Corresponding occupational surnames in English and German
(I'm inluding titles)
|
| Baker | Bäcker, Becker |
| Brewer | Brauer |
| Butcher | Fleischer, Metzger |
| Carpenter | Zimmermann (as in Robert Z. aka Bob Dylan) |
| Carter | Fuhrmann |
| Cartwright | Wagner |
| Cook | Koch |
| Cooper | Küfer, Fassbender, Fassbinder
|
| Duke | Herzog
|
| Dyer |
Färber, Ferber
|
| Farmer | Bauer
|
| Fisher | Fischer
|
| Glazer | Glaser
|
| Hunter | Jäger
|
| Joiner | Schreiner, Tischler |
| Judge | Richter |
| King | König
|
| Knight | Ritter
|
| Major (mil. rank) | Hauptmann
|
| Mason | Maurer |
| Master | Meister |
| Mayor | Schulz, Schulze |
| Merchant | Kaufmann |
| Miller | Müller |
| Miner | Bergmann |
| Pope | Papst |
| Prince | Prinz |
| Pastor | Pastor |
| Potter | Töpfer, Krüger |
| Priest | Priester |
| Sexton | Küster, Glöckner |
| Shepherd | Schäfer
|
| Shoemaker | Schumacher
|
| Singer | Sänger |
| Smith | Schmied, Schmidt, Schmitz and more |
| Steward | Meier (a Meier can also be a dairy farmer) |
| Tanner | Gerber |
| Taylor | Schneider |
| Turner | Dreher |
| Waggoner | Fuhrmann |
| Weaver | Weber
|
|
|
Common English occupational surnames with no corresponding German version that I know of
|
| Barber | Friseur, Barbier
|
Common German occupational surnames with no(?) corresponding English version
My test is via the white pages of my local telephone book, that of the Greater New Haven area.
I'm leaving out exotic names like Leyendecker or Beckenbauer that probably haven't made it to the US.
|
| Diener | Servant, footman, valet |
| Geiger | Violinist |
| Graf | Count |
| Kaiser | Emperor
|
| Köhler |
lit. "coaler": guy who makes charcoal by burning wood piles in the forest—frequently encountered in German fairy tales
|
| Krämer, Kremer | Shopkeeper, haberdasher |
| Lehrer | Teacher |
| Ma[h]ler | Painter |
| Schuster | Cobbler |
| Seiler | Rope maker |
| Spielmann | Musician |
| Spengler | Tin smith |
| Weinbrenner | Brandy maker (lit. "wine burner") |
| Winzer | Vintner, wine grower |
|