I wish to thank Andrea Claussen of Husum, Germany for providing the information of the German Family names that are found in the Manning, Iowa area. (just a note -- these definitions are not written in stone)
| Surname | taken from the German word | meaning and background description |
| Ahrens/Ahrend
Arndt | arn | eagle---- son of the eagle |
| Bald | --- | bald or bold |
| Barten | --- | one with a big beard |
| Bierl | --- | Southern German |
| Blum | --- | flower |
| Blohm | Plattdeutsche | flower |
| Brandt | Brand | shortform of Hildebrandt, Sibrand, Gerbrand |
| Bruch | --- | swampy wood |
| Brus | Brausekopf | one with a hot (ill) temper |
| Bunz | --- | barrel, barrelshaped guy |
| Dentlinger | --- | southern German name |
| Detlefsen
Dethlefs |
--- | son of Detlef (Dietleib=son of the people) |
| Eischeid | --- | Ei=egg
Scheid(en)= separate |
| Ewoldt | Ewaldt | one who fights for the law |
| Ewoldt | ewa=old right wold(t)=walten= govern |
someone who governs or reigns by right
very old German name (700 AD) Wold also is Platt for wood |
| Fischer | --- | fisher |
| Forman | Vormann, Vorman | carter |
| Frahm | --- | one who is able and bold |
| Frank | --- | one of the tribe of Franks (Franken) |
| Ferneding | fern = virn
ding = (Ding) | last year's
thing |
| Genzen | Jentz/Jensen | son of John |
| Gross | --- | big |
| Guth | --- | good |
| Hagedorn | --- | hedgethorn, woodthorn |
| Hargens | Hergens | Friesian name |
| Haubrich | Hubertus | patron of the hunters |
| Heithoff | --- | farm on the heath |
| Heller | a coin | origin--- 1208, first pressed at Schwäbisch-Hall |
| Henkelman | Heinckel/Henke | Henry's man |
| Herbers | Herbert's | from heri-berth = radiant in the army (Germanic) |
| Hill | Hell | wild area with crevices |
| Huffman | --- | one who owns a Hufe |
| Irlbeck | Erle Irle beck | Alder swamp creek |
| Irlmeier | Erle Irle Maier/Meier | Alder swamp steward |
| Jahn | --- | John |
| Karsten | --- | Christian |
| Kelderman | Kellermann | one who works in the cellar, keeper of the wine |
| Kienappel | Kienapfel | Pine Cone |
| Kienast | Kiefernast | pinebranch |
| Klocke | Glocke | bell |
| Kuhn | Kühn /Kunrad, Konrad | bold adviser |
| Kruse | Krause | curly haired person |
| Kroeger | Krüger
Krug | landlord of a country inn
pitcher, jug |
| Lampman | --- | man with a lamp |
| Langel | Lange, Langer | a long person |
| Lohrmann | --- | one coming from the river Lohr (near river Main) |
| Martens | --- | short for Martin's son |
| Morlok | --- | one with curls as black as a moor |
| Meggers | Maiers, Meier | major domus = steward |
| Misselhorn | ---
horn | one who lives in a boggy corner
bend |
| Popp | Friesian name | no real meaning, so called babbled name |
| Potthoff | pott | kind of stew (carrots, potatoes or cereals, beef) |
| Puck | German & English | goblin |
| Reimers | ---
Reinmar, reginmar | son of Reimer
famous in the counsel |
| Reischl | --- | one who lives near the rushes |
| Ress | --- | one who lives at the bog |
| Riesselman | --- | one who lives in the Riess |
| Ringgenberg
--- --- | ---
ring = gering berg = | smallhill
minor or small mountain |
| Rix | Rickert, Richard | --- |
| Schultz | Schultz, Schulz, Schultze, Schultheiss,, Scholz | village mayor |
| Schwiesow | --- | comes from German county of Mecklenburg |
| Singsank | --- | singsong |
| Soll | Solle, Soller | balcony |
| Spies/Spiese | ---
Spiess | pikemaker |
| Sporrer | --- | sparrow |
| Stangl | --- | long, stiff person |
| Venner | --- | one who lives on marshy grounds- also Fennemann |
| Vetter | --- | cousin |
| Voge | --- | small, skillful person |
| Vinke | Finke | finch |
| Warner/Warnke | Werner
warin-hari | ---
(Germanic) fight in the army |
| Weller | --- | one who lives at a well |
| Wittrock | --- | white coat |
| Zubrod | --- | extra bread (extra money) |
| Waterbury | English | town/castle at the water |
| Rasmussen | Scandinavian | son of Rasmus from Erasmus (Lat.) = the aimable |
| Nielsen | Scandinavian | son of Niels = Nicolaus |
| Larsen/Lerssen | Scandinavian | son of Lars from Laurentius |
| Knudson | Danish | son of Knut |
| Anderson | Scandinavian | son of Anders =Andrew |