Author’s Note: If you are interested in more tricks for deciphering the old German script in your genealogy documents, check out my book on the topic, Tips and Tricks of Deciphering German Handwriting!
You have your German genealogy document. You are feeling relatively confident with the handwriting. But those letters just don’t seem to be forming any word you can find in the dictionary. What could be going on?
As German spelling was not standardized until the end of the 19th century, the spelling of words in handwritten documents can often be rather “creative”, to say the least. In these types of situations, the trick to deciphering the handwriting is: Think like a German! (*For a simple chart of spelling variations, see the end of the article*).
What does it mean to think like a German, you ask? Well, in the German language, even today, many certain letters sound the same to German speakers. Case in point: I was once in a book shop in Austria, and had placed an order for a book. The bookseller asked for my last name, upon which I replied with my maiden name, Portnoy. He looked at me and said, “Now, would that be with a hard P or a soft B?” Confused, I replied, “It’s just a P. You know, Puh, Puh!”
Upon further inquiry, I found out that the Germans have a hard time telling the difference between their spoken P and B. They have therefore applied adjectives (hard and soft) to the letters to clarify which consonant they mean. For Americans, P and B are very distinct (although they are made at the same place in our mouth), but for Germans, they need that extra description to be sure which letter is meant. And this leads to the fact that many German writers of the past misspelled P words with B’s and vice versa.
K and G: For any linguists out there, you may now be recognizing a pattern. Just as B and P are spoken at the same place in our mouths, K and G are also formed in the same part of the mouth as one another (what differentiates these letters from each other is that the B and G are voiced, meaning our vocal cords vibrate when we make these sounds, while the P and the K are voiceless, with no vocal cord vibration). Again, English speakers make a bigger distinction between these sounds than German does, which means that our German ancestors often mixed up the K and the G in writing (in very creative cases, a K or a G may also have been used for a CH).
T and D: Just as the above letter pairs, the only distinction between these letters is whether the vocal cords vibrate or not, meaning that there is not a big difference in these sounds for German speakers. So if a word is not making any sense and you can’t find it in a dictionary, try replacing the T with a D or vice-versa.
F and V: In German, the letter V sounds like the F sound, meaning many German speakers often mixed up the two letters. Case in point: I once translated a letter from a German person living in America, written in German. The author was describing his occupation, and wrote the word “Varmer.” After puzzling what this random German word could be, I then realized that the author meant “farmer” in English, but had misspelled it with a V.
C and K: C is not a very common letter in German today, but in some words of the past, they did use a C where a K would be written today. For example, you may see the modern German spelling “Oktober” written as “October” in the past.
Extra H’s: You will often see many words in old German documents that have an H included where no H would be written today. Some examples include:
- verheirathet (verheiratet) – married
- thun (tun) – to do
- Thräne (Träne) – tears
- Monath (Monat) – month
For further examples, see here: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutsche_Rechtschreibung_im_sp%C3%A4ten_19._Jahrhundert
Umlauts: Most German writers did use the umlaut (ä, ö, ü) but some preferred to write this sound as ae, oe, and ue. You can see this in the spelling of certain last names today. For instance, my German ancestors’ last name was “Müller”, but our family spells the name “Mueller” today. So if your ancestor wrote a word with “ae”, but you can’t find it in the dictionary, try typing “ä”.
EI and EŸ: Some words spelled with EI today were spelled with EŸ in the past (with an umlaut over the Y). Examples:
- beÿ (bei) – preposition meaning many different things, depending on the context (http://dict.leo.org/englisch-deutsch/bei)
- seÿn (sein) – to be
- Freÿtag (Freitag) – Friday
EU and EI: Depending on the region of Germany, Austria or Switzerland, some authors may have pronounced EU words (normally pronounced as the OY in boy) as EI (like the I in bike). Some examples:
- eich (euch) – you all
- Freind (Freund) – friend
ß and S: ß (Eszett, or sharp S, pronounced as SS) is still used in German today, although the rules on when to use it have changed. This means that you may often see ß in words where an S or two S’s would be used in German today. One example is “laßen” (to allow, let, to have done) instead of “lassen”.
I and IE: In the past, German writers often substituted an IE (like the “ee” in “feed) for what would only be an “i” today, as “i” also sounds like “ee”. Example:
- giebt (gibt) – to give (or Es giebt/Es gibt – There is…)
I and J: If you go centuries back into the past, you may see some words written with a J today that were written with an I back then. One example is:
- Iahr (Jahr) – year
While there are many more spelling variations, these are some of the most common ones. So if your word is not appearing in any online dictionary, try substituting its German equivalent, and see what you can find! And if you don’t want to puzzle through the mysteries of German spelling, you can always contact me here for translation help.
