Family name

A family name (also last name, surname, gender, name, write the name or, in the law of the Federal Republic of Germany German amt simple name, in central Germany, also colloquially familiar background name ) is used as a supplement for name of better distinction of persons.

Socio- historical affiliation of the individual is expressed to a family with the family name. The birth name (deprecated in women as a girl's name called ) expresses the membership of the parents family, the married name belonging to the family of the spouse and the double name, if he was not inherited, belonging to two families of the spouse from. In addition, artist names and religious names also apply without kinship relation as a family name.

• 3.1 Europe 3.1.1 German -language surnames
• 3.1.2 Greece
• 3.1.3 Iceland
• 3.1.4 Italy
• 3.1.5 Russia
• 3.1.6 Scandinavia
• 3.1.7 Spanish -speaking
• 3.1.8 Portugal and Brazil
• 3.1.9 Ottoman Empire and Turkey

• 3.2.1 China, Korea and Vietnam
• 3.2.2 Japan
• 3.2.3 India
• 3.2.4 Indonesia

• 3.3.1 Democratic Republic of Congo

• 5.1 Distribution of name variants
• 5.2 Identification of the Origin of the name
• 5.3 Family name distributions

Development of surnames in Europe

Surname in the modern sense evolved from epithets that were initially assigned only to individual persons, but have not been inherited by subsequent people. In the 9th century, the first time an epithet was inherited in Venice. This custom spread from there in the 10th century to northern Italy and southern France from. In the 11th century the use reached after Catalonia and northern France, in the 12th century in England and in the territory of Switzerland. Thereafter, the use of a fixed family name in the western and southern German cities was common. Beginning of the 15th century were family name anywhere to be found in German-speaking countries, but not consistently. Also, the name could still change, for example, the case of leaving or due to new employment or in the Old Bavarians until about 1800 when marrying into a farm.

While the nobility since the heritability of fiefs in 1037 was fixed family name to make his hereditary claims asserted may, followed later the patricians and burghers. In particular, the patricians, the preservation of family property to form the solid nickname has contributed, while the family name education was funded primarily by the expansion of the management system with an increasing written certification in the remaining middle class. The family had until the 18th century, mostly of secondary importance, while the nickname of the actual name stuck. Rural areas came from until the 17th or 18th century without a permanent family name, in Friesland, he was introduced by law until the 19th century.

By definition a family serves as a supplement for name of better distinction of persons. The combination of first name and surname makes a name individual in its entirety. Socio- historical affiliation of a person is expressed to a family community with the family name. The birth name expresses the affiliation Parents.

Origin of surnames

Family names often are derived from the following:

• Professional and administrative designations (professional name)
• Function within the family
• From the first name of the father ( patronymic ) or the mother ( Metronym )
• Of properties ( nickname )
• From the origin ( toponym ), the country of origin (geographical origin) or the Abode (mostly layer name, home name)
• From other cultures

Occupations

Among the 50 most common German surnames represent the names of occupations, the majority ( 30 names ), already the first 14 are professional designations. These include Müller, Schmidt ( Smith ) Schneider, Fischer, Meyer ( administrator, Hofvorsteher ), Weber, Wagner ( Wagenradbauer ), Becker ( Baker ) and Shepherd. Many inherited or otherwise acquired the surname so contain occupations or job titles that are no longer there long.

Some professional names are not immediately recognizable as such, as they were nicknamed for the actually applied professions. Examples are Nabholz for a Wagner, Stoiber or Stauber for a miller, Hartnagel for a ( Nail ) blacksmith.

A special group is formed the official name, as bannwart (who on behalf of a manorial compliance with the magisterial regulations monitors ), Schulz ( mayor, mayor, enforcement officer ), or Widmer ( Farmer on a belonging to the facilities of a church property; see jointure ).

Function within the family

Similarly, the professional name, served the functions / roles within the family to distinguish between the family members. From this developed later surnames such as father, mother, child or son.

