German Town Name Meanings
The more I involve myself in genealogy research, the more
curious and interested I become with other aspects of history
that I might not have otherwise given much thought to.
Take for example, the names of German cities, towns and
villages. Oftentimes while researching, I have stopped and
pondered a name, wondering what it meant, why it received such a
name, and about the people who called such places 'home'.
German and American localities share many of the same physical
characteristics as one another. Three types of these localities
that I found worth referencing, and briefly discussed, are
"Stadt, Dorf, and Weiler".
German towns and cities are both generally referred to as
stadts. A stadt is a locality with a large number of
inhabitants, buildings, and significant businesses. Stadts are
complete with their own local government and serve as a civil
center for the surrounding area. When stadt comes to my mind, I
think of the cities and towns, with their hustle and bustle,
around my own home.
A dorf is known to most people as a village. These localities
are smaller than a stadt, but they have their own local
government, church, school, and assortment of businesses. You
might think of a dorf as surburbia - those places a short drive
out of the city that offer a little more breathing room for
residents.
A weiler is akin to a hamlet. These very small localities often
have only a small number of houses, with no local administration
and generally no church. Residents of a hamlet are typically
administered by the local government and church of a larger
village that they belong to. When I think of a weiler, I think
of rural America; getting away from it all; blinking while I'm
passing through and missing the place altogether; and the how
far a 'country mile' really is.
I have found that referencing these names - stadt, dorf and
weiler - to their American counterparts - city, village and
hamlet - has helped my understanding of my ancestors with their
surroundings.
There are also a number of common root words associated with
some of these localities. Again, having come across these words
with some regularity, I thought it would be useful to find out
what they meant, and in doing so, perhaps gain some further
knowledge about my family and their neighbors. Examples of some
common words include:
Bach - Brook, Baum - Tree, Berg - Mountain, Born - Fount, Braun
- Brown, Bruck - Bridge, Burg - Castle, Dorf - Village, Feld -
Field, Garten - Garden, Hafen - Harbor, Heim - Home, Hof - Yard,
Kirch - Church, Loch - Hole, Rath - Clearing, Schied -
Separated, Parted, Tal - Valley, Wald - Forest, Weiler - Hamlet
Using this understanding of stadts, dorfs and weilers, and
throwing their characteristics into the mix with some of the
aforementioned root words produces some fun and informative
translations of the names I've seen over the years. It is easy
to understand why some places, like Falkenberg, the "Falcon's
Mountain" and Rastenfeld, "Resting Fields" have received their
names; others, like Langschlag, "Long Hit", and Raschdorf,
"Rapid Village", are less obvious. Some other locality examples
and their name meanings:
Allenfeld - All Field, Badenheim - Bathing Home, B