German Spelling Variations
| Letter One (These Were Interchanged With One Another) | Letter Two (These Were Interchanged With One Another) |
| b | p |
| k | g |
| t | d |
| f | v |
| The Below Letters Are the Standard Spelling Today: | The Below Letters May Have Been Used in the Past (as substitutes for left column): |
| k | c |
| no h | additional h |
| ä, ö, ü | ae, oe, ue |
| ei | eÿ |
| eu | ei (also dialect form today) |
| s/ss | ß (also used in standard spelling, although not as often as in the past) |
| i | ie |
| j | i |
27 Responses
Hello! I am just beginning to build our family tree and I have two different spellings for my great great grandfather who was born in Bayern, in 1822….. Franz Rofsrucker is written on the back of his picture, but, my aunt who started the geneology search has spelled it Rossrucker. Could his name have been changed on entry to U.S.?
I think it would likely be a mistranscription. An “ss” can sometimes look like an “fs”, because the first “s” was often written with what looks like an “f” otherwise. So Rossrucker would be more likely.
Yes, a long “s” like those in “the purſuit of Happineſs” in the Constitution.
The character for the long s is ſ, a historical form of the lowercase letter “s” commonly used in European printing and handwriting until the early 19th century. It resembles a lowercase ‘f’ but usually lacks a full crossbar, often appearing only on the left side.
Usage: It was used at the beginning or in the middle of words (e.g., Congreſs), while the “short s” (s) was used at the end.
Appearance: It can look like an ‘f’ with a partial or missing crossbar, particularly in italic type, where it may descend to the left.
— Wikipedia
The confusion with the sound of P and B had a big impact on my genealogy research for a couple of decades!. The only information that I have for one of my 2*great grandmothers was that she was born in Pretzeirheim, Prussia. For years and years I searched for her in records from Pretzeirheim and other towns that I thought sounded the same. It was one of my major brick walls.
When someone told me about P and B, I decided to try towns starting with B instead. Almost immediately my brick wall crumpled. The correct name of her birth place was Bretzenheim Nahe. Now I have found records for 3 generations of her family there.
That’s a great example, George! Thanks so much for sharing. I’m glad you found her birthplace!
My biological grandfather’s name was Julius Willy – with an umlaut over the “y”. Strikes me as an affectation. Oder?
They actually put umlauts over the y in the past sometimes – doesn’t change the name at all! I usually translate into English without it.
Very interesting and helpful!!
Two things come to mind related to surnames I’m researching: (1) “Schlagetter” spelling is only traceable to my specific family line; while “Schlageter” is another family line. Ancestry pro advised us that the two families probably split off before recordkeeping 1,700 or pre 1,700. (2) We had a tough time tracking down our Maier family line, spellings included Meier, Mayer and Meyer! DNA finally solved the mystery!
That’s great – DNA can be a huge help!
My surname is spelled in myriad ways in both German and U.S. records, sometimes differently at two places in the same record. Occasionally, it is spelled starting with a P or V rather than a B. My ancestors hail from Andelfingen, a village adjacent to and presently administered by Langenenslingen in the Biberach district of Wurttemberg. When LDS transcriptions of Andelfinged births and marriages came on line, I was able to trace back the family to the mid 1600s. I noticed that prior to 1800, the surname was usually spelled “Braeumayer” and after 1800, the “Braeu” became “Brei” or “Brey.” I thought that perhaps the LDS divided the records at the year 1800 between two transcribers who provided the two different spellings or the priests that made the original entries changed about 1800. I wonder if this change somehow relates to the standardization of German mentioned in this blog or if anyone else has noticed shifts in spelling about the year 1800.
That’s an interesting theory – I’d have to do some research about the exact timing of earlier spelling changes!
I have a slightly different experience with name spelling.
My ancestors arrived in Australia from Godmund/Gothmund/Godenmund, Luebeck, Germany in the 1850s.
I found the family in German Lutheran Church records here in my home state, listed as being from “Godenmund”.
After eventually speaking with a German fellow researcher, he agreed that the variation in spelling may be from the High German ‘ear’ of the clerk or registrar hearing the Low German pronunciation from my ancestor!
I visited this amazing fishing village (and the wonderful Unesco listed Luebeck). Definitely not ‘Godenmund’!!
Another exciting thing for our family is that, not knowing anything about these ancestors until recently, I discovered that 60 years ago I was married in the Church that they had attended for a year or so, (not Lutheran) until their new Lutheran Church was built!
At that time I was living over an hour’s drive from where they had lived – in a large capital city with over 100 churches. Wonderful connection.
What an amazing story, Lorraine! Thanks so much for sharing.
My family name is spelled in old documents as Volschow (w/umlaut over the ‘o’), and I have been told the ‘sch’ can translate to a ‘z’. Could you comment on that? The anglicized version is now spelled Voelzow. In my genealogy research it seems like I have heard of this transition to a ‘z’ but would love to know if it’s so, and how common. Thanks!
