NationMaster - Encyclopedia: German placename etymology

Placenames in the German language area can be classified by the language from which they originate, and by their age. In geography and cartography, a toponym is a place name, a geographical name, a proper name of locality, region, or some other part of Earths surface or its natural or artificial feature. ... German (called Deutsch in German; in German the term germanisch is equivalent to English Germanic), is a member of the western group of Germanic languages and is one of the worlds major languages. ...

1 Languages
2 Meaning of Germanic names
3 References
4 See also

Languages

Celtic names, used in prehistoric times in the southern and western parts of the German language area. Examples: Mainz (from Latin Moguntiacum, derived from a Celtic name), Remagen (from Latin Rigomagus, from a Celtic name meaning "king's field"), Wien (Vienna) (from Latin Vindobona and Celtic Vedunia, meaning "forest brook"), Zürich (from the Celtic word Turus; the antique name of the town in its Romanized form was Turicum.)
Latin names:
- from classical times, when the southern and western parts of the German language area belonged to the Roman Empire. Examples: Koblenz (from Confluentes "joining rivers"), Köln (Cologne) (from Colonia "colony"), Aachen (from Aquae "springs"), Augsburg and Augst (from Augusta "city of Augustus" and the Germanic suffix -burg).
- from medieval times, when Latin was the language of church and administration. Examples: München (Munich) (from monachus, "monk"), Münster (from monasterium, "monastery"), Neumünster, Fraumünster, Grossmünster. See also minster.
German(ic) and Slavic names:
- From the 600s AD until recently, era, Slavic languages such as Polabian, Sorbian, Pomeranian, Polish, and Slovenian were also spoken in many eastern parts of the German language area. For Example: Chemnitz (from Caminici), Leipzig (from Sorbian lipa, "linden"), Leuna (from Lunaw), Rostock (from Old Polabian rostok, "river fork"), Dresden (from Sorbian Drežďany), Schwerin (from Polabian zvěŕ), Stettin (originally Pomeranian), Berlin (possibly from a Polabian word meaning "Swamp").
- Additionally, German placenames (and surnames) ending in -witz, -itz and -ow show placenames also used in Slavic (compare Polish placenames ending in -wice, -wiec, -ic and -ów and Czech placenames ending in -vice, -vec, -ic and -ov). The German suffix -au is often related to the Slavic -ow and -ov, because that derived from the Old German spelling (u= w =double u). the old Germanic district(Gaue (plural)), established by Charlemagne, were in earlier German sources spelled Gowe, Gouwe (compare to English: government, governer, gouverneur).

Some of today's place names do not reflect the actual earlier historical names such as Hesbaye, but when one searches for older names, one can still find the old Gouwe (Gau), such in Haspengouwe or Gäu as in Allgäu. The Celtic languages are the languages descended from Proto-Celtic, or Common Celtic, spoken by ancient and modern Celts alike. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Prehistoric man. ... Mainz is a city in Germany and the capital of the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate. ... Remagen is a city in Germany in the Bundesland of Rhineland-Palatinate, district Ahrweiler. ... Vienna (German: , see also other names) is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. ... View of the inner city with the four main churches visible, and the Albis in the backdrop ZÃ¼rich (German: , ZÃ¼rich German: ZÃ¼ri , French: , in English generally Zurich, Italian: ) is the largest city in Switzerland (population: 366,145 in 2004; population of urban area: 1,091,732) and... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ... Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, which begins roughly with the earliest-recorded Greek poetry of Homer (7th century BC), and continues through the rise of Christianity and the fall of the Western Roman Empire (5th century AD... Motto Senatus Populusque Romanus (SPQR) The Roman Empire at its greatest extent, c. ... Map of the Koblenz region Koblenz (also Coblenz in pre-1926 German spellings; French Coblence) is a city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck (German Corner) and its monument ( Emperor William I on horseback) are situated. ... KÃ¶ln may refer to: Cologne (German: KÃ¶ln), the fourth largest city in Germany and largest city of the North Rhine-Westphalia state German Cruiser KÃ¶ln that served from 1930-1945 mostly for the Kriegsmarine German Frigate KÃ¶ln (1961-1982), a F120 KÃ¶ln class frigate of... Oche redirects here; in darts the oche is the line from which players must throw. ... Augsburg is a city in south-central Germany. ... Augst is a municipality in the district of Liestal, in the canton of Basel-Country, Switzerland. ... For other uses, see Augustus (disambiguation). ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... Munich: Frauenkirche and Town Hall steeple Munich (German: MÃ¼nchen (pronounced listen) is the state capital of the German Bundesland of Bavaria. ... For other places with the same or similar names, and other uses of the word, see Munster (disambiguation) MÃ¼nster is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. ... NeumÃ¼nster is one of four independent towns in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. ... The FraumÃ¼nster church, the stained glass windows in the quire are by Marc Chagall. ... The GrossmÃ¼nster Facade of the monastery building, now housing the theological faculty of the University of Zurich The GrossmÃ¼nster (great minster) is one of the three major churches of ZÃ¼rich the others being the FraumÃ¼nster and St. ... In English usage a Minster is a grand type of church; the term may be extended to apply to a cathedral, such as York Minster. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Countries where a West Slavic language is the national language Countries where an East Slavic language is the national language Countries where a South Slavic language is the national language The Slavic languages (also called Slavonic languages), a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup... The Polabian language, which became extinct in the 18th century, was a group of Slavic dialects spoken in present-day northern Germany: Mecklenburg, Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, eastern parts of Lower Saxony, and Schleswig-Holstein. ... The Sorbian languages are classified under the West Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages. ... Stefan RamuÅ‚ts Dictionary of the Pomeranian (Kashubian) language, published in KrakÃ³w, 1893 Pomeranian language edition of Wikipedia Pomeranian is a group of Lechitic dialects which were spoken in the Middle Ages on the territory of Pomerania, between the Oder and Vistula rivers. ... Chemnitz (Sorbian/Lusatian Kamjenica, 1953-1990 called Karl-Marx-Stadt; Czech: SaskÃ¡ Kamenice) is a city in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. ... [] (Sorbian/Lusatian: Lipsk) is the largest city in the federal state of Saxony in Germany with a population of over 504,000. ... Leuna is a city with a population of about 6000, located in Saxony-Anhalt in eastern Germany. ... Rostock is a city in northern Germany. ... For other uses, see Dresden (disambiguation). ... Schwerin is a town in northern Germany. ... Motto: none Voivodship West Pomeranian Municipal government Rada miasta Szczecina Mayor Marian Jurczyk Area 301,3 km² Population - city - urban - density 413 600 1372/km² Founded City rights 8th century 1243 Latitude Longitude 14°34E 53°26N Area code +48 91 Car plates ZS Twin towns Berlin-Kreuzberg... Berlin is the capital city and one of the sixteen states of the Federal Republic of Germany. ... Look up Au, au in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Gau can denote Gau, the German term for shire. ... Hesbaye (Latinized as Hesbania in Medieval documents, modern French Hesbaye, modern Dutch Haspengouw), the region around Namur on the Meuse (Maas), Belgium, near LiÃ¨ge, was an important fief in the northwestern marches of the Merovingian kingdom of Austrasia. ... Gau can denote Gau, the German term for shire. ... AllgÃ¤u as seen from a hot air balloon AllgÃ¤u is an area in south-west of Swabia (Bavaria) and contains also a small part of south-east Baden-WÃ¼rttemberg. ...

The German and Slavic-influenced suffixes can be found in what is today eastern Germany and in neighboring areas of Poland and the Czech Republic. They were used in ancient Thuringia, Saxony, Franconia, Bavaria, Hesse, and Lower Saxony near Friesland. The Free State of Thuringia (German: Freistaat ThÃ¼ringen) is located in central Germany and is considered one of the smaller of Germanys sixteen BundeslÃ¤nder (federal states), with an area of 16,200 kmÂ² and 2. ... The Free State of Saxony (German: Freistaat Sachsen; Sorbian: Swobodny Stat Sakska) is the easternmost federal state of Germany. ... Franconia (German: Franken) is a historic region in modern Germany, which today forms three administrative regions of the German federal state of Bavaria: Lower Franconia (Unterfranken), Middle Franconia (Mittelfranken), and Upper Franconia (Oberfranken). ... The geographic region and Free State of Bavaria (German: ), with an area of 70,553 kmÂ² (27,241 square miles) and 12. ... Hesse (German: Hessen) is a state of Germany with an area of 21,110 kmÂ² and just over six million inhabitants. ... With an area of 47,618 km and nearly eight million inhabitants, Lower Saxony (German Niedersachsen) lies in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the countrys sixteen Bundesl nder (federal states). ... Capital Leeuwarden Queens Commissioner drs. ...

