Family names of direct ancestors. More common names have the occurrence per 1,000 given in brackets (data for Germany, 1995). The Kekule number of the last carrier of the name is given when they were beyond the generation of my grandparents. There may be several numbers when several namelines exist with this name, which may or may not be related to each other. Where we have been able to link a name to a possible geographic origin, the link to the relevant blog entry is provided.
Last updated 29.8.2026 - Names and numbers now complete.
Some of the most common German surnames.
Source: RossiLeone, Wikimedia Commons.
Adschuck 25 - very rare, presumed to derive from a Polish name such as Odszuk.
Andre(ae) 309 - a long lineage with multiple Lutheran clergymen possibly going back to Johannes Andreae at the time of the Reformation, so he may have well made up the name. Not related to the Andreae academics you'll find in Wikipedia - it was obviously a popular name to pick at the time.
Andres 4855
Arndts ? 577
Arnoldi 2471 - the name originates from a weaver called Arnold who lived in Traben in the 16th century (died before 1559).
Ascherfeld ? 101
Assmuss 21001
Attig ? 117
Augustin 601
Austmann 3053
Backes / Bachus / Baxher 591
Balters 2493
Bangert 167, 2673
Bär 2237
Basters 2491
Bastert 2483
Bauer (2,1) 1187, 4413
Baumann 2209
Baur 2215
Becker (2,7) 143, 2379
Bentfeld 93
Bentler 743 - allegedly a branch of the noble house of Itter.
Benz 557, 2227, 4453, 4465
(aus dem) Bieg 2331
Bilger 9713
Bißinger 545
Bitsch 669 - coming from the eponymous village in Switzerland.
Bittner 113
Bitzer 4353.
Blauer(t) 603
Bletscher 4449
Bodang/Bonnedame 551 - likely of Huguenot origins.
Böddeker 741
Bouquet 1123 - likely of Huguenot origins.
Brecht 649
Brehm 8915
Brendli 8737
Brenneisen 4457
Bruch 1241
Bungart 4967
Buschbaum 4825
Büttner 61
Caesar 9891 - a whole dynasty of Lutheran clergymen going back to Johannes Keyser who latinised his surname at the time of the Reformation.
Caspers 1203
Christ 2405
Christophor 2469
Conon 9895 - I wrote a short biography of her father, the vicar Johann Conon, but don't know the origin of the name.
Cosfeld 47
Creutzer - see Kreutzer
Culmann 38841
Cuntz 599, 2383
Daminin / Dammi 2427
Deerbergs 2913
Delmans 4939
Detert 383
Domscheit 27 - a Lithuanian name.
Dopheide 763 - may or may not derive from Jean d'Oppède and the eponymous town in Provence.
Dörich 1103
Dörr 2443
Dreeskornfeld 3025
Dresen/Drees/Dreß 621
Dürrmann 2185, 2201
Düsselmann/Düselmann/Tüselman - origins are geographically close to the small river Düssel, which flows into the Rhine at Düsseldorf, so that looks like a plausible explanation. The etymology of the river name is linked to the verb "tosen", which describes a turbulent, noisy flow.
Eberle 653, 1337
Ebner / Ebener 617
Edlers 1457
Egli 8903
Ehemann 1095
Ehlebracht 6085
Ehrhard 641
Emich 19423
Enkrich / Emkrug 1173
Eschwey 325
Evers 4677
Fabry 4555
Falk 4583
Faudner 65
Faust - a very long name line hailing from East Prussia.
Fechtlein 1105
Fetzner 4437
Feyrer 8707
Fischer 615
Flach 9893 - links to the pioneering printers at Strasbourg and to Albert Schweitzer's ancestry remain speculative.
Förster 115
Freischmid/Freischmidt 311
Frey(er) Susanne 2207
Frick 2225
Friederich 335
Gärtner 5253
Gather 295
Gauderer 559
Geilen 2363
Geiß 2431
Gellrich
Gembs 227
Germer 553
Getrost 2625
Gezelmann 1089
Giesen 147
Goldbecker 1527, 6049
Göllner 1521
Göppert / Geppert
Gräf / Croef 19791
Grammel 119
Griesser 10519
Grob 17801
Groß (0,7)
Guthen 21001
Güthenke 189 - coming from the Gütersloh area, hence I think the name has the same root as that of the village which is now a city in eastern Westphalia.
Häberling 8901
Hammen 4809
Hammers(in) 1235
Hark 2261
Hebel 305
Heckmann 573, 1127, 1141, 2291
Hehlmann 1323
Heilmann 1321
Heinemans 365
Heinrich 1093
Helfrich / Helferich 331, 10601
Hemmeler / Hammeke 1169
Hensels 155369
Hermann (0,5) 301
Herwig 10501
Herzog 10707
Hieb 2241
Hilt 2177
Hiltmann /Hiltbold 4369
Himp / Hemp 2413
Hinnei 761
Hockenberger 1117
Hoerr 661
Hoffmann (2,6) 277, 2299
(von der) Holt 4727
Hörrle / Hörle 69
Huber (1,1) 4455
Huperts 2487
Hust 281
Imig / Immig 37
Ihrig 10569
Jacobs / Jacques 585 - Metallfacharbeiter aus Wallonien
Joachim 329, 2651
Joest 1303
Juellich 327
Jungbluth 285
Kadel 163, 651
Kaiser (1,1) 137, 279
Kammerer 2219
Kauer 19 - the earliest Kauers are from Nickweiler, suggesting possible connection to the Kauerhof in this village which was mentioned in 1074.