Father's name, mother

A derived from the first name of the father or mother surname is called patronymic or Metronym. In some countries, for example in Iceland, the surname is still always derived from the first name of the mother or father (see Icelandic persons name). Originally, this was widely used in many languages. Was particularly pronounced in the patronymic form in Scandinavia and Northern Germany. By adding the ending -sen or -son the typical and very common family names like Hansen, Peterson created etc.. Partial patronymics were formed by simple ( German ) genitive, such as Hermann ( Hermann's son = ).

Much rarer are found from the mother derived names, for example memorizing of Remember ( = Mary), Nänni of Anna, Tilgner of Ottilie or Trienes Trina ( = Catharina ).

Over the centuries, disappeared outside of North Germany the ending; it was only the first name alone as a family name ( as Claus, Johann and Otto ). The most common German surnames of this type are Hartmann, Werner Herrmann, Walter, Frederick and Günther.

Examples for Father's name, with a Latin genitive ( " of the family of Paul ," or " Paul's son " ) are formed, are Pauli, Jakobi or Caspari.

The variety of German dialects and practice to abbreviate common first names or modify means that names like Wetzel (variant of Werner), Jahn (of John), Vick ( = Friedrich) or Bentele (of Pantaleon ) no more than original Patronyme are recognizable. Especially originally -old and hard ending first names end with a strong genitive -z, those ending in- s,- z or end with a vowel suffix -en (eg Otten of Otto ).

Properties

About names are formed by physical, characterological or biographical abnormalities of a person. The name derives from are often the body size ( small, large, long-short ), hair color ( brown, black, in the Rhineland foot for fox red ) or the hair form ( Krause ) and other body characteristics ( left stands for a left-hander ), character traits (Kühn, Fromm, Good, evil, Froboess = irascible ) and special features ( Neumann means of new arrivals ). In contrast, evil or Uibel does not indicate a lack of character, but refers to the owner of a low-value land ( Übelacker ) or a deaf person ( Übelhör ); the second half of the name fell away over the centuries.

Origin and home

Origin names indicate, from the place where the person or family is originally or where she had lived a long time. This name originated in a time in which took place a strong internal migration and pulled the rural population in the resurgent cities. Newcomers were often named after their home (eg: Peter [off] Mecklenburg, Klaus [off] Brandenburg). It originated origin name by peoples or countries ( Unger [ man ], the Hungarian '), after strains ( Bayer), by region ( Bergsträßer ), and locality ( Basel ). The most common place names are: Frank ( e) ( from Franconia ), Böhm ( e) ( from Bohemia ), Hess ( e ) (from Hesse), Pohl ( from Poland or related to Poland, but also local and home name); among the most common home name: Becker ( by the stream dwelling, and Occupation ), Berger, Roth, Beck, stone, horn, bush and mountain man (also Occupation ).

Among the early forms of the home and abode names include notations as in Walther von der Vogelweide (after a field-names ), Dietrich von Bern ( " Verona ", the old German name Bern is ), which is about a Dutch Anthonis van Dyck ( " the dike alive " ), the English Anselm of Canterbury or the Jörg uff der Flue in Switzerland. They arise in the outgoing time of the single name, to fix family name and often later lose the "of". Before the 16th century, the preposition was rarely a suffix of the nobility, but was as indicating the origin for the part of many family names, such as von Flue. Also landowning families - real estate in the Middle Ages a privilege of the nobility - gave it to about the word " of", eg " von Habsburg " for the home team their Burg, the Habsburg (castle ). Only with the gradual disappearance of the preposition in the name of the middle class in the 17th century, the function of the little word "of" was able to develop purely as a conjunction of the home name to reference to the nobility. However, there are to date place names with the preposition "by " without these point to an earlier belonging to the nobility.

