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If You Have One of These Last Names, Your Ancestors Were Warriors

Named by History

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These German surnames were made for war: 15 German last names whose origin and meaning trace back to warriors, mercenaries, and battle words more than 1,000 years old. If you have German ancestry, this journey through medieval records and name etymology reveals the surname meaning hidden inside some of the most common German surnames carried by German American families today.

Number 15: Kri...
Number 14: Hel...
Number 13: Lud...
Number 12: Str...
Number 11: Söl...
Number 10: Sch...
Number 9: Deg...
Number 8: Kem...
Number 7: Stü...
Number 6: Hau...
Number 5: Wig...
Number 4: Gün...
Number 3: Hil...
Number 2: Sie...
Number 1: ???

Tell us where you're listening from and which surname you'd like decoded. Any name, any origin.

You were named by history.

#GermanSurnames #NameEtymology #GermanAncestry

20 Comments

@namedbyhistory Creator 1 month ago Pinned

If you'd like to know the meaning carried in your own name, you can trace it at namedbyhistory.com.
And if you'd like it featured in a future video, leave your surname in the comments below.

@fload46d 2 months ago

Notice the German knight makes the sign of the cross. Germany was entirely Catholic since the time of Boniface until Fr. Martin Luther brought his revolution.

@Cindy-gj7ge 9 days ago

#3 first time I've heard my name in one of these...

@kreearvanitas9806 2 months ago

Grandmothers family have two German names, Hedrick or Hedreich, and Emmerich. We know they came from the Palitinate and fought in the American revolution.

@LisaRamseyer 1 month ago

My maiden name is Creger, an Americanized version of Krieger. We go way back to before the founding of the country starting in PA and moving down to Wythe County, VA.

@DallasGunther 1 month ago

Gunther. My grandfather moved from Khemnitz to Salt Lake City with his family in the early 1900's.

@allanw4206 1 month ago

Wehrman(n). My family immigrated to Missouri in 1848.

@MaryKay-522 1 month ago

Degen here, Missouri

@JackGilbert-p8h 2 months ago

I descend from the “Kriegers”…. Literally translates to “Warrior”…

@laurakinder1772 2 months ago (edited)

My grandfathers last name was Hiner. He was in WWII and worked with Eisenhower.

@johnlindemann4320 2 months ago

Lindemann here. Genealogy has my family from Minden/Petershagen area.

@septblues 1 month ago

My son, myself, my father, his father, and his father are/were Henry Frederick Bindbeutel, my G.G. grandfather Was Abelus Bindbeutel and the most resent local I have found was Darmstat, Hesse. I believe there are Bindbeutels still living in the area.

@willstollfuss7120 1 month ago

Stollfuss.
4 generations back came to America and settled in Ripon Wisconsin.
Also Canon, Brown, and Steinmann.

@grannieyaya 2 months ago

Eisan here, thank you

@DARYLMETHENEY-p4x 2 months ago

SJ valley,California, born 1953

@MrTHocker 1 month ago (edited)

Not sure if mine started as a Warrior name, but when they came from Baden in the 1700's, it was "Hacker". It means "chopper", and is usually associated with a woodchopper (Holzhacker) or a butcher. My ancestors have a similar story as the Eisenhower family. I have friends named Dagenhart (Degenhart) and Hildebrandt.

@jackielandry9607 2 months ago

Listening from Louisiana. I would like the surname Luent decoded please.

@samglick2735 1 month ago

listening from cape breton ns. canada. would like the surname brake origin ,thank you

@h82rn 2 months ago

My great grandfather was a Hildebrndt

@ChrisLuedtke-b9h 2 months ago

This is interesting because my last name is Luedtke, which, from my research, is a "pet" name of Ludoff. 2 days ago, I looked up what my last name actually means, and it said that Luedtke means "Little Warrior". Now, since Ludoff was NOT one of these names covered in this particular video, I'm wondering if my last name was derived from Ludwig.