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Germany - Statistics & Surnames
This page provides references to German statistics. and how Germany compares to the rest of the world. It also contains some really good information on the origin and meanings of German surnames.
Below, you can click on a picture or "Review" to follow the link.
Germany Statistics and Rankings
US News website
This website ranks Germany by various categories to other countries in the World.
History of German Surnames
Below are links to the history of German surnames, their meanings, and listing of names.
German Surnames - Meanings and Origins
By Karl R. Mesloh - New Bremen, Ohio
Did you ever wonder what your surname (last name) means, or how it originated? Dr. George F. Jones wrote a most interesting and informative book on the subject titled, "German American Names", in which he interpreted 12,700 names.
German Last Names
By FamilyEduation staff
It wasn’t until the Middle Ages (in approximately the 12th century) that family names came into common use. Initially, they were mainly a way of distinguishing between people more easily and as settlements grew into villages, and later towns and cities, descriptions of professions such as tailor, miller and cobbler/shoemaker were attached to people’s first names using the Latin word ‘dictus’ (‘called’) e.g. ‘Hans dictus Krier’ (‘Hans who is called a soldier.’)
German Surnames:
Where They Come From and What They Mean
By MyHeritage
German family names can be a fascinating gateway to the past — not only your family’s past, but also the history of Germany and the German language. In this post, we will explore the origins of German family names, how they developed, and how to research the surnames in your own family.
The Top 100 German Surnames
By ThoughtCo.
The meanings of German last names are those as defined initially when these names became surnames. For example, the surname Meyer means dairy farmer today, whereas, during the Middle Ages, Meyer designated people who were stewards of landholders. Most German surnames derive either from archaic professions (such as Schmidt, Müller, Weber, or Schäfer) or places.
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