German-American Names (2nd Edition) (Hardcover)

~ George F. Jones (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Most of us are curious about the meaning of our names. For those with names of German origin, this dictionary will satisfy that curiosity. There is a 60-page introduction that explains where German names came from and tells how to use the dictionary. The author's discussion of the Americanization of German immigrants' names fills a gap in the current literature. Few authors have succeeded in making this topic as simple and entertaining as Jones has. It is the best treatment of the subject in English. Medium and large public and academic libraries will want this in their reference sections. Special libraries serving genealogists will find it a necessity.
- Raymond S. Wright III, Family History Lib., Salt Lake City
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

This is an A-Z dictionary of German-American names with the spellings, meanings, and variants of about 15,000 names. The lengthy introduction discusses the development of German names, name sources, name variations, and some of the special characteristics of German-American names. Here is explained the meanings of names borne today by Americans which derive from the German language or its dialects. It also deals with the Americanization of some of these names, explaining the social and historical matters that contributed to the distinctive character of German-American names. And it deals as well with names many of us would never have thought of as German. The vast amount of information on German-American names in this work is unequaled in any other book on this subject. This second edition is fifty pages longer than the previous edition and has several thousand more entries.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Genealogical Publishing Company; 2nd edition (January 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806314818
• ISBN-13: 978-0806314815
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,412,659 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very interesting resource, January 17, 2007

By	Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: German-American Names (Paperback)

This wonderful little book is the product of Dr. George Fenwick Jones's lifelong interest in German names. The beginning of the book is a history of German names, including what happened to them in America. After that, the book goes into a lengthy alphabetical list of surnames that points back to appropriate paragraph in the earlier chapters, explaining where it came from.

Overall, I found this to be a very interesting resource. If you are interested in genealogy, or just want to know a little bit about your names, then this is a good book for you to get. I highly recommend it!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What Was The Origin Of My Name?, November 23, 2008

By	Overweight and Proud Of It (Springfield, Illinois USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: German-American Names (Paperback)

Like everyone else, I fantasized that my distant ancestors were noble lords, wise sages, shrewd merchants and so on. However, I have found that while all of the other German surnamed families with familial links to my German surnamed family have some form of an acknowledged coat of arms, my German surname apparently does not. Apparently, my ancestors were the cooks and chefs that kept everyone else well-fed. Oh well, back to putting the icing on the cake.....

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Informative, June 20, 2009

By	Judith Sheppard "Judy2Shoes" (Paducah KY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: German-American Names (Paperback)

Lots of great information to support the research I was doing. It aided me in compilation of a family documentary.