Examples, which are formed from place names, region names, farm names and other geographical names are: Adenauer ( " from Adenau to arise " ), Bayer ( " Bavarian " ) or Sonderegger ( "from farm Sonderegg, ie yard on a claimed south facing outcrop, originally "). The " he " formation is typical Upper German. In particular, resulting from place-name surnames wear but also frequently the suffixes of the places to which they are borrowed, such as: - bach, - berg,- burg, village, field, - hagen, live, home, stone, - thal, forest (eg: Lindenberg, Frankenstein, Green Forest) and relating to the originally Slavic place name ending -ow -ups or Germanized -au. This category also includes the actual, genuine nobility name.

House name or home name can be assigned to a specific farm or a particular living space. With the takeover as owner or tenant of the former surname was no longer in use, the new residence name was surname. 1828, the adoption of the name of our house in Westphalia was prohibited.

An exact assignment to a specific place or region of origin solely on the basis of a particular name is not always possible, since often several places with the same name exist. Capturing the origin name as such is also not always clear, because a separation of place names and habitation names often is difficult ( Heinz von Buhl and H. Am Buehl, hill ' to be H. Buehl ). Also phonetic differences make it difficult to precisely define ( ex.: deviation from the present form, bausissin - bautzen ).

Perception of surnames

An analysis of approximately 225,000 records German users of the career network XING revealed in 2013 that the surname affect career success. These were evaluated on surnames and their professional position. Researchers at the University of Cambridge and the Ecole HEC in Paris determined that noble -sounding names were represented 2.7 % more often in senior positions.

Migration

Due to immigration, cultural influences and similar factors surname may also spread into regions and language areas that are far away from the origin of the name.

The best example is the U.S., where most of the family name to point to the home of an immigrant ancestor.

Surnames by region

Europe

German -language surnames

The German family name have been established in German-speaking countries since the 12th century and after. In 1875 the civil registry offices were introduced in the German Reich, and commit the name. Since then, every German wears a first name, a possible intermediate name and a family name, and in that order. In some German dialects of the family name precedes the given name in the first place.

Greece

In Greece, the female form in the rule is different: here the name of a married woman is being made as a genitive form of the family name of her husband, for example Kolidis ( nominative / husband ) / Kolidi ( genitive, wife) or Tataros ( nominative / husband ) / Tatarou ( genitive, Wife ). Therefore, the name of the wife means literally " (woman ) of the XY". Recently, (especially when living abroad Greeks ) selected the same shape as the husband for married women, such as when actress Susan Sideropoulos. In the genitive form is her name Sideropoulou.

Iceland

In Iceland and the Faroe Islands only a few people have family names in our sense. It usually is originally from Denmark families. In general, however, the second name is the name of the Father ( in the genitive ) is extended by -son ( son ) or Dottir ( daughter). Names after the mother had previously rare ( illegitimate birth to an unknown father), but are now the trend towards equality legally possible. So there are in Iceland no continuous surname. Example of a sequence of generations: Gustav Jóhansson - whose son Helgi Gustavsson - his son: Ívar Helgason - whose son and daughter: Lars Ívarsson and Jóhanna Ívarsdóttir etc. The former Icelandic President Vigdís Finnbogadóttir was thus a daughter of Finnbogi.

Italy

In Italy, family name a little earlier than in the German language area. If one of them compares with those of the most common in Germany, it is found that professionals in the development of Italian surnames did not play such a big role. Below, the most common, taken from the dtv - Atlas:

• Esposito (nickname Esposito, Expositus, foundling )
• Bianchi (white, blonde)
• Colombo (nickname Columbus )
• Ferrari ( blacksmith )
• Romano ( Roman, Romano Nickname )
• Rossi ( red, red-haired )
• Russo ( red, red-haired )

In Germany, only professional name to these seven points.

The largest percentage share have a total of the place names in Italy. Such is for example the name of the elected in 2006 to the President Giorgio Napolitano ( From Naples tribe Ender ); other examples are Toscano, Calabrese or Forlan. About 10 percent of all Italian surnames derived from nicknames of Germanic origin. Examples are: Endrizzi ( Enrico - Heinrich), Gualtieri ( Gualtiero - Walter ), Fedrizzi ( Federico - Friedrich).

