German Last Names

I was going through ff nation and so many ff have German last names and probably don't know it. I went through 52 pages out of 840 pages and found the following names:

Kieffer, Kurzdorfer, Messer, Wurzel, Bier, Sauerbier, Stumpf, Rosenberger, Schutz, Schultz, Schwartz, Schneider, Schmidt, Albrecht, Wagner, Bauer, Stahl, Dreher, Rickenbach, Brandt, Ziegler, Rieger, Keller, Hartman, Hess, Scharnhorst

Some of the names have a meaning such as a thing, for example, Messser = knife.

Here's a great German to English or vice versa dictionary:
http://dict.tu-chemnitz.de/

I'd like to hear anyone's take on this. I read on the internet that Germans make up the largest immigrant group in the US. Just a few states such as PA and TX have lots of German towns.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by LT Barry blumenberg jr on June 6, 2008 at 9:01pm

what does the German maltese cross look like,

Permalink Reply by Horst on June 7, 2008 at 1:03am

Same as the American except the inside is the German flag. Should be able to google a pic of it. Take care, Horst

Permalink Reply by Rob Fritsche on June 14, 2008 at 7:25pm

Since this is about german names I am going to toss mine into the ring. Fritsche, shortened from Fritzsche in Galveston, the Ellis Island of Texas. My great great grandfather moved to Texas in 1851. Just prior to the german invasion of poland in 1939 he did a purge of the officer corps, the out going chief of the General Staff was a General Fritzsche. And the commander of Luft Stalag 1b was Oberst (col.) Fritzsche. he had as one of the POWs an American 1LT of the USAAAF Robert Fritsche.

Permalink Reply by LT Barry blumenberg jr on June 16, 2008 at 2:25am

thats were my great great grandfather and his 2 brothers landed and the other 3 went to new york

Permalink Reply by Dale on August 18, 2008 at 5:09pm

my last name is foust in america, but germany its faust

Permalink Reply by BIG Firefighter Bear on September 30, 2008 at 3:45am

Hallo, Was Ist auf? Mein Nachname ist Hagedorn. Vom Ursprung in nördlichem Deutschland bedeutet es „Hecke des Schutzes“. Und gemäß deutscher Geschichte wurden viele große Krieger Hagedorn genannt. Ich mache stolz diese Tradition als ein Krieger in der Feuerwehr weiter.
For those unfamiliar with German: (Hello, What's up? My last name is Hagedorn. From the origin in northern Germany, it means "hedge of protection". And according to German history, many great warriors were named Hagedorn. I proudly carry on this tradition as a warrior in the fire service.)

Permalink Reply by Salli aka Sam on November 6, 2008 at 5:08pm

My family last name is spelled Mehlenbacher here in the USA but in Germany it is spelled Mulenbacher with " over the u.. I have no idea of what our name stands for and no one in my family knows. All of the older members that would know are no longer alive to tell us. I am also 1/2 Irish so I get alot of picking on. I am proud of who I am

Permalink Reply by SHAWN FORINGER on January 5, 2009 at 7:58pm

GLAD TO SEE SOME ONE TO START A GROUP FOR GERMAN HERITAGE

Permalink Reply by Mike Lintz on April 1, 2009 at 12:19pm

Linz In Germany change to Lintz By screw up at ellis island

Permalink Reply by RICKY BENSON on April 5, 2009 at 12:24am

My mom's side is German.When her side came here in 1699 the name was spelled Streit and changed to Strait later.

Permalink Reply by Florenz Buhrke on April 8, 2009 at 7:10pm

The translation for Mühlenbach is mill stream. There is a town in South Germany called Mühlenbach ( http://tinyurl.com/cu6hw8 ), so the name would also translate to "people (townsfolk) of Mühlenbach".

Permalink Reply by Firestorm on April 19, 2009 at 8:13pm