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→Surnames Historical Development
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*The nobility and wealthy land owners were the first to begin using surnames. | *The nobility and wealthy land owners were the first to begin using surnames. | ||
*Merchants and townspeople then adopted the custom, as did the rural population. This process took two or three centuries. | *Merchants and townspeople then adopted the custom, as did the rural population. This process took two or three centuries. | ||
*In most of Germany, the practice of using surnames was well established by the 1500s. | *In most of Germany, the practice of using surnames was well established by the 1500s. | ||
*In 1790, Baden was the first German state to require fixed surnames. Preußen issued an edict on 11 March 1812 that required that permanent family names be adopted within six months. Compulsory surname laws were enacted in the German states of Bayern and Mecklenburg in 1813 and 1814. | |||
=== Given Names === | === Given Names === | ||