Russia

In Russian, the first name of the father ( patronymic ) is provided between first and last name; additionally receives the feminine form an -a: Mikhail Pavlovich Lazarev (son of Pawel ), Lidija Andrejewna Lazareva ( daughter of Andrei ). People are often addressed only with first name and patronymic.

Scandinavia

In Sweden, Denmark, Norway and partly northern Germany (especially Schleswig -Holstein ) end surnames frequently -sen or -son ( father's name, patronymic ). The ending means son, so that Jensen / Jenson / Jensson son of Jens would mean. The sen - endings are often found in the Danish, Norwegian and Frisian. In Swedish place -sen is used the suffix -son. The female form -dotter/-dóttir is used only to Iceland. In Finland, surnames often have a relationship with nature, for example Virtanen ( flow / current), Mäkinen (mountain / hill ), Järvinen ( lake ), with the usual suffix " -tion ". Family name outside of the nobility sat in these countries later than in the rest of Europe through, first in the upper class. In Sweden, the upper class in the 16th century began to take family names for clergy and scholars. Mostly in Latin form Farmers and artisans received only the father's name. In Denmark surnames were prescribed by the Act of May 30, 1828, against the resistance of the population. Thereafter, the father's name ( first name sen) was to lay down as a family name. In this way, large parts of the population received the same family names. In Norway, certain only the names of persons Act of February 9, 1923, that children need to have a family name in the entry in the birth register. Adults, it remained free to adopt a family name. Unless the father name was chosen with the appropriate suffix as surname, was the name of the court, to the family possessed or used long term to use. In this way, a strong accumulation of the family name, as in Denmark was avoided.

Spanish -speaking

In Spain and in most countries of Hispanic America, the surname of people is usually composed of two parts. Children receive as the first part of her last name the first part of her father's surname, and as a second part of the first part of the mother's surname. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Méndez Aznar Sánchez Hernández thus get the personal surname Méndez Sánchez. The surnames are thus passed on patrilineal, though a part of the name of the mother goes over to their children, but not to their grandchildren. However, this is since 1999 in Spain no longer mandatory. Parents can also determine that the first part of the mother's last name is prefixed, so what then is the part of the name, the child passed on later to his children. Spouses keep their birth names after marriage. Occasionally, especially in the needle between the first and the second part of the surname, a y ( "and") is provided, it is about Jaime de Marichalar y Sáenz de Tejada the son of Mr. de Marichalar y Sáenz de Tejada Bruguera and woman y Fernández de Bobadilla. In the Catalan-speaking area, the Catalan i ("and" ), is generally performed between the last name parts, see Pujol i Soley about Jordi. Unlike Germany's dual name is used in Spanish but no hyphen.

In formal affairs and in correspondence both parts of the name are always used. In everyday life, however, is usually omitted the mention of the second part of the name. Exceptions are individuals whose first name is very common. For the purpose of better identification, these are usually referred to by their second name part, such as the former Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero: Since Rodríguez is a Allerweltsname in Spain, he used himself as well as the media in everyday life Zapatero.

Portugal and Brazil

In Portugal and in the Portuguese influenced Brazil to give the surname of the child from the respective second last name of the parents, the mother is mentioned first.

Felipe Faria Duarte 's say for example the son of Henrique Duarte Coelho and Carolina Lemos Faria.

The surnames are passed patrilineal, as the children get from both the father and the mother of the second, his father's surname Once again, as in the Spanish-speaking world.

Exceptions are children whose parents have the same paternal surname. Then the child receives only a last name. As an example, say the child of Antonio da Costa Moreira and Maria Sousa Moreira Moreira simply Josefina.

