Read to find the history and origin of German surnames.
Discover how your name was created and what it means with this list of popular German last names.
Within that name held two syllables which both held distinct meanings.
Felix Mittermeier
Surname Root Endings
Early on,root endingsbecame an important aspect of the name as well.
They worked as a means of classifying who the two syllables belonged to.
Names related to the military are the oldest German names in existence.
When the German population continued to grow, there became a need to diversify names as well as professions.
In fact, farming in North Germany grew to be a popular profession.
With the ever-growing population, names continued to evolve.
In the early 700s A.D., Germany was Christianized influencing names slowly.
By the mid-1500s the Roman Catholic Church began requiring parents to name their newborn after a saint.
Once the child had its holy name, the parent could provide them with whatever given name they chose.
This is how the tradition of having a first name, middle name, and last name, began.
