refers to the towns of Grunberg in Germany and Poland that both once had thriving Jewish communities. Bauer leads in eastern Upper German-speaking Bavaria. Its Czech students had become increasingly perturbed by the sole use of German for instruction. Neumann was a nickname for any newcomer to a city or town. Fuchs derives from the Old German vuhs, meaning fox. It was a nickname for someone as sly as a fox or someone with red hair. The family names were verified as having German-Bohemian origins by various members of the Society who certified that members of these families spoke Bhmish, the Bohemian dialect of the German language. Descriptive German Last Names. [14], With the agreement, the desire for an autonomous Czech subdivision was mounting. Czech officials and Czech police, speaking little or no German, were appointed in large numbers to purely German districts; Czech agricultural colonists were encouraged to settle on land confiscated under the Land Reform in the middle of German populations; for the children of these Czech invaders Czech schools were built on a large scale; there is a very general belief that Czech firms were favoured as against German firms in the allocation of State contracts and that the State provided work and relief for Czechs more readily than for Germans. Zeller may also be associated with zelll, meaning cell, as in prison cell.. This is the legacy that our forefathers brought with them when they emigrated from the German Bohemian lands. The end of the war in 1918 brought about the partition of the multiethnic Austria-Hungary into its historical components, one of them, the Bohemian Kingdom, forming the west of the newly created Czechoslovakia. Sudeten political parties pursued an "obstructionist" (or negativist) policy in the Czechoslovak parliament. Becker, like Bakker, was a German occupational name for a baker. A Becker might bake bread or clay bricks. The German Social Democratic Workers Party in the Czechoslovak Republic, then the largest party, was responsible for the demonstration initiative, but it was also supported by other bourgeois German parties. When youre looking at how many Czech surnames there are, you will notice that there are thousands. In 2014, I published a book about my father's Bohemian/German ancestry, wherein the primary Bohemian surname being researched was Blek from the 1650s until my GG Grandfather immigrated to America with his father and three brothers in 1867. The table below shows the number of seats German parties and GermanHungarian lists gained in the Czechoslovak Chamber of Deputies between 1920 and 1935. Vormerlker is an odd German surname meaning pre-milker. It uses the German melker, meaning milker. Vormelker is probably an occupational name for someone who preps the cow for milking! These are usually some of the oldest names found in Germany, stemming from pre-Christian times. Krger also means potter in Central and Upper Germany. Its the most common of German surnames and also ranked 523rd in the U.S. in 2010. The German Agrarians, Christian Socialists and Social Democrats each lost approximately half of their followers. (At the time, one in three was unemployed in the Sudetenland, compared to one in five in the rest of the country.) The Sudetenland possessed huge chemical works and lignite mines as well as textile, china, and glass factories. For more parenting tips and tricks, find us on Pinterest: Are you a writer, expert, or influencer? Koch originated with the Latin coquus, meaning the art of cookery. It was an occupational surname for a cook or the head of a noblemans kitchen. Schulte derives from the Middle German schulthete, meaning village headman. A Schulte in Northwestern Germany is the steward of a large farm. Its an old surname existing in various territories, eventually becoming part of modern-day Germany. No. Its a top ten-ranked surname in German-speaking countries. The Expulsion of the Germans after the Second World War. To my cousins: I am still learning about how to scan photos correctly. The party represented itself as striving for a just settlement of Sudeten German claims within the framework of Czechoslovak democracy. Jeismann/Jeisman/Jeijsman name origin & meaning Bamann, Bassmann, Bassermann ( Basserman / Baserman ), von Bassermann-Jordan (a nobility) Bauch Baudissin (from Bautzen) Baudler Bauer Bauerle Bauernfeind (cf. [1]. The purpose of this website is to collect, preserve, and share the historical and cultural legacy of the German speaking immigrants to the United States from Bohemia, then a province of Austria-Hungary. After the Second World War, most of the German-speaking population (mostly Roman Catholic with relatively few Protestants) was expelled from Czechoslovakia to Germany and Austria. Henlein, however, maintained secret contact with Nazi Germany and received material aid from Berlin, which told him to refuse every concession offered by Czechoslovakia. Immediately, many Sudeten Germans supported Henlein. Keller is the German word for basement, but it may also refer to a winemaker. The Latin cellarius was the person who kept the wine cellar or storage chamber organized in a home. [1] [2] [3] Mller, occupation ( miller) Schmidt, occupation ( smith) Schneider, occupation ( tailor) Fischer, occupation ( fisherman) Weber, occupation ( weaver) Meyer, occupation (originally a manorial landlord, later a self-employed farmer) During the 1848 revolution, both Germans and Czechs fought to make Czech one of the university's official languages. [20] That would create ethnically homogenous self-governing provinces that would hopefully end the ethnic conflict. Also, Austria was no longer considered to be a major power by the victors of the war.