Old German name composed of the elements adal "noble" and beraht "bright." For example, the surname Meyer means dairy farmer today, whereas, during the Middle Ages, Meyer designated people who were stewards of landholders. Pages in category "German noble families" The following 200 pages are in this category, out of approximately 222 total. This list may not reflect recent changes ( learn more ). The German Nobility in Law and Practice . German Genealogy German Nobility, Aristocracy, Lineage, Heraldry and Coats of Arms. The Origin of German Last Names . At this point, however, we would like to draw your attention to the fact that the nobility of the nobility offered here are not real nobility titles in the sense of the word. If you want to acquire a “real” nobility title, you will only have to investigate whether or not your family is … Hohenzollern. A list of German origin and Americanised family names. A glossary of these titles is below. Contents. ADALRIC: German form of Anglo-Saxon Aethelric, meaning "noble rule." A great Majority of the surnames of the German Aristocracy contained the word "von", "Zu" and other denominations. ADALBRECHT: "Bright nobility." The thing which makes them different from traditional surnames, however, is that when a person moved onto a farm, he would change his name to that of the farm (a name which usually came from the farm's original owner). The goal of this project is to trace the German royal family and noble families. (And nevermind that the Von Trapps are Austrian!). Trenck - Von der Trenck. A variation on locality names, farm names in Germany are names which came from the family farm. Old German name composed of the elements adal "noble" and hart "hardy; strong." There was virtually no upward movement between classes, and only limited upward mobility within each class. The traditional honorifics for nobility are, in descending order, Majestät for emperors and kings and their wives (but not husbands), kaiserliche Hoheit for the members of imperial houses (though in the German Empire only the Crown Prince, with the others merely considered Prussian royalty; in Austria after 1867 officially "kaiserlich-königlich") German Farm Names . For more information, see: Wikipedia: German Nobility Heraldica: The German Nobility Altgraf/Altgräfin - Altgrave/Altgravine - used by the counts of Lower Salm to distinguish themselves from the Wild- and Rhinegraves of Upper Salm Burggraf/Burggräfin… The German system of nobility, as indeed the European system in general, is quite different from the English system with which most Americans are familiar. Family tree of the German Monarchs; House of Hohenzollern; German Nobility; German Noble Families; Imperial, Royal and Noble Families of Germany 3 Pages; Surnames include . Most German surnames derive either from archaic professions (such as Schmidt, Müller, … The meanings of German last names are those as defined initially when these names became surnames. ADALHARD: "Noble strength." Pre-1918 German society had farm laborers and servants at the bottom of the social scale and the nobility at the top. Pfefferkorn - Pfefferman - Feferman - ge: FETTERMAN Find more great German names. When dealing with German royals and nobles, we often see their titles in German. The English have a peerage system and not an extensive system of nobility, though their squires or landed gentry would tend to be the closest thing. The nobility of Germany as a legally regulated caste was supressed the 11th of August of 1919 by the Republic of Weimar, which established by law an egalitarian social structure. For a classic German name, just think of the children in The Sound of Music: Friedrich, Kurt, Louisa, Brigitta, and wee Gretel. Surnames of the Nobility. 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