Marries in Portugal a couple, so the woman can get even a third surname if she wants to take her husband's last surname ( however, this is voluntary, it is crucial that woman signs the marriage certificate with the addition, is it her name ). Since all members of the family, including the children wear, at least these names alike, the second surname of the father mostly (ie family or family Duarte Moreira in the above examples) are the actual main family name. In everyday life, is therefore usually omitted mention of the first name parts and only the main family name used (for example, European Commission President José Manuel Durão Barroso is often mentioned in the media only as José Manuel Barroso ).

In Brazilian areas that have particularly strong Italian, German and other immigrant groups, the family names are often inherited by the customs of these ethnic groups, that is, usually, the children receive only the surname of the father. Sometimes, however, the usual name tradition is also followed here.

A person can have up to six names ( two first names and four surnames - he or she can have two names of the mother and two from the father have ). Sometimes the name of ancestors will be continued as an homage. Similarly, it is common kinship relationship to result in the acquisition of the same first name of the father, uncle or grandfather about this as a surname Annex, for example, in Portugal or Brazil Tobias de Almeida Neto grandson of the original Tobias de Almeida.

Ottoman Empire and Turkey

It was not until eleven years after the founding of the Turkish family name in 1934 required 2525 by the President Kemal Atatürk by law. Previously, in the Ottoman Empire were to present tribal name followed by the name of the Father and the own name used - in between each was called " Son" ( oglu ). This is also reflected in some modern Turkish surname. Name looked something like this: Sarıpaçalı - nin oglu Ahmed Hasan oglu in ( Hasan, son of Ahmet, son of Sarıpaçalı ). A similar structure is also found in Arabic names with ibn. Shorter forms such Sarıpaçalı - lardan Hasan ( Hasan of the Sarıpaçalıs ) also were used. Was not a particularly well-known tribal name present, the father's occupation of importance, the German miller, Schmidt and Meyers was this show a certain parallelism. This form of recognition is still often used in some areas and towns: Marangoz Ali oglu - nin Ibrahim ( Ibrahim, son of the carpenter Ali ). Matronyme are rather uncommon (the corresponding female counterpart for son, so the daughter would mean kızı ).

The name adopted in 1934 are often expressions selbstaffirmativer references to the young republic that arose in response to the demise of the Ottoman Empire, the resistance since 1919 under Kemal Atatürk and the subsequent Kemalism. The linguistic photos related to topics such as courage, fearlessness, strength and resistance, such as Öztürk ( " the real Turk" ), Demir / Özdemir ("[ true ] iron " ), Kaya ( "rock" ), Yılmaz ( " the Fearless " ), Yıldırım ( " Flash " ), Aslan ( " Lion " ), Şahin ( " Falcon " ), Çelik ( " Steel " ), Aydın ( " bright " ), Çetin ( " hard " ).

Asia

China, Korea and Vietnam

Family name in China, Korea and Vietnam are traditionally written almost exclusively with just a Chinese character. In this case, for every used Chinese characters each have a plurality of pronunciations in the various East Asian languages ​​. Outside China, these names are nowadays they no longer appear in Chinese characters, but in Korean or in other alphabets. The transcriptions used in this case of the same name can be very different, mainly because of the different pronunciations of the same name in Vietnamese, Korean, and the various Chinese languages. Therefore, different transcriptions of the same traditional family name often regarded in international use in recent years as different names.

Although there are over 700 Chinese family names, most Chinese have only a few names that occur very frequently. Typical examples of East Asian family names are:

The family name is called in China, Korea and Vietnam first. The part of the name, which is called in the German language as a first name is reenacted in these countries.

Japan

Most Japanese family names are written with two kanji ( Chinese characters ). Historically a surname was a privilege of the samurai and the other higher asked people. It was not until the Meiji Restoration was initiated by law that all families register with a family name. They usually use landscape concepts, such as Takeda (竹田), bamboo box ', but there are also meanings of everyday life and crafts, such as Shuzo (酒 造), Sakebrauer '. Other names, such as Mitsubishi (三菱), Three diamonds ', are derived from the family coat of arms.

