German last names are very interesting. The word used as a surname may mean a profession, an animal, a color, a vessel, a character, an action, etc., the list is endless.
German names are translated into Chinese using transliterations, so Chinese people who do not understand German would not expect that the famous former German Chancellor Kohl (Kohl) has such an unseemly name - "Cabbage"; Super Racing Schuhmacher's name originally means "shoemaker"; the name of the governor of Germany's Hesse state is translated as Koch, which actually means "cook"; Einstein means "a stone"; Bach is "brook"; Zweig is "branch"...
However, when these words are used as names, their original meanings should be automatically hidden. When Germans see a Mr. "Miller" (Müller), or a "Gardener" (Mrs. G?0?1rtner), or a "Baker" (Ms. B?0?1cker), they will not think that they are really some kind of mill. Lord, Gardener and Baker. There are many other names in this category, such as "tailor" (Schneider), butcher (Metzger), blacksmith (Schmied), bricklayer (Mauerer), carpenter (Zimmermann), farmer (Bauer), fisherman (Fischer), shepherd ( Sch?0?1fer). Many ancient farming, animal husbandry and handicraft trades have become surnames.
Many German surnames are the names of specific things, unlike the Chinese "Zhang Wang Li Zhao" which has no actual meaning. For example, there is a teacher named Schneider (tailor), a soldier named Richter (judge), the former German Prime Minister Schmidt (Schmidt) named "Blacksmith", and the famous racing athlete Schumacher (S chumacher) It's a "shoemaker". Many German surnames are the names of professions, from farmers to craftsmen, from doctors and judges to writers and poets. Of course, these occupations reflect the social life and self-sufficient small-scale peasant economy thousands of years ago. Occupations in modern life such as tour guides, pilots, etc. do not exist. In the early days, Germany attached great importance to craftsmen. Nouns such as cobbler, dyer, bricklayer, fireplace maker, cook, baker, as well as mill worker, flower worker, miner, etc. were all used as surnames. In the early years, the occupational division of labor in Germany was already very detailed: there were not only carpenters, but also house builders, furniture carpenters, and carving carpenters. There are also professional titles such as teacher, pastor, real estate agent, violinist, flutist, etc.
Some people have the surname of emperor or king (not that they are emperor or king), and others have the surname of duke, marquis, earl, or baron. The retired German tennis star Graf (graf, earl) may be one of them. Descendants of Earls.
Summer, autumn, and winter are all used for surnames throughout the year, but spring is not used, even though spring here is pleasant. Mondays, Sundays of the week, and "Friday," which is always reminiscent of the indigenous people in "Robinson Crusoe," were all chosen as surnames. Of the twelve months, only May and August are used as surnames.
There are many Germans named Wolf (wolf, wolfgang), and there are also many people with the surname Wolf. Others with wild animal surnames include lions, bears and foxes. There are also people named dogs, cats and mice, sparrows, chickadees and crows.
Many organs of the human body are used as surnames, from the head and heart to the legs, arms, and hands. Nowadays, Germans no longer think about the meaning of these words when addressing them, otherwise it would be so awkward to call others "Mr. Belly" and "Ms. Eyes"!
Adjectives can also become surnames, which seems ungrammatical. However, language is something that has been established for thousands of years, so we cannot talk about grammar in everything. Perhaps few companies are willing to hire a buyer with the last name "Gui", not because of their ability to work, but because they feel uncomfortable hearing this name. If a teacher named "bad" has a student named "smart" in his class, and this poor student has average intelligence and poor grades, then there will definitely be jokes to tell in the class.
In German, white is also a surname, and there are also surnames such as brown, black, red, and green.
In Germany, people often see Mr. Wolf, Ms. Lion, Miss Bird, and Mrs. Pig Trotter running around the streets - what a wonderful country Germany is.
Some negative words can also be used as surnames. Germans don't seem to care that they come from a family of "killers"; Germans named "Fire" may not enjoy setting fires; the most embarrassing thing is the doctors named "Executioner" - there is a sign hanging on the door of German clinics that states the doctor's profession and The big sign with the name had to be put up even if the name didn't sound good, so the "executioner" doctors had to let all the passers-by laugh at the sign.