Germanic Genealogy
Vocabulary for Finding Your Germanic Roots
Part 2c: Family, Geography, Heraldry
Germanic Names | Genealogy Vocabulary | Old Occupations
- Addresses, Birth, Baptism
- Dates, Death, Marriage
- Family, Geography, Heraldry (below)
- Historic Place Names in German - English-German
Relations and Family:
Base female cousin
Bruder bother
Eidam son-in-law
die Familie the family
Großmutter/vater grandmother/father
Mutter mother
Onkel uncle
Schwester sister
Schwager brother-in-law
Schwägerin sister-in-law
Schwieger- in-law, as in Schwiegermutter (mother-in-law)
Sohn son
Stiefmutter/vater stepmother/father
Tante aunt
Tochter daughter
Vater father
Vetter male cousin
Urgroßmutter/vater great grandmother/father
> See our Die Familie English-German glossary for more.
Geographic Locations:
Also see: Historic Place Names in German
Aachen Aix-la-Chapelle
Bayern Bavaria
Bezirk (abbr. Bez.) district
Bodensee Lake Constance
Braunschweig Brunswick
BRD (Bundesrepublik Deutschland) German Federal Republic, (West) Germany
DDR (Deutsche Demokratische Republik) East Germany
Deutschland Germany
Donau Danube
Dorf village
Grafschaft county
Großherzogtum grand duchy
Heimat homeland
Heimatort/Heimatstadt home town
Köln Cologne
Königreich kingdom
Kreis district/county
München Munich
Nord north
Österreich Austria
Ost east
Ostsee Baltic Sea
Preussen/Preußen Prussia
Pommern Pomerania
Rhein Rhine
Sachsen Saxony
Schweiz Switzerland
Stadt city, town
Süd south
Westfalen Westphalia
Wien Vienna
Note: Keep in mind that over the years some places have changed their names or are no longer located in Germany or Austria as they once were. Germany (Prussia) was not even a country until 1871. Before that, what we now call Germany was a patchwork of separate kingdoms and duchies. Two world wars have also caused even more border changes since 1918. - Also see: Historic Place Names in German (English-German glossary).
A good example of geographic change would be Alsace-Lorraine (Elaß and Lothringen), now in France but formerly part of Germany. Name changes aren't that unusual either. The German city once known as Danzig is now in Poland and today bears the name of Gdansk. Königsberg, formerly the capital of East Prussia (Ostpreußen), is now Russian Kaliningrad. The city of Chemnitz became Karl-Marx-Stadt when it was part of East Germany. Today it is Chemnitz once again.
Heraldry Terms and Titles of Nobility
Graf count
Helm helmet
Heraldik heraldry
Herzog duke
Wappen coat of arms
Wappenbild heraldic figure, design
Wappenbuch heraldic book, register
Wappenkunde heraldry
Note: The preposition von (of, from) in front of a surname usually indicates nobility, but some German immigrants tacked on an illegitimate "von" after arriving in the New World to enhance their social status or because it sounded better. A notable example was the Austrian-born film director Josef von Sternberg (1894-1969), who was not born with his "von," but added it to make his name sound more impressive.
- Addresses, Birth, Baptism
- Dates, Death, Marriage
- Family, Geography, Heraldry
- Historic Place Names in German - English-German
Germanic Names | Genealogy Vocabulary | Old Occupations
Related Links
Genealogical Vocabulary - Part One
German names, first and last.
Historic Place Names in German
In this historical gazetteer (Ortslexikon) you can find the modern name for places that have changed their names over the years.
German Roots: A Personal Search
The true account of one family's search for genealogy records in a small German town - with sample documents, photographs and more.
Germanic Genealogy: Contents
All of the genealogy pages for German.
Germanic Surname Lexikon
Germanic surnames with their English meanings.
German Name Links
A collection of Web links for German names.
Die Familie - The Family
Our English-German glossary with vocabulary concerning the family and relatives.
From Hamburg to Amerika
The Hamburg State Archive is putting emigrant passenger lists online.
German Names, Parts 1-3
An article about German names: first, last, and geographic.
What's in a Name? - Ludwig
Despite its frequency in history, the name Ludwig is no longer a popular German name. But it has an interesting past.
English-German Glossaries
All of the vocabulary lists — by category.
Germanic Genealogy
Online genealogical resources and sites that can help you find your Germanic roots.
German Translation Page
Our special page lets you select English-to-German or German-to-English. Get a draft translation of your own words/sentences or a Web page.
Online Dictionaries
Links from your Guide for various online dictionaries that can help you translate German genealogical terms.
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