Hitler

Hitler is a German surname, a variant of Hiedler. The spelling 'Hitler' was adopted by Alois Hitler, the father of the German dictator Adolf Hitler (1889–1945), when he took the surname of his stepfather Johann Georg Hiedler. The root name Hiedler derives from the southern German word Hiedl, meaning "underground stream."

Adolf Hitler, the most infamous bearer of this surname, was born in Braunau am Inn, Austria-Hungary, on 20 April 1889. He served in the German Army during the First World War, earning the Iron Cross. After the war, he joined the German Workers' Party, which soon became the Nazi Party. Hitler rose to power as the Chancellor of Germany in 1933 and assumed the title of Führer und Reichskanzler in 1934, establishing a totalitarian regime. His leadership led to the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, sparked by the invasion of Poland. Hitler was deeply involved in the Holocaust, the systematic genocide of about six million Jews and millions of others.

Due to Paul von Hindenburg's initial refusal to appoint Hitler chancellor and Hindenburg's death, Hitler combined the presidency with the chancellorship to become the supreme leader of Germany. In military affairs, he played a central role in the war's strategic direction, often made poor decisions against official advice. He committed suicide on 30 April 1945 in Berlin, as the war neared its end. The stigma associated with Hitler has rendered his surname largely avoided in subsequent decades.

• Meaning: Variant of Hiedler, from southern German 'Hiedl' meaning "underground stream."
• Origin: German
• Type: Surname
• Usage Regions: Germany, Austria