Hi Janet, o umlaut (ö) is expanded as oe, and z is a perfectly reasonable alternate spelling of sch, so Völschow turning into Voelzow is no problem. The German surname distribution map https://geogen.stoepel.net shows 105 results for Völschow, 30 for Voelzow, and 30 for Völzow, indicating those three spellings are all found in Germany today but are quite rare.
My surname is Reebenacker. I suspect it was originally spelled “Rue” or with an umlauted “u”. I do have extended relatives in the US who spell it “Reebenaker”. My great great grandfather emigrated to the US in the 1850s, it appears from Baden, possibly Baden-Baden, from family word of mouth. His birth, or ancestral family history has been a brick wall for me that I haven’t had any luck breaking through, though it doesn’t appear to be a common surname.
That’s really interesting—Reebenacker definitely looks like it could have evolved from something like “Rübenacker.” One thing you might find helpful: if you type Rübenacker into Geogen (https://geogen.stoepel.net/?q=r%C3%BCbenacker), you can actually see that the name was fairly concentrated in the Baden region.
If you then click on the smaller map of Germany on the left side of the screen, it will take you to a more detailed view. From there, click “Show Cities Overlay” on the right—this will display major German cities, which makes it much easier to pinpoint exactly where the name appears.
That might give you some useful starting points for narrowing down where your family could have come from.
In researching (in US records) a relative, I have found the following spelling variations of his last name: Kosischke/Kosishke/Kosishea/Kossischki/Kosischki/Kasischki/Kasischka. Kosischke is the name on their gravestones but Kosishke was the name on his naturalization papers. I can’t find them in the immigration records either although I know they arrived in 1871. I want to expand my search into the German records,[going to try Archion!] to find their marriage/births, but was wondering which name is the most likely to occur? Or which spellings are the most promising?
Hi Marion, the German surname distribution map https://geogen.stoepel.net shows 198 results for Kasischke, 1 for Kosischke, and 1 for Kasischki, indicating that Kasischke is by far the most common spelling in Germany today, with the others appearing as rare variants (the other spellings returned no results). That would suggest Kasischke is likely the most promising form to focus on when searching German records.
Yes I have come across spelling changes with regards to “B” and “P”. So in my tree I am going back and putting brackets around the correct spelling of our name with B and leaving the incorrect spelling as found in researching names. Not sure if that is the correct way to do that or not but it has helped me.
At first I thought the profile didn’t belong but the siblings and parents first names all match up.
As well got a email from one of the relatives that opposite situation in his case. At first I thought he had the wrong branch of the tree. But I was mistaken.
Lots of twists and turns researching German records.
It all clicked when Katherine covered and clarified this situation in one of her webinars.
That’s a great approach, Shirley! German records definitely come with their twists, but it’s so satisfying when everything finally clicks.
I have no info on when my family arrived in the US, but I traced Frederick “Merkel” from 1670 who led the family away from Palatine wars. But somewhere in translation here Merkel became the family name “Miracle” pronounced MY’racle. (Emphasis on ‘MY.’ ) We began settling in Appalachia in the far southeastern corner of Kentucky in the 1700 & 1800s. I just always found that interesting!
What a fascinating transformation from “Merkel” to “Miracle.” It’s a great example of how names evolve over time. Tracing your family back that far is impressive, thanks for sharing, Connie!
My surname has had several transliteration that caused a brick wall for documents in the US
Original Germann Herrmann to Herrman for, early immigrants to Herman in 1800s, then Harman in 1900s and Harmon later 1900s. All because of the different in pronunciation of the German vowel consonant combo “er” sounding like “ar” in English and “an” ending sounding like “on”.
What a great example, Cheryl. Thank you for sharing!
The magic extra ‘h’, and now an ending ‘b’.
I will preface my comment noting, in addition to taking four years of German in high school and completing a sufficient number of college courses to have German added as my second major, I have purchased Katherine’s books and enrolled in two of her courses.
I have the 1664 parish register entry of the marriage of my 8th great grandfather Hanns Meisner to his second wife Susanna Müllerin in Obereurheim in Lower Franconia, Bavaria. Since the document was a bit difficult for me to initially read I asked Google Gemini to transcribe it for me. (Don’t try this at home unless you have a good understanding German !)
Gemini noted the name of the town and that of one of the witnesses were written with an ending ‘b’. It then explained: “In the Franconian dialect of the era, it was standard practice to add a “silent b” or “excrescent b” after an ‘m’ (e.g., Heim become Heimb, Lamm becomes Lamb). Just as the scribe wrote Obereuerheimb for Obereuerheim, he wrote Schramb for Schramm.”
Has anyone else encountered these ending ‘b’s?
This is the best explanation of use of Ÿ that I have seen.
Early records of ancestors give FREŸER, which then becomes FREIER, a name that bamboozles most English speakers when they come to say it. FREYER however seems much simpler. Is the surname FREYER likely to be used in Germany?
Thanks for reminding us of this super blog post 🙂