The family name is called in Japan first. In dealing with Western foreigners in Western languages ​​or Latin script, however, the sequence is often used, which corresponds to the Germans. Even when transmitting into German Japanese names are - in contrast to Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean name - often changed. An exception are historical figures such as Oda Nobunaga. If the family name preceded by one often writes it in capital letters to avoid confusion, such as ABE Shinzō.

India

In India, with its diverse cultural traditions, only 21 recognized in the Constitution and over 100 spoken languages ​​, several fundamentally different systems of naming coexist.

As the naming is handled, decides not primarily by the state, but according to the traditions pursued by the family of the person concerned. Although in India in the 70s identity cards were introduced, owns a majority of the rural population does not have. So it often happens that a person's name is not officially recognized. Any changes of first and last names are frequently and easily.

In northern India, a system is similar to that in Germany preferred: The wife takes the last name of the man to take over the children. In parts of central India, a patrilineal system is preferred, the Undeclined makes the father's name on the surname of the son: Selvarasa Selvarainjan for example, the son of Selvarainjan Parthasarathy. A family of characteristic name does not exist here. In South India, is the " house name ", ie surname, first. These names are often place names, the location in the genitive ( oblique ) is. Title of nobility and are appended. For example, Pusapati Vijararama Raju, Raju Vijayarama of Pusapadu or Kallidaikurichi Aiyah Nilakanta Sastri, The Sastri ( scholar ) Nilakata, Ayar ( Brahman ) from Kallidaikurichi.

Apart from the official naming the personal address directed in India, regardless of the various rules of the award of a name, mainly by the degree of relationship. The people are thus being used ( older ) brother: so styled Nani and Nana: Dada, (older ) Sister: Didi, father, Baba, paternal grandfather or maternal. The individuality fades into the background and dominates the position in the family. One can appeal to other persons at any time as older brothers / sisters, or father / mother in India, according to an obvious difference in age and gender. The use of first name - relatedness is often, for example Manorainjan -Da ( As an abbreviation for Dada ). Confidential respect designations are appended: Shiv ( a) - Ji (i) and official prefixed by Shrii Govinda, but only from the others, not of himself oneself can be the title Dev ( a) or Devi append (female). The confidential address " Father " thus correspond to Baba ji.

Indonesia

Indonesian names generally consist of several parts, all of which are not hereditary. When dealing with German authorities can then the last " first name " to take the place of the family name. But there are also people who have no family name, well-known examples are the former president Sukarno and Suharto. In the various tribes and ethnic groups, there are different naming. The ethnic group of Batak (North Sumatra), for example, have always been first and last name. Many members of the Chinese minority were at the time of Suharto's government was forced to give up their original name. Then you chose often Anglo- American or European name, eg Angelina, Steven.

Africa

Democratic Republic of Congo

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the other hand, a distinction between the family name on the one hand and the last name. It replaced the "authentic" Name ( French: postnom ) the "European" first name. From Joseph -Désiré Mobutu Mobutu Sese Seko was. Today in the Church ever used are given names as first names back into use, the Zairian last names are still used. This means that Congolese ever wear before and after the family name a statement chosen by the parents name: presented the first name, the last name readjusted (Example: Joseph -Désiré Mobutu Sese Seko ). Congolese passports accordingly have the three headings prénom ( first name ) nom (name ), postnom ( last name).