Keil 5289
Kerff 1181
Kern 1143, 1151, 2301
Keuert 155
Kimmnach / Kemmenah 4943
Kistenmacher 2753
Kleidt 2419
Klein 1139
Klementz 10517
Kleße 59
Klink 55
Klundt 35
Knievels 187
Koch (2,1) 373, 2641
Kop 2657
Kos(se)mowsky
Kost 1141, 2289
Krall 2645
Krämer 2643
Kreutzer 9711
Krick 1315, 2655
Kub / Koben 19421
Küchel 575
Kuhl 2485
Kuhn (0,6) 303
Kukuk 99
Kurz / Kurtz 297
Lang 8873
Langendorf 2629
Lautenklos 1307
Leinenhoß 8961
Lenhart 1339
(von) Lindenfels 39561
Lippmanns
Loder 2205
Ludwig 593, 1113
Lütkemeyer 23
Lüperts 1243
Mader 42273
Maess 371
Mangold 2255
Marchand 9105
Matth 2281
Mayer (1,2) 2233, 5353
Mentzel 33
Merckel 9165
Merten(s) 1191, 2361
Metzger 333, 665, 4573, 9201
Metzler 619
Metzner 57, 2287
Meurer 1211
Meyer 19785
Meyer zu Ummeln
Michel 299
Minges (Wings?) 4603
Mohr (0,5) 607
Monschat 4553
Mösner 1147
Müller (5,5) 141, 595, 1133, 1221, 4579
Münster 4889
Muetzers 4941
Nagel (0,5) 183
Nessel 4947
Neubeck 287, 1145
Neuhaus 89
Obelode, Obbelohde, Ubbelohde, Obbelau 95 - a unique name linked to a farm at Steinhagen near Bielefeld.
Orth 4945 - a very well-studied name line traced back to 15th century Marburg and linked to the ancestry of Goethe.
Pahde 381
Pape 729
Paschen 737
(de) Pealier 19785
Pfeiffer 67
Pfersching 17
Pflug 225
Philippi 151, 609
Piroth/Pierot/Pyroth 623, 1245 - maybe from French Pierrot?
Plewe 53
Pollvogt - renamed to Steinmeier
Pott 3047
Prey 39565
Quick 161
Ramminger 551
Reichhard 2429
Reinig 173, 321
Rettig 657
Reuter 605
Riebel 283
Ripen 747
Rodenhausen 5251
Röder 83
Römer 2417
(von der) Rosen 2471 - the nameline came with refugees from Liege via Strasbourg
Röshof 583
Rustemeyer 185, 369
Saass 2277
Saur 587
Schaab 1301
Schäfer (2,3) 175, 8905
Schäffer 5285
Scheidthauer ? 61 ?
Scheuermann 1325
Schilling 45
Schiver 739
Schleipfer 4451
Schlosser 1185
Schmidt / Schmit / Schmitt(6,9) 43, 63, 87, 307, 1121, 1313, 2249, 2653, 18401, 21203
Schmidt-Bender
Schnitker 6051
Scholz (1,1) 29
Schönau 1175
Schöning 1525
Schuh 611
Schüler 1213
Schurter 4377
Schuster (0,7) 2441
Schütz 21, 41, 81, 597, 663, 2649
Schwar(t)z (1,6) 745, 1215, 4581
Schweicker 17877
Sebastian 571
Senter 1107
Siegel 19417
Siepmann 289 - may be linked to the place Am Zipp in Schwelm.
Sigginger 555
Simon (0,8) 71, 38843
Stadthaus ? 53?
Stamm 139
Stauch 565, 567
Steffen 1209, 1217, 77687
Steinmeier 191 - like the current federal president whose family comes from the same area near Bielefeld.
Stephan 31, 4599
Stier 1101
Stober 1111
Stohlmann 91
Strack 75
(de la) Strada 73 - of Italian origin according to family folklore, more about it here.
Straus 1233, 2221
Stumpf 1329
Sturm 18209
Surdelle 39571
Teppner 199
Tesch 2375, 9777
Thelen 2365
Thiel 1229
Thus 1247
Treger 77683
Treusch 165
Trimbach 569 - the wine growers in Alsace claim their nameline comes from the eponymous place in Switzerland.
Trust 149
Vader 2481, 2495
Vetter 5259
Volk 5287
Vossen an Gather 295
Wagner 1189, 2189, 2243
Walrabs 9885
Weckmüller 2421
Weick 2221
Weiland / Weyland 153 - is the name my most recent Jewish ancestor chose after converting to Christianity.
Weingart 2433
Weiß (1,0) 77, 911
Welters 4725
Wetzel 4469
Weydenbach 1109
Wiffels 2339
Wijsen / Wiesers 589
Willmann 2425
Wilsberg 145 - there is a place of that name in the Lower Rhine area where the Wilsberg name line appears to come from.
Wilser 273
Windt 49
Winterle
Wirth 2235
Wolf(f)(s) (1,8) 291 - my earliest Wolff ancestor came to Styrum and took on the name of the farm he took over, the Wolffskotten.
Wöllenstein 155375
Wursten ? 129
Wüst 275
Zehfuss / Ziegenfuss 2677
Zeisen / Zeutzheim 293 - the earliest Zeutzheims come from the village of Horchheim (Koblenz), not far from the village of Zeuzheim, so a move from one place to the other plausibly explains the origin of the name.
Zittel 563
My famlily history index pages: people -- surnames -- places -- migration events
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