German Family Names & Bynames
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Gotfrid von Schwaben 06 JUN 2019 German Onomastic| Family Names and Bynames Familiennamen aus Rufnamen, Herkunftsnamen, Wohnstättennamen, Häusernamen, Berufsnamen, and Übernamen Translations from various German onomastic references by Kunze, Seibicke, Socin, and Naumann on the subject of family names, and the development of various types of bynames German Onomastics: Family Names and Bynames aus Rufnamen, Herkunftsnamen, Wohnstättennamen, Häusernamen, Berufsnamen, and Übernamen Translated excerpts directly from multiple sources listed in References. Text translation done by Gotfrid von Schwaben Forward As time progresses our base level of knowledge concerning medieval and renaissance naming practices increases. Likewise, our pool of onomastic resources becomes more refined. When reading texts written in English, finding the documentation and understanding what the author is saying is quite simple for fluent English speakers. Frequently, however, the best resource for a certain culture’s naming practice is in a language other than English. For those who are attempting to read resources in another language and have little to no knowledge of that language, it becomes a bit more problematic. To that extent, it makes a certain amount of logical sense to read what onomastasists have to say regarding the naming practices of their own culture. These translations are a first step in that direction, as they represent a part of a larger Opus Magnus which I am compiling. The hope, and thus the impetus behind this project, is that we will be able to traverse beyond being restrained by what we can, or more often by what we cannot, find directly within the resources currently available--short of physically accessing primary records. By understanding the underlying patterns of naming practices, we could theoretically construct completely plausible period names beyond what we think we currently know. Unfortunately, the subject of German onomastics, or naming practices, with all their nuances as a whole, are somewhat akin to an elephant; one which I am working on digesting, a single forkful at a time. Additionally, while I may have been the person with fingers on the keyboard, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge those blessed and patient individuals who encouraged me to continue working on this project despite my periodic feelings of being overwhelmed by the scope of what I set out to do. They gave me guidance and focus when it was needed; sanity checks, as well as grammar and functioning English checks (a must when dealing with multiple languages)! Master Gottfried von Köln, you are my mentor and were my sanity when I thought I was losing my mind. Master Modar Neznanich and Meisterin Brigida von München, and Odierne Condor Herald, you had the unenviable task of slogging through my translations to ensure they were in actual English, as well as keeping off-site copies as an insurance policy the information was not lost. I cannot thank you all enough for your support (and not hiring mercenaries to adjust my perspectives when I became irksome). Without you, it is unlikely I would have even started this work, much less finish what I have. Ich dien, Gotfrid Herr Gotfrid von Schwaben is an aspiring Minnesänger who was born in the bustling city of 13th C. Stuttgart within the Duchy of Swabia. He makes a living as a herald for hire during his journeys. He enjoys throwing pottery, baking bread, brewing, woodworking, archery, and dabbles at illumination. (Stick figures are his forte.) Jeff Diaz is enjoying his retirement after serving 30 years in the military. He played off and on in the Society in 1983, but joined in October 1997 with his son. His passions include German onomastics, armory, and history. Previous sojourns have taken him across the Pacific, Europe, the Balkans, Japan, and he even spent time on the Silk Road in the Hindu Kush. i Author’s Notes: The vast scope of this work requires translations of pertinent sections from four separate onomastic sources. I have tried to collate and organize the various into a logical flow, while being as complete as possible. Because of the sheer volume of material to be translated, some sections herein, sadly, are not complete. I will annotate those sections within the Table of Contents by highlighting them in yellow if there is some information available, but it has not yet been completely transcribed and translated, and blue where the information has been identified, but not transcribed as of this publication. I beg your indulgence and forgiveness as I work to get this information out to the Heraldic Colleges as fast as possible. While I am a fairly fluent, semi-native speaker of German, my level of constant exposure and usage of German leveled off during my teen years. As a joke, albeit true, I will often answer the question of where I learned my German by stating I learned it sitting in the lap of my mother and grandmother. Moreover, even though I do have opportunities to brush the dust off my language skills, they are not as frequent as I would like. Additionally, the dialect of German with which I grew up is not the same as that used in scholarly works. As a result of recognizing my potential limits, I enclose herein the original texts as well, with the intent that any more-fluent native speakers can refine and correct where I’ve gone astray. It is of utmost importance that the end-user have the best knowledge and is thus able to best serve our clients, the submitter. Ergo, if the translations are not quite right, please help me ensure the best possible translation is available. The footnotes provided in the English translation, however, are not a part of the original texts and are an attempt to fill-in the blanks, or provide a greater perspective for the reader. ii Contents Forward .......................................................................................................................................................................i Author’s Notes: .........................................................................................................................................................ii Types of Family Names/Bynames and Their Origin ..............................................................................................1 Kunze, Konrad ....................................................................................................................................................1 p. 10 ................................................................................................................................................................................ 1 p.11 ................................................................................................................................................................................. 1 pp. 59-67 ......................................................................................................................................................................... 2 Seibicke, Wilfried ............................................................................................................................................. 21 pp. 171-182 ................................................................................................................................................................... 21 Naumann, Horst .............................................................................................................................................. 33 pp. 13-14 ....................................................................................................................................................................... 33 Bildungsweisen der Familiennamen (Formation Methods of Family Names – an Overview) Kunze, Konrad ................................................................................................................................................. 35 pp. 68-71 ....................................................................................................................................................................... 35 Familiennamen aus Rufnamen (Patronymika) [Family Names from Given Names (Patronymics)] Kunze, Konrad ................................................................................................................................................. 42 pp. 72-75 ....................................................................................................................................................................... 42 pp. 79-83 ....................................................................................................................................................................... 52 Seibicke, Wilfried ............................................................................................................................................. 61 pp. 182-185 .................................................................................................................................................................. 61 aus weiblichen Rufnamen [from Women’s Given Names] Kunze, Konrad ................................................................................................................................................. 64 p. 77 .............................................................................................................................................................................. 64 Seibicke, Wilfried ............................................................................................................................................