Kleiner deutscher Familiennamenatlas

After the publication of the seven-volume German Family Name Atlas, this volume summarizes the most important and interesting findings in an easily understandable manner and illustrates them with numerous colorful name maps. Additionally, it provides many new insights from research on family names. The foundational work outlines the origin and development of family names in Germany, including names that have immigrated (e.g., Huguenot names), which reflect historical migration. It also addresses historical linguistic, grammatical, and dialectal aspects: Where are family names placed before the first name (the Hofreiter Anton), and where are they feminized (the Hofreiterin)? The five groups of motivations are presented and illustrated in detail: family names derived from professions (Stoiber), from first names (Merkel from Markward), from nicknames (Ströbele), based on residences (Steger), and based on origin (Hesse). The volume is complemented by seven chapters on regional name profiles, focusing on typical Low, Middle, and Upper German family names. This volume represents the most modern foundational work on our family names and is aimed at both experts and the interested public.