--- title: On Surname Changes description: Genealogist Hallie Kirchner explores how and why surnames change over time, drawing on German-American examples to explain common patterns that affect family history research. image: https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/hubfs/fred%201.png --- # [Vita Brevis A resource for family history from AmericanAncestors.org](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. # On Surname Changes [January 12, 2026](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/on-surname-changes) [International genealogical research](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/international-genealogical-research), [Research tips](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/research-tips) [Hallie Kirchner](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/author/hkirchner) I recently came across an older—but nonetheless fascinating—article about German surnames that paired nicely with my past article on [*Tools for German Origins*](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tools-for-german-origins). The article, Jürgen Eichhoff's "Types of German Surname Changes in America," was originally published in *The Report: A Journal of German-American History* in 1996 (pp. 23-25). As someone with a significant amount of German ancestry, a background in the German language, and a general interest in names, I found the article full of compelling examples of documented spelling and pronunciation changed among German-American surnames.  This article as a whole is well worth reading for anyone with similar interests, but a few key points are especially relevant to genealogy. Most genealogists encounter a surname spelling change at some point. Even without a language barrier, spelling was not standardized until relatively recently, and large portions of the population were illiterate well in the nineteenth century. Despite having many nineteenth-century immigrant ancestors from non English-speaking countries, I have encountered surprisingly few surname changes in my own family tree.  That said, the changes I *have* encountered illustrate several of the types Eichhoff discusses. First, he distinguishes between Surnames that "changed" and surnames that "were changes." The former refers to passive changes that occurred gradually over years or generations—often through Anglicization or altered spellings. The latter refers to surnames that were actively changed, such as through translation into English or legal modification.  My maiden name provides an example of an active change. My paternal great-grandfather dropped the "von" from "von Borstel" in 1928. As a result, while my grandfather grew up with the surname "Borstel," his 1924 birth certificate still lists the original name, "von Borstel."  ![von 1](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/hs-fs/hubfs/von%201.png?width=374&height=87&name=von%201.png)![von 2](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/hs-fs/hubfs/von%202.jpg?width=201&height=86&name=von%202.jpg) *Two examples of Fred's signature, before and after dropping the "von" from his surname. * On my maternal grandmother's side, I have eighteenth-century German ancestors, and in that case it is accurate to say the surname "changed" rather than "was changed." The name evolved from *Schuhmacher* to *Shoemaker*, apparently within the lifetime of the immigrant ancestor.  Eichhoff goes on to categorize surname changes into three groups originally identified by linguist Einar Haugen: retention (no spelling change), revision (a slight spelling change), and substitution (a complete Anglicization or translation).  Even surnames that retained their original spelling could undergo pronunciation changes. My married name, *Kirchner*, is a good example. While my husband's family pronounces it as "kurch-ner," the original German pronunciation is closer to "keerk-ner."  ![fred 1](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/hs-fs/hubfs/fred%201.png?width=715&height=125&name=fred%201.png) Revisions typically involve spelling changes to accommodate letters that do not exist in English or to preserve pronunciation. In one case, I traced a client's *Limbaugh* ancestors back to the *Lymbach* family—a change likely made to preserve the soft, nearly voiceless German "ch" sound, which has no direct equivalent in English.  Finally, substitutions involve nearly complete respellings or full translations of a surname. Eichhoff cites examples such of *Böhme* becoming *Bame* or *Beam*, and *Zimmermann* becoming *Carpenter.* While I do not have examples of this type in my own family tree, I did research for a client whose *Graham* family originally bore the surname *Grossbaum.* Although Eichhoff focuses specifically on German surnames, the patterns he identifies apply far beyond German or German-American genealogy. These types of surname changes are broadly relevant across languages, cultures, and immigrant experiences.    [![Browse American Ancestors Online Courses](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/4306738/interactive-204444930101.png) ](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/hs/cta/wi/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLJXQ2Tb4OArFh0C4ANf7Z026964ryqKlqdNmQrxtxGvlfvV%2B2G4Kq0%2FhJlkutJsuqFDa8YEsR2i2IieFJ9AhHPk9L6rBD0sURAxQ0AtloRwmq7nBGcpeCH1FiTe4HewW7a7Ipi05o8Y3TqR5hgd4M%2Fv%2FGElEE2bIYZBzZBeSDrg7nMaoypF1woSqU0%3D&webInteractiveContentId=204444930101&portalId=4306738) ### Share this: - [mailto:?body=https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/on-surname-changes](mailto:?body=https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/on-surname-changes) - - - More - - ![Hallie Kirchner](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/hubfs/hallie-kirchner-staff-2023.jpg) ## About Hallie Kirchner Hallie Kirchner is a genealogist in the Research Services department. She is part of the team that performs research-for-hire for patrons. In addition to working with patrons to answer their family history questions, Hallie also helps with the Ask-A-Genealogist chat service and has worked on a variety of educational programs during her time at American Ancestors. Her areas of expertise include 19th-century America, Germany, and immigration. Prior to joining American Ancestors, she was part of the research team for the New York Family History Research Guide and Gazetteer. Hallie holds degrees in history and historic preservation. Areas of Expertise: 19th-century America, Germany, New York, New York City, Norway, Italy, westward migration, immigration history, and descendancy research.[View all posts by Hallie Kirchner →](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/author/hkirchner) [← Looking for Death Records? 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