Polish names in Germany abound as a result of over 100,000 people (including 130,000 "Ruhrpolen") immigrating westward from the Polish-speaking areas of the German Empire. The meanings of German last names are those as defined initially when these names became surnames. By 1500 the use of family names such as Schmidt (smith), Petersen (son of Peter), and Bäcker (baker) was common in the German-speaking regions and all across Europe. In fact, it’s quite the opposite — German is a strong language, so it’s no surprise that their names are, too. names without pronunciations are excluded from results * is a wildcard that will match zero or more letters in the pronunciation. example: *lee will match names which end with the sound lee (s) will match exactly one syllable in the pronunciation. Another tricky thing about German last names: A last name could be what you would call a farm name. Most German surnames derive either from archaic professions (such as Schmidt, Müller, Weber, or Schäfer) or places. Because of this, German last names can be found throughout bordering countries, including Poland, Austria, France and Spain. Many Polish-named Germans reside in the Ruhr region of North Rhine-Westphalia and Berlin , though they are mostly " Germanized " by form (e.g. The first European surnames seem to have arisen in northern Italy around 1000 A.D., gradually spreading northward into the Germanic lands and the rest of Europe. Orlowski, Schimanski, Rudzinski, Kowalski, Schymanietz, Matuzek to …


Whether you want something simple and traditional or something out of the ordinary, these German last names are sure to pack the punch you’re looking for.

The German language isn’t known for being wistful or flimsy. If a German moved onto someone else's farm, it was not uncommon to change his last name to that of the farm.

For example, the surname Meyer means dairy farmer today, whereas, during the Middle Ages, Meyer designated people who were stewards of landholders.