What do 'von' and 'zu' mean in German last names?
Von is 'of' so that probably means a pre-unification 'family name' like Mecklenburg etc. Is that right?
What about zu?
I thought about that when I heard the name zu Guttenberg (Karl Theodore). Looked on wikipedia but his name is von und zu Gutterberg HUH???? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?![]()
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Names
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Short:
"Von" means that somebody's family comes from that particular place.
"Zu" means that their family are still in possession of it.
"von und zu" means both
More reading;
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adelspr...at#Deutschland