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Before the 1800s, the use of a family name by Jews was left to the discretion of the individual. Jews in Germany followed the custom of using only a given name and the name of the father, such as Isaac, son of Abraham (Isaac ben Abraham). Most Jews did not adopt hereditary family names until required to do so by law. By the 1820s, most small German states had extended civil rights to Jews and required them to adopt surnames. | Before the 1800s, the use of a family name by Jews was left to the discretion of the individual. Jews in Germany followed the custom of using only a given name and the name of the father, such as Isaac, son of Abraham (Isaac ben Abraham). Most Jews did not adopt hereditary family names until required to do so by law. By the 1820s, most small German states had extended civil rights to Jews and required them to adopt surnames. | ||
===Surname "Changes" of German Immigrants in the United States=== | |||
As German Immigrants moved into English-speaking countries, their surnames were impacted. | |||
*Most of the time the surname spelling changed to accomodate the '''different phonetic spelling in the English language'''. In other words, the recorder tried to write the name the way he heard it. | |||
*Surnames may also have been translated outright into English, sometimes with a slight twist. Examples: Feuerstein= Firestone, Schwarzenbach(er) = Blackcreek [which evolved into "Blackrick" and other phonetic spellings], or simply "Black". | |||
Most of the time the surname spelling changed to accomodate the different phonetic spelling in the English language. In other words, the recorder tried to write the name the way he heard it. | *Within the German community, such as the local parish, immigrants may continue to use the proper German name, while at the same time '''using English-language equivalents when dealing with local government, census takers, and other non-Germans.''' | ||
*Different branches of the same family may adopt various surname spellings. For example, one branch of the Schwarzenbach(er) family adopted the surname Blackcreek, later Blackrick. The cousin who came over with his family at the same time chose to use "Black". | |||
Surnames may also have been translated outright into English, sometimes with a slight twist. | *Prior to 1900, formal surname changes documented in local court records are relatively rare. | ||
*During the early 20th Century, especially the World War I era, surname changes are recorded more frequently, as immigrants or, more often, their children, tried to adopt more neutral surnames. | |||
Examples: Feuerstein= Firestone, Schwarzenbach(er) = Blackcreek [ which evolved into "Blackrick" and other phonetic spellings], or simply "Black". | |||
Within the German community, such as the local parish, | |||
Different branches of the same family may adopt various surname spellings. For example, one branch of the Schwarzenbach(er) family adopted the surname Blackcreek, later Blackrick. The cousin who came over with his family at the same time chose to use "Black". | |||
Prior to 1900 formal surname changes documented in local court records are relatively rare. | |||
During the early 20th Century, especially the World War I era, surname changes are recorded more frequently, as immigrants or, more often, their children, tried to adopt | |||
Click here for a short article on the [[The Dialect Basis of Spelling Variation in German Surnames|dialect basis of spelling variation in German names]]. | Click here for a short article on the [[The Dialect Basis of Spelling Variation in German Surnames|dialect basis of spelling variation in German names]]. | ||