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Germany Naming Customs: Difference between revisions
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The use of patronymics continued until decrees were passed that required persons to adopt permanent hereditary family names. Subjects were often reluctant to comply, so several decrees were needed. These decrees were passed in 1771, 1820, and 1822 in the province of Schleswig-Holstein and in 1811 in Ostfriesland. | The use of patronymics continued until decrees were passed that required persons to adopt permanent hereditary family names. Subjects were often reluctant to comply, so several decrees were needed. These decrees were passed in 1771, 1820, and 1822 in the province of Schleswig-Holstein and in 1811 in Ostfriesland. | ||
=== | ===Hofnamen=== | ||
'''In some areas of Germany, individuals took a second surname'''. <br> | '''In some areas of Germany, individuals took a second surname from the name of a farm.'''. <br> | ||
In many areas of Germany there is a widespread use of '''''"Hofnamen" or "farm names"''''' used. This is especially true for '''Westfalen (Westphalia) and Hannover and parts of Rheinland and Schlesien (Silesia)'''. . Terms such as '''''modo'', ''vulgo'', ''genannt'', and ''alias '''''indicate this naming practice. Men often take on the wife's surname if moving onto her property. Some of the children born to the couple may have used his surname, while others in the same family used the wife's family name. Be aware that as people moved, this might change their surname, and it may revert back and forth within the same records. Extra care needs to be taken to make sure that the correct people are included in the family group and that no one is accidentally overlooked. More about [http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ehrhard/Farm%20Names.htm Hofnamen] can be studied here. | |||
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===Jewish Surname Customs=== | ===Jewish Surname Customs=== | ||