[11]. Jung was often given to the younger of two family members with the same name, like a father and son. The rest were incarcerated, and many of them were executed. GERMAN BOHEMIAN STYLE CLUSTER 14K GOLD SHANK GARNET VINTAGE RING SZ 7.5. The only difference is the ova ending. German Bohemians and German Moravians ), later known as Sudeten Germans, were ethnic Germans living in the Czech lands of the Bohemian Crown, which later became an integral part of Czechoslovakia. It comes from the Middle German fisch, meaning fish, plus the -er suffix. It appears as Frederick in English. In America, the Bhmisch usually clustered in German Catholic parishes. Khler was a surname for people who manufactured charcoal for a living. Bergmann also means miner in German. Vormelker is one from the Middle Ages, meaning pre-milker, possibly referring to someone who wasnt the main milker. Bierhals is another odd one meaning beer-throat, maybe given to someone who loved their beer! The government expelled German Nationals and Sudeten Nazis from local government positions. Veit - (German Origin) represents a Saint against fire. German Bohemia, as it was to be called, was going to be separated from the Czech areas around it in the plan. Extreme German nationalism was never prevalent in those areas. Its made up of heri, meaning army, and man, meaning man. Hermann also means soldier or warrior for the most powerful of German families. Though they were living beyond the medieval Kingdom of Germany, an independent German Bohemian awareness, however, was not widespread, and for a long time, it played no decisive role in everyday life. Gearhart, aged 28, who immigrated to the United States, in 1895, Lillian Gearhart, aged 29, who settled in America, in 1903, Grace S. Gearhart, aged 23, who landed in America, in 1904, James K. Gearhart, aged 28, who immigrated to the United States, in 1904, George Gearhart, aged 31, who settled in America, in 1907, May Gearhart, who immigrated to the United States, in 1908, Lloyd William "Gary" Gearhart (1923-2001), American, G. David Gearhart (b. However the SdP, instructed to continue to push towards war, escalated the situation with more protests and violence. . Schultz also means head of a village and originally appeared as schultheize. They collected dues to pay the lord of the manor. Its composed of the High German schuoch, meaning shoe and wrhte, meaning maker. In 2014, almost 75% of Schuberts were located in Germany. Friedrich refers to a descendant of Friedrich. Its made up of the Germanic frid, meaning peace, and rc, meaning power. The most famous Friedrich was a 9th-century Christian bishop of Utrecht. Research questions may directed to Wade Olsen at wade.germanbohemian@gmail.com.Information on purchasing German-Bohemians, The Quiet Immigrants is located on the Publications page.. German-Bohemian Surnames (PDF) found in both Brown County, Minnesota . German-Bohemian Immigrant Surname Database The information in this database includes: Family Name First Name Spouse Date of Birth Village of Origin County (Kreis) of Origin Date of Immigration Town/Township County State Code#(s) for Submitter(s) Notes Submit your surnames to the GBHS database. However, Franz Ferdinand was assassinated, and the First World War destroyed all hopes for a redrawn Cisleithania. https://www.cbgfamilienamen.nl/nfb/detail_naam.php?gba_naam=Jeijsman&nfd_naam=Jeijsman+%28y%29&info=analyse+en+verklaring&operator=eq&taal=, https://forebears.io/surnames/jeisman#meaning. [42], Even the German-speaking Charles-Ferdinand University in Prague could not escape expulsion. Nevertheless, during the second half of the 19th century, Czechs and Germans began to create separate cultural, educational, political and economic institutions, which kept both groups semi-isolated from each other, which continued until the end of the Second World War, when almost all the ethnic Germans were expelled. Thank you for your patience.I have also had to "disable" my "Contact Us" page for the same reason. Moravia contained patches of "locked" German territory to the north and south. In 1935, the Sudeten German Home Front became the Sudeten German Party (Sudetendeutsche Partei) (SdP) and embarked on an active propaganda campaign. Schreiber is based on the High German schrben, meaning to write. Its another word for a writer that also translates to the Hebrew Soffer, meaning scribe., Schroeder was originally a name for a tailor who cut cloth. It also means drayman in Northern Germany, meaning a person who delivered beer and wine.. Its also a form of Bartholomus, the German Bartholomew since its one of the classic German last names for boys. 40 and state proclamation, "K otzce vysdlen oban SR ze Sudet, Tnska, Podkarpatsk Rusi a Slovensk republiky v letech 1938/1939", "Memories of World War II in the Czech Lands: the expulsion of Sudeten Germans Radio Prague", "Census 2001 by Czech statistical office", Handbuch der Geschichte der bhmischen Lnder, Facing history The evolution of Czech-German relations in the Czech provinces, 18481948, Emotions prevail in relations between Germans, Czechs, Poles poll, "A Journey into Czechoslovakia after the Munich Agreement", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sudeten_Germans&oldid=1150283748, Hungarian Parties and Sudeten German Electoral Bloc. Seller does not accept returns. Fischer appears as Fisher in English and ranked 112th in the U.S. in 2010. We would like to show how these traditions have been transferred to new generations, born in this country, and are still a part of our lives today. MacAulish - (Scottish Origin ) means 'son of Wallace.' 70. Karl Maximilian, Gustav, Hans, Otto) Bauernfeld (cf. German Bohemia in the Eagle Mountains and in the area of Landskron merged with the so-called "Province of the Sudetenland", which had radically different borders than the later understanding of the term. On 22 November 1918, the Province of German Bohemia proclaimed itself part of the state of German Austria. 