Other countries

Europe: Polish name, Irish families, Roman Name ( historical ), Iceland persons name, personal name Faroese, North Germanic personal name ( historical )

Asia: Arabic name, Burmese name, Jewish surname, name Malaysian, Thai surname, list of Tibetan names and titles

Africa: Gambian People Name

Family name frequencies

The family name is the absolute frequency and relative frequency of surnames in a population or sub- population. From these frequencies can be calculated taking into account the variability of family names of the inbreeding coefficient of a population. Also can be combined with the distribution of surnames frequencies of the degree of consanguinity between populations and thus measure their marriage circle, as is the ancestral communion between two or more ancestral lists, but also the catchment area of immigration to cities or central locations. The degree of relatedness (or similarity) is of from 0 to 1 normalized statistical correlation coefficient r. Here r = 0.00 means that. Ancestors in the compared two lists in a fixed Ancestry generation, for example, in the sixth, not a single name is identical

The most common name in the world is the Chinese Li with over 90 million deposits in its various spellings. Among the Han Chinese, there are only about 700 family names. In Germany, nearly one million are several family name. Here Müller / Mueller is with 600,000 occurrences just before Schmidt leader / dd / d / - tz. In Russia, the most common family name Smirnov

Graphical representation of the geographical distribution of the name

A resource for the family name research is the graphical representation of the geographical distribution of surnames. The following examples are based on data from telephone landlines in the year 2002. Though so only a certain part of the population is detected, these data allow several very useful analysis.

Distribution of name variants

The following examples can be tracked at Geogen: The name Mayer can be found throughout Germany, but a clear accumulation is visible in southern Germany. Also Meyer can be found in the whole of Germany, but for this version of the name, the emphasis in the northwest of the country. The variant Mayr is hardly found in the north- east of the Federal Republic, but in the southeast with a concentration in Bavaria.

Identification of the Origin of the name

Even with the identification of the historical origin area is the geographical distribution of surnames valuable information. The following examples can be tracked at Geogen. So, for example, indicated Schlöder on the southern Rhineland, Herbel to Hesse and Züfle to Württemberg. Old family names, which can also have several origins such as Kolbe, usually have a relatively uniform distribution.

Family name distributions

The following presentation aids can be used for regional family name distributions.

• Surnames distribution in Belgium - Enter the name and Zoek ( search) click.
• Enter the name and select Phonebook: - family name distribution in Germany ( Reich 1942 phone book or phone book in 1998 either ).
• Surnames distribution in France - enter name and click OK.
• Enter the name on the top left and arrow ( search) click - Surnames distribution in Italy.
• Enter the name (s) and click mapping - Surnames distribution in Luxembourg and neighboring countries.
• Family name distribution in the Netherlands - Enter the name and Zoek! ( Search) click.
• Surnames distribution in Poland - Enter the name and Szukaj ( search) click.
• Surnames distribution in Switzerland - Enter the name and click search.
• Surnames distribution in Spain - Download an Excel spreadsheet on the top Weblink primer apellido por provincia .. ( The table contains the official counts. )
• Family name distribution in the U.S. - Enter the name on the top left and arrow ( search) click.
• Surnames distribution in Westphalia

Namesakes research

The name bearer research should be construed as a form of genealogy research. Work equipment is usually a carrier file name or file in which all holders of the same family name are detected, taking into account the variability of the family name and the phonetic alphabet different forms of the name are to be regarded as one unit.

If namesakes research documented not only mere collecting zeal, then systematic work and accurate lists of evaluated sources are necessary. Sense have such data collections, in particular for relatively rare name. In some cases they are the only way to get a dead point to clarify the genealogical research. So far, in Germany there is still no comprehensive database of all publications, card indexes and associations ( called in England One- Name Societies ), which deal with a family name and the family relationships of his carrier.

Naming rights

As a "family " in the legal sense, only the "last name " of a person is referred to in Germany. This individual last name can be totally different from the surname of the family of origin, the surname of the spouse or the surname of the children. The term " married name " is defined in § 1355 of the Civil Code, the legislature those last names, parents want to give their children. In other words: " name " is the own surname, " married name " the surname of the children.

The civil rules regarding the naming be applied in the Federal Republic of Germany only German (ethnicity ). Federal German authorities and courts shall apply to an alien to the law of the country, of which the alien or comes from him. As far as West German rules are to be applied, the naming is done by: