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| Origins Available: |
| | Germany |
From the historical and enchanting region of Germany emerged a multitude of noble families, including the distinguished Schwartzkopf family. Originally, the German people were known only by a single name. The process by which hereditary surnames were adopted in German is extremely interesting. Surnames evolved during the Middle Ages when people began to assume an extra name to avoid confusion and to further identify themselves. Often they adopted names that were derived from nicknames. Nickname surnames were derived from an eke-name, or added name. They usually reflected the physical characteristics or attributes of the first person that used the name. The name Schwartzkopf is a nickname type of surname for a person with black hair. Looking back further, we find the name Schwartzkopf was originally derived from the Old German words "schwartz," meaning "black," and "kopf," meaning "head."
The surname Schwartzkopf was first found in the Saxon province of Altmark, where the name gained a significant reputation for its contribution to the emerging mediaeval society. The oldest branch of the family had its seat at the estate Uenglingen near Stendal as early as 1400. In 1443 they acquired estates in West-Heeren, in 1447 in Wallenrode, and by 1466 they had their seat in the city of Stendal. The family later became more prominent as many branches of the same house acquired distant estates, mainly in the areas of Hessen and Brunswick, always elevating their social status through their contributions in public and military service.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Schwartzkopf research. Another 274 words (20 lines of text) covering the years 1637, 1792 and 1858 are included under the topic Early Schwartzkopf History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Spelling variations of this family name include: Schwarzkopf, Schwartzkopf, Schwarzkopp, Schwartzkopp, Schwarzkoppen, Schwartzkoppen, Schwarzkoff and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early Schwartzkopf Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.