Browse Surnames

Gensch is a German surname derived from the given name Gensch, a Sorbian diminutive of John. As a Sorbian form, it illustrates the linguistic adaptation of the widespread biblical name within the Slavic-speaking communit...

Gerber is a German occupational surname meaning "tanner, leather dresser," derived from the Old High German garawen meaning "to prepare." The name refers to someone who tanned animal hides into leather, a crucial craft i...

Gerig is a German surname, a variant of Gehring. In turn, Gehring derives from a short form of Old German names beginning with the element ger meaning "spear". Thus, Gerig ultimately belongs to the large family of German...

Gerst is a German occupational surname derived from the Old High German word gersta meaning "barley." It originally denoted a barley farmer or someone who grew or traded barley. The name reflects the agricultural history...

Gerstle is a German surname that represents a variant of Gerst, which is an occupational name for a barley farmer. The name derives from the Old High German word gersta, meaning "barley." This classification as a variant...

Gerver is a German surname that originated as a variant of Gerber, the German occupational name for a tanner or leather dresser. The root Gerber derives from the Middle High German word gerber or garber, which came from...

Giehl is a German surname derived from the given name Giles. The name Giles ultimately originates from the Late Latin name Aegidius, which itself comes from the Greek word αἰγίδιον (aigidion) meaning "young goat." This e...

Etymology and HistoryGiese is a German and Danish surname that originated as a patronymic or diminutive from the given name Giselbert or other Old German names containing the element gisal, meaning "pledge" or "hostage"....

Glas is a Dutch and German cognate of the English surname Glass.Like its counterparts, the surname likely originated as an occupational name for a glassblower or glazier. The Dutch and German word glas means "glass", der...

Glass is an English and German occupational surname for a glass blower or glazier. It derives from Old English glæs or Old High German glas, both meaning "glass". The name thus originally designated a person who worked w...

Glöckner is a German occupational surname denoting a bell-ringer or bell-maker, derived from Middle High German glocke meaning "bell." It may also refer to someone who lived near a bell tower.Etymology and HistoryThe nam...

Göbel is a German surname...Origin and MeaningThe surname Göbel is of Germanic origin, derived from the given name Göbel, which itself is a diminutive of the Old German name Godabert. The elements of Godabert are got, me...

Goebel is a German surname originating as a variant of Göbel, itself a diminutive of the Old German name Godabert, composed of the elements got “god” and beraht “bright.” The name thus carries the meaning “bright god” or...

Etymology The surname Gold has multiple origins, all tied to the metal itself. In English and German, it derives from Old English gold and Old High German gold, meaning "gold". The name could be occupational for a goldsm...

Goldschmidt is a German occupational surname meaning "goldsmith" (from Gold 'gold' and Schmidt 'smith'). It originated as a name for individuals who worked as goldsmiths, crafting jewelry and precious objects.Historicall...

Gorman 1 is a German surname. It originates from the Old German given name Germund, which is composed of the elements ger meaning "spear" and munt meaning "protection." Thus, the name Gorman 1 carries connotations of a "...

Gott is a German surname with two potential origins. It may derive from the Old German given name Goda 1, which itself comes from the Germanic element guot meaning "good" or got meaning "god". Alternatively, it could hav...

Gotti is primarily an Italian surname, though limited evidence suggests it may have Germanic roots in some cases. The name is most famously associated with the notorious American Mafia don John Gotti, but its etymology t...

Graf is a German surname derived from the noble title Graf, meaning "count" (equivalent to the English earl).The title and surname trace their origins to Middle High German grave, which comes from Latin graphio, itself b...

Graner is an occupational or locational German surname. It originally denoted a person from Gran, the German name for the city of Esztergom in northern Hungary. Esztergom, known historically as Gran in German, was an imp...

Etymology and OriginGreenberg is a common surname in North America and the Anglosphere, representing an Anglicized form of Grünberg, a German surname meaning "green mountain" (from German grün "green" and Berg "mountain"...

Grimm is a German surname derived from a nickname for a stern, severe, or angry person, from Old High German grim meaning "stern, severe, angry". The Middle High German noun grim meant "anger, rage", and the adjective gr...

Groos is a German surname, a variant of Groß, from Old High German groz meaning "tall, big." It typically originated as a nickname for a large or stout person.Notable BearersArthur Groos (born 1943), American philologist...

Groß is a German surname meaning "tall, big" or "great," derived from the Old High German word groz. It is the standard spelling under German orthographic rules, with the variant Gross (without the eszett) commonly found...

The surname Gross is primarily of German origin, representing a variant of the name Groß, which itself derives from the Old High German word groz meaning "tall, big". This descriptive surname was likely originally given...

Grosse is a German surname, a variant of Groß, and shares the same meaning and origin. While Groß is the standard German spelling, Grosse and Große represent alternative orthographic forms often found in regions where th...

Große is a German surname, a variant of Groß. The root name Groß derives from the Old High German groz, meaning "tall" or "big," originally used as a nickname for a person of large stature or great size. The spelling Gro...

Großel is a German surname, a variant of Groß, which is primarily used in southern Germany. The root name Groß derives from the Old High German word groz, meaning “tall, big,” and was likely originally a nickname for a l...

Größel is a Groß variant, common in southern Germany. The name derives from the Old High German groz meaning "tall, big", originally a nickname for a large person. Over time, the vowel mutation (Umlaut) and diminutive su...

Etymology and MeaningGrosser is a German surname, a variant of Groß. The root name derives from Middle High German grōz, ultimately from Old High German groz, meaning "tall, big, great, large." The form Großer (with umla...

EtymologyGroßer is a German surname, a variant of Groß, which derives from the Old High German word groz meaning "tall, big" or "great." The umlaut ß (sharp s) indicates the pronunciation /gʁoːsɐ/. It is equivalent to th...

Gruber is a German surname originating from Austria and Bavaria. The name derives from the German word Grube meaning "pit" or "depression," and originally referred to someone who lived near or worked in a pit, mine, or g...

Grünberg is a German surname originating from a topographic feature. It is derived from the German words grün, meaning "green," and Berg, meaning "mountain," referring to someone who lived on or near a forest-covered or...

Grünewald is a German topographic surname derived from the Middle High German words grüene (green) and wald (forest), meaning “green forest.” It originally referred to someone who lived near or in a green forested area....

Gump is a surname of German origin. The name likely derives from a nickname based on Middle High German gumpen, meaning "to hop, to jump". This type of nickname might have been given to a lively or agile person, or perha...

Gutenberg is a variant of the surname Guttenberg, most famously borne by the inventor of the printing press, Johannes Gutenberg (c. 1393–1406 – 3 February 1468). The name originates from an estate on which his family's h...

Gutermuth is a German surname of descriptive origin, derived from Middle High German guot meaning "good" and muot meaning "mind, spirit". It was originally a nickname for an optimistic or cheerful person, reflecting a po...

Guttenberg is a German surname with topographic and locational origins, derived from various places named Guttenberg. The name combines Middle High German guot (modern German gut) meaning "good" and berg meaning "mountai...

Gwerder is a surname of German origin, specifically rooted in the Swiss German linguistic area. It derives from the Swiss German word gwerig, which means “agile, alert.” This descriptive nickname likely referred to a per...

Haas is a German and Dutch surname, also common among Jewish (Ashkenazic) populations, derived from the words for "hare" in both languages: German Hase and Dutch Haas (or the phrase de Haas, meaning "the hare"). The name...

Haase is a German and Dutch surname, most commonly understood as a variant of Hase. The root name Hase derives from Middle High German and Middle Low German hase meaning "hare" or "rabbit," initially used as a nickname f...

EtymologyHaber is a surname of German origin. It derives from the Old High German word habaro, meaning "oat" (Modern German Hafer). Originally, it was an occupational name for a person who grew or sold oats. Among Jewish...

EtymologyHaberkorn is a German occupational surname with origins in the trade of oat dealing. It derives from the Old High German words habaro ("oat") and korn ("kernel, grain"), literally meaning "oat grain" or "oat dea...

Etymology and OriginHabich is a German surname, functioning as a cognate of the English name Hawk. Both surnames derive from a common Proto-Germanic root referring to the bird of prey, ultimately from Old German habuh or...

Habicht is a German surname that serves as a cognate of the English surname Hawk. The name derives from the German word Habicht, meaning "hawk," referring to the bird of prey. It originated as a nickname for someone thou...

Hafner is a German occupational surname for a potter, derived from the Old High German word hafan, meaning "pot" or "vessel." The name thus originated as a designation for someone who made or sold earthenware pots, a com...

Hahn is a German surname with two distinct etymological origins. Primarily, it derives from the Old High German word hano meaning "rooster" or "cock." This was originally a nickname for a proud, spirited, or pugnacious p...

Halle is a German variant of the surname Hall, which originates from the Old English heall, meaning "manor" or "hall." The term heall referred to a large building or residence, often serving as a lord's dwelling or a com...

Hartman is a surname occurring in both Dutch and German contexts, often considered an Americanized spelling of Hartmann. The name is of German origin and derives from the Old German elements hart meaning "hard, firm, bra...

Hase is a German surname derived from the Middle High German and Middle Low German word hase, meaning "hare" or "rabbit." It originally served as a nickname for a person who was considered quick, timid, or had some other...

Hasenkamp is a German surname derived from a northern German place name meaning "rabbit field." The name originates from the Old Saxon elements haso meaning "hare" and kamp meaning "field" — the latter ultimately borrowe...

Hass is a German surname with two primary origins. The more common origin is as a topographic or nickname from the German word Hass, meaning “hatred” or “hate,” derived from Middle High German haȥ and Old High German haȥ...

Hauer is a German surname with occupational origins, derived from the Middle High German word houwen, meaning "to chop." It functioned as a occupational name for a butcher or woodcutter. The surname's linguistic roots re...

Etymology and Meaning Haumann is a German surname originating from an occupational nickname for a butcher or a woodchopper. It derives from the Middle High German word houwen ('to chop,' 'to hew') combined with man ('man...

Haupt is a German surname, serving as a cognate of the English name Head. Both derive from words meaning "head" — the German Haupt and the English head (from Old English heafod). The name likely originated as a nickname...

EtymologyHäusler is a surname of German origin. It derives from a historical class of landless peasants who lived in a small house (German Haus) without any attached land or farmland. The term Häusler (or Häuselmann) was...

Havener is a Germanic surname of occupational origin. It is a variant of Hafner, which itself derives from the Middle High German noun hafen meaning “pot, vessel,” with the occupational suffix -er. Thus, Hafner and its v...

Etymology and OriginHeinrichs is a German surname derived from the given name Heinrich, which is itself the German form of Henry. The name Henry comes from the Germanic name Heimirich, meaning "home ruler", from the elem...

Heintze is a German surname derived from a diminutive of the given name Heinrich, the German form of Henry. The root name Henry ultimately comes from the Germanic Heimirich, meaning "home ruler," composed of the elements...

Etymology Hennig is a German surname derived from a diminutive of the given name Heinrich. The name Heinrich itself is the German form of Henry, which originates from the Germanic name Heimirich, meaning "home ruler" fro...