During the time when Charlemagne (German: Karl der Große) was ruling, Western Slavs took up the name Karl to mean king (Krol). The German word for city hall, Rathaus, was Polonized into ratus. A portrait of Charlemagne by Albrecht DÃ¼rer that was painted several centuries after Charlemagnes death. ... // Krol/Crol George A. Krol Henk Krol, Dutch journalist, editor-in-chief of the ga. ...

Meaning of Germanic names

German names from prehistoric and medieval times:

with the suffix -au, -aue, Low German -oog (related to rivers or water), see German words Au or Aue. This meaning of -au (earlier spelling ow, owe, ouwe) describes settlements at rivers, creeks. Example: Passau, a town Aue, rivers named Aue.
with the suffix -um (North Germany), -heim (South and Central Germany, Switzerland), -ham / -am (Bavaria and Austria), -hem / -em (West) (all cognate to English home and the English place name suffix -ham). Examples: Alkersum, Bochum, Borkum, Pforzheim, Kirchham.
with the suffix -ing or -ingen, -ungen, -ung, -ens (meaning "descendants of", used with a personal name as the first part). Examples: Göttingen, Straubing, Esens.
with the suffix -stadt or -stedt ("town"). Examples: Darmstadt, Neustadt.
with the suffix -burg ("keep", borough). Examples: Hamburg, Luxembourg, Regensburg (with the river Regen), Salzburg (with the Ancient Roman reference to salt), Straßburg (referring to the ).
with the suffix -berg ("mountain"). Examples: Heidelberg, Nürnberg (Nuremberg), Königsberg ("king's mountain", now Kaliningrad)
with the suffix -dorf or -torf ("village"). Example: Düsseldorf.
with the suffix -furt ("ford"). Examples: Erfurt, Frankfurt.
with the suffix -brücken or -brück ("bridge"). Examples: Saarbrücken, Osnabrück.
with the suffix -hausen ("house"). Examples: Mülhausen (Mulhouse), Mühlhausen, Schaffhausen.
with the suffix -feld ("field"). Examples: Bielefeld, Mansfeld.
with the suffix -werth, -wörth, or -ort ("holm"). Example: Kaiserswerth, Donauwörth, Ruhrort
with the suffix -roth or -rath, -rode, -reuth, -rade ("clearing"). Example: Roth, Wernigerode, Overath. It can also be used as the prefix -Rade: Radebeul, Radevormwald.

German names from modern times. They usually follow the established patterns.

Wuppertal ("Wupper valley"), Karl-Marx-Stadt ("Karl Marx city", name for Chemnitz during the DDR era), Wilhelmshaven ("William's harbour", referring to King William I of Prussia).