62. Seidel also means descendant of Sitto, a nickname for Sigebert, meaning bright. It could refer to a place no longer in existence called Seide in Germany and is also a name for someone who makes wooden drinking vessels.. Aufstieg Verlag Mnchen, 1980. With the establishment of German rule, hundreds of thousands of Czechs who (under the policy of Czechification) had moved into the Sudetenland after 1919 left the area, some willingly. Mller is the most common surname in Germany and Germanic countries in general. An estimated 1.6million "ethnic Germans" (most of them also had Czech ancestors; and even Czechs, who spoke mainly German over the last years), were deported from Czechoslovakia to the American zone of what would become West Germany. Bernek Czech Means "little ram, male lamb" in Czech. The Question of Nationalities and Social Democracy (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota press, 2000), p. 160, The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. In the aftermath of World War II, when the Czechoslovak state was restored, the government expelled the majority of ethnic Germans (about 3 million altogether), in the belief that their behaviour had been a major cause of the war and subsequent destruction. FamilyEducation does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. While some surnames such as Israel, Cohen, and Levi are purely Jewish, some are of German, Russian, or Polish origin. Orlowski, Schimanski, Rudzinski, Kowalski, Schymanietz, Matuzek to Matussek or Mattner, Koslowski, etc.). A child would take on their fathers surname, regardless of gender. It comes from the German backen, meaning to bake. Becker is so common it ranked 357th in the U.S. in 2010. Eberhardt also means descendant of Eberhard. Its composed of the Germanic eber, meaning wild boar, and hard, meaning brave and hardy. It may have been reserved for powerful leaders or members of royalty at one time. Moravia contained many patches of ethnic German settlement in the north and the south. Adamcik Adamec Adamek Ales Alexa Ambroz Andel Andera Anderle Andrasko Apel Artim Baar Baba Babik Babinec Baka Bakalar Baksa Balan Balek Bales Baloun Balusek Bambenek Barak Bardon Bares Barkus Baros Bartak Bartik Bartunek Bartus Bartusek Bastyr Bata Becvar Bednar Bednarik Belan Belin Belinsky Belka Bena Benak Bendik Benes Benik Beran Beranek Bercik Wallace - (Scottish Origin) after William Wallace, for a 'Welshman.' Medieval Surnames Inspired By 'Game of Thrones' 71. Die Entschlsselung von Ptolemaios`"Atlas der Oikumene". Czech politicians insisted on the traditional boundaries of the Bohemian Crown according to the principle of uti possidetis juris. We invite you to contact us, offering a platform for you to share your work and gain insights from other scholars. The Upper Palatine Forest, which extends along the Bavarian frontier and into the agricultural areas of southern Bohemia, was an area of German settlement. These names below include several common and popular Czech surnames. The Munich Agreement, signed September 29 by Britain, France, Germany and Italy and negotiated without Czechoslovak participation, only confirmed that decision and the negotiated details. [12] For example, forest glass production was a common industry for German Bohemians. Czech professors rejected that because they did not wish to lose the continuity of university traditions. Bach was originally a name for a person who lived by a stream. It derives from the High German bach, meaning stream. Despite Bach being a German composer, Bach is found in places like Denmark, France, the Netherlands, and Croatia. At a party conference in Teplitz in 1919, the provincial Social Democratic Parties of Bohemia, Moravia and Sudeten-Silesia united to form the Deutsche Sozialdemokratische Arbeiterpartei (DSAP) and elected Josef Seliger as chairman. German Christian Socialists in Czechoslovakia suspended their activities on 24 March; their deputies and senators entered the SdP parliamentary club. I had scanned many photographs as jpg files, and am now rescanning photographs as tiff files for archival storage. 2000- 2023 Swyrich Corporation, all rights reserved. The Czechs had feared Germanization, but the Germans now worried about Czechization. We hope that this website will become a place for . More characteristic were the German language islands, which were towns inhabited by German minorities and surrounded by Czechs. [40] Estimates of casualties related to this expulsion range between 20,000 and 200,000 people, depending on source. Baumer was a name given to the dweller at the barrier placed across roads by the toll collector. Its a long description for a border or customs official. The Low German root bm, meaning barrier, provides inspiration. Schubert was another name for a shoemaker or cobbler. Dietrich is one of the most ancient German last names, also meaning keeper of the keys. It can refer to the actual lockpick used to open a lock. The Latin Faustus means fortunate or lucky, so its all about how you look at things. One day after the proclamation of the Republic of Czechoslovakia, on 29 October 1918, the Province of German Bohemia was formed with its capital in Reichenberg. Handschuh was given to a person who wore gloves or someone who made or sold them. On 22 March, the German Agrarian Party, led by Gustav Hacker, merged with the SdP. In 1864, some Germans suggested the creation of a separate Czech university. The process of German expansion was known as Ostsiedlung ("Settling of the East"). Most German Bohemians will have some Czech ancestry and most Czechs from the areas formerly inhabited by Germans will have some German ancestry.