Obscure German surname, trying to find meaning

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Mark95
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Obscure German surname, trying to find meaning

Postby Mark95 » 2009-09-25, 21:21

I was looking through German genealogical records from Urexweiler, Germany, and Schiffweiler, Germany, and I found an unusual surname, Spinnenweber. I cannot find the meaning of it. Can anyone tell me?
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Re: Obscure German surname, trying to find meaning

Postby linguoboy » 2009-09-25, 22:15

That is unusual. Spinnenwebe is a variant form of Spinnengewebe "spiderweb", but it's difficult to see the motivation for a surname in this. Perhaps there is an element of folk etymology at work here.
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Re: Obscure German surname, trying to find meaning

Postby Mark95 » 2009-09-25, 23:19

I have heard suggestions it meant the family were weavers. :hmm:
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Re: Obscure German surname, trying to find meaning

Postby skye » 2009-09-26, 10:00

Weben means to weave, and Weber is a weaver, but Spinne is a spider, so I'd say it probably has more to do with spider webs too. The spider also "weaves" his web.

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Re: Obscure German surname, trying to find meaning

Postby linguaholic » 2009-09-26, 11:32

"Spinnen" also means "to produce yarn" (can you say "to yarn"?), so I don't think it's got anything to do with spiders here. I guess it's just somebody who makes yarn and then weaves cloth out of it. :)
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Re: Obscure German surname, trying to find meaning

Postby skye » 2009-09-26, 12:27

Is there a smiley that slaps itself on the forehead? :blush:

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Re: Obscure German surname, trying to find meaning

Postby Mark95 » 2009-09-26, 15:34

linguaholic wrote:"Spinnen" also means "to produce yarn" (can you say "to yarn"?), so I don't think it's got anything to do with spiders here. I guess it's just somebody who makes yarn and then weaves cloth out of it. :)

So this family likely made yarn?
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Re: Obscure German surname, trying to find meaning

Postby linguaholic » 2009-09-26, 16:08

I don't know anything about etymology or names and sometimes names mean something totally different, but to me it looks like they worked with textiles in any case.
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Re: Obscure German surname, trying to find meaning

Postby Formiko » 2009-09-27, 21:49

skye wrote:Is there a smiley that slaps itself on the forehead? :blush:


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Re: Obscure German surname, trying to find meaning

Postby Mat81 » 2009-09-29, 18:31

i'd say it's a surname that is supposed to show how good that person used to be at his trade (weaving) - therefore - he weaves like a spider.. that's just my interpretation though.

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Re: Obscure German surname, trying to find meaning

Postby JSpinn84 » 2021-10-24, 1:24

Hi.. family linage puts the family in the Alsace Lorriane area. The furtherest back we could locate family was 1732 Vladimir Von Spinnenweber. Hope this helps.


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