Germany Naming Customs: Difference between revisions

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. Some farm families, particularly in Westphalia, used the particle '''''"von" or "zu"''''' followed by their farm or former farm's name as a family name. 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.