Low German (also called Plattdeutsch, PlattdÃ¼Ã¼tsch or Low Saxon) is a name for the regional language varieties of the West Germanic languages spoken mainly in Northern Germany where it is officially called Niederdeutsch (Low German), and in Eastern Netherlands where it is officially called Nedersaksisch (Low Saxon). Low refers... Look up Au, au in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Old Town of Passau Passau (Latin: Batavia) is a town in Niederbayern, Eastern Bavaria, Germany, known also as DreiflÃ¼ssestadt (the City of three rivers), because the Danube River is joined there by the Inn River from the South, and the Ilz River coming out of the Bavarian Forest to... Aue is a small city of 18,000 inhabitants at the confluence of Schwarzwassers and Zwickauer Mulde in the western part of the Erzgebirge. ... Alkersum is a municipality in Nordfriesland district, in northern Germany. ... Bochum is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. ... Borkum photographed from a lighthouse Borkum is an island in the Leer District in Lower Saxony, northwestern Germany. ... Pforzheim is a town of 119,000 inhabitants in the state of Baden-WÃ¼rttemberg, south-west Germany at the gate to the Black Forest. ... For the town in Upper Austria, see Kirchham, Austria. ... GÃ¶ttingen ( ) is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany. ... Straubing is an independent city in Niederbayern. ... Esens is a town in the district of Wittmund, in Lower Saxony, Germany. ... Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland (federal state) of Hessen in Germany. ... Neustadt (new city) is a common name for cities and municipalities in the German-speaking countries. ... The keep of Scarborough Castle Rochester Castle featuring a massive turreted keep Early 13th century keep (Rouen, France) The 14th century residential keep at LargoÃ«t A keep is a strong central tower which normally forms the heart of a castle. ... Look up Borough in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Hamburg from above Hamburgs motto: May the posterity endeavour with dignity to conserve the freedom, which the forefathers acquired. ... Regensburg (also Ratisbon, Latin Ratisbona) is a city (population 129,175 in 2005) in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. ... is the fourth-largest city in Austria and the capital of the federal state of Salzburg. ... City flag City coat of arms Location Coordinates Time Zone CET (GMT +1) Administration Country France Region Alsace Department Bas-Rhin (67) Intercommunality Urban Community of Strasbourg Mayor Fabienne Keller (UMP) City Statistics Land areaÂ¹ 78. ... Heidelberg and the other cities of the Neckar valley The castle (Schloss) above the town Main Street (Hauptstrasse) Shopping district View from the so called alley of philosophers (Philosophenweg) towards the Old Town, with Heidelberg Castle, Heiliggeist Church and the Old Bridge Heidelberg is a city in Baden-WÃ¼rttemberg... Nuremberg (German: NÃ¼rnberg, Polish: Norymberga) is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. ... Kaliningrad (Russian: ), until 1945 known by its German name KÃ¶nigsberg, then briefly as Kyonigsberg (), is a seaport and the administrative center of Kaliningrad Oblast, the Russian exclave between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea. ... DÃ¼sseldorf is the capital city of the German Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and (together with Cologne and the Ruhr Area) the economic center of Western Germany. ... Mariendom and the Severikirche. ... For other uses, see Frankfurt (disambiguation). ... SaarbrÃ¼cken [] is the capital of the Saarland Bundesland in Germany. ... OsnabrÃ¼ck is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, some 80 km NNE of Dortmund, 45 km NE of MÃ¼nster, and some 100 km due west of Hanover. ... Mulhouse (French: Mulhouse, pronounced ; Alsatian: MilhÃ¼sa; German: MÃ¼lhausen) is a town and commune in eastern France close to Swiss and German border. ... MÃ¼hlhausen is a city in the federal state Thuringia, Germany. ... Schaffhausen (German: , French: Schaffhouse, Italian: Sciaffusa) is a city in northern Switzerland and the capital of the canton of the same name; it has an estimated population of 33,527 as of March 31, 2005. ... Bielefeld is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. ... Mansfeld can refer to: Ernst, Graf von Mansfield, a general of the Thirty Years War Mansfelder Land, a district of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Kaiserswerth is one of the oldest parts of the City of DÃ¼sseldorf, it is in the north of the city, and next to the river Rhine. ... Known as Nordschwabens freundliche Mitte (North Swabias Friendly Center), DonauwÃ¶rth is a city in the German State of Bavaria (Bayern), in the region of Swabia (Schwabenland). ... RUHRORT, a town of Germany, in the Prussian Rhine province, situated at the junction of the Ruhr and the Rhine, in the midst of a productive coal district, 15 rn. ... // Roth [ro:t | ro(U)Î¸]: Roth (district), a district in Bavaria Roth bei NÃ¼rnberg, the capital of that district Roth, Moselle, a village in France == o yedsjxfkszjdflszkd sodfhsz;lf ;ojfshd; fs: jkfdg;zsd; ;odkd sd jddf j k Djdc spdi;lsdkd d fwoe;u aewoihf;OSDlfns?LDfnsldfsl:DJFhszlkfhz djd... Wernigerode Castle Wernigerode is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. ... The Steinhof, a restaurant today, is the oldest settlement in Overath. ... Vineyard in Radebeul Radebeul is a town (große Kreisstadt) in the Elbe valley, Saxony, Germany, a posh suburb of Dresden. ... ---Sidenote START--- Radevormwald is a North Rhine-Westphalian municipality in the Oberbergischer Kreis, about 50 km east of Cologne. ... Wuppertal university Wuppertal is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. ... The Wupper is a tributary to the Rhine river in Northrhine-Westfalia of Germany. ... Chemnitz (Sorbian/Lusatian Kamjenica, 1953-1990 called Karl-Marx-Stadt; Czech: SaskÃ¡ Kamenice) is a city in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. ... Karl Heinrich Marx (May 5, 1818, Trier, Germany â€“ March 14, 1883, London) was a German philosopher, political economist, and revolutionary. ... Wilhelmshaven is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. ... William I (William Frederick Louis, German: ) (March 22, 1797 â€“ March 9, 1888) of the House of Hohenzollern was a King of Prussia (January 2, 1861 â€“ 9 March 1888) and the first German Emperor (18 January 1871 â€“ 9 March 1888). ...

References

Berger, Dieter (1999). Geographische Namen in Deutschland. Mannheim: Duden. ISBN 3411062525.

Contents

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Meaning of Germanic names

References

See also

Languages