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| Origins Available: |
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In the ancient German province of Westphalia, the surname Taube evolved. It is a nickname, a style of hereditary surname that developed out of the traditional German eke-names, that identified people by naming them after a physical characteristic or other identifiable trait. Taube is a name for a mild and gentle person. The name was originally derived from the Old German word tuba, and German tube, which meant pigeon or dove. Often nicknames described strong traits or attributes that people wished to emulate in a specific animal. In the pre-Christian era, many pagan gods and demigods were believed to be a mixture of animals and humans, such as the Greek god Pan who was the god of flocks and herds and was represented as a man with the legs, horns and ears of a goat. In the Middle Ages, anthropomorphic ideas, which attributed human qualities and form to gods or animals, were held about the characters of other living creatures. They were based on the creature's habits. Moreover, these associations were reflected in folk tales, mythology, and legends which portrayed animals behaving as humans.
The surname Taube was first found in Westphalia, where the name emerged in mediaeval times as one of the notable families of the region. From the 13th century the surname was identified with the great social and economic evolution which made this territory a landmark contributor to the development of the nation.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Taube research. Another 201 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1221, 1572, 1594, 1638, 1652, 1659, 1676 and 1816 are included under the topic Early Taube History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
In the medieval era, many different cultural groups lived in the German states. There are thus many regional variations of German surnames from that era. Westphalians spoke Low German, which is similar to modern Dutch. Many German names carry suffixes that identify where they came from. Others have phrases attached that identify something about the original bearer. Other variations in German names resulted from the fact that medieval scribes worked without the aid of any spelling rules. The spelling variations of the name Taube include Taube, Taub, Towbe, Towb, Toube, Tauble, Daube and others.
Notables of the period with the name Taube were
In the United States, the name Taube is the 18,420th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1
For many Germans, emigration to North America was an inviting alternative to the trials of life in the old country. From the mid-17th into the present century, thousands of Germans migrated across the Atlantic. They capitalized on the chance to escape poverty and persecution, and to own their own land. After 1650, Germans settled throughout the states of Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California. Many also landed in Canada, settling in Ontario or father west on the rich land of the prairies. Among them: