The most common German surname is Müller (which translates as Miller). It’s thought that this system dates back to the time of Charlemagne. If his wife inherited a farm, he might change his name to her maiden name. If a German moved onto someone else's farm estate (or Hof), it was not uncommon to change his last name to that of the farm. The last name could, for example, also be what you would call a farm name.
If doing ancestry searches, you should be aware that in some areas of Germany, such as Westfalen, Hannover, Lippe-Detmold, Oldenburg and Schlesien, there are exceptions to the rule which make research more complicated. Many of these professions no longer exist but survive in naming traditions. They include Schneider (tailor), Fischer (fisherman) and Weber (weaver). In Germany, these occupational names still form the largest group of German surnames. These were then passed down through each generation. ‘Hans dictus Krier’ (‘Hans who is called a soldier.’) Initially, they were mainly a way of distinguishing between people more easily and as settlements grew into villages, and later towns and cities, descriptions of professions such as tailor, miller and cobbler/shoemaker were attached to people’s first names using the Latin word ‘dictus’ (‘called’) e.g. It wasn’t until the Middle Ages (in approximately the 12th century) that family names came into common use. Because of this, German last names can be found throughout bordering countries, including Poland, Austria, France and Spain. Even after 1871, Germany's land area and political influence shifted several times.
Until then, it was made up of smaller nation-states whose borders frequently changed. In January 1871 Germany became a unified country.
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