The more I get involved in genealogical research, the more curious and interested I become in other aspects of history that I would not have given much thought to otherwise.

Take, for example, the names of German cities, towns and villages. Often while researching, I would stop and ponder over a name, wondering what it meant, why it got that name, and the people who called those places “home.”

German and American localities share many of the same physical characteristics with each other. Three types of these localities that I found noteworthy and briefly discussed are “Stadt, Dorf, and Weiler.”

German towns and cities are generally known as stadiums. A stadt is a town with a large number of inhabitants, buildings, and major businesses. The stadiums are completed with their own local government and serve as a civil center for the surrounding area. When the state comes to mind, I think of cities and towns, with their hustle and bustle, around my own home.

A dorf is known to most people as a village. These towns are smaller than a state, but have their own local government, church, school, and a variety of businesses. You can think of a dorf as surburbia – those places a short drive out of town that offer a little more breathing space for residents.

A weiler is similar to a village. These very small localities often have only a small number of houses, no local administration and generally no church. The residents of a village are usually administered by the local government and the church of a larger village to which they belong. When I think of a weiler, I think of rural America; getting away from it all; blink while passing and lose the place completely; and how far a “country mile” really is.

I found that referencing these names (stadt, dorf, and weiler) to their American counterparts (city, town, and village) has helped me understand my ancestors with their environment.

There are also a number of common roots associated with some of these localities. Once again, having come across these words with some regularity, I thought it would be useful to find out what they meant and, in doing so, perhaps gain more knowledge about my family and their neighbors. Examples of some common words include:

Bach – Stream, Baum – Tree, Berg – Mountain, Born – Fountain, Braun – Brown, Bruck – Bridge, Burg – Castle, Feld – Field, Garten – Garden, Hafen – Port, Heim – Home, Hof – Courtyard, Kirch – Church, lake – hole, Rath – glade, Schied – separated, divided, Tal – valley, Wald – forest

Using this understanding of stadts, dorfs, and weilers, and mixing their characteristics with some of the word roots mentioned above, you get some fun and informative translations of names that I’ve seen over the years. It is easy to understand why some places, such as Falkenberg, “Falcon Mountain” and Rastenfeld, “Rest Fields” have received their names; others, like Langschlag, “Long Hit” and Raschdorf, “Rapid Village”, are less obvious. Some other examples of localities and the meaning of their names:

Allenfeld – All Field, Badenheim – Bathhouse, Bärenbach – Bear Brook, Bayerfeld – Bavarian Field, Braunweiler – Brown Hamlet, Derental – Its valley, Desloch – The Hole, Feuerscheid – Parted Fire, Fischersdorf – Fishing village, Friedrichhafen – Harbor from Frederick, Guldental – Golden Valley, Gutenberg – Good Mountain, Hallgarten – Resounding Garden, Hochstätten – High Places, Hundsbach – Dog Brook, Johannesgarten – John’s Garden, Münster – Cathedral, Nußbaum – Nut Tree, Rehbach – Deer Brook, Schöneberg – Beautiful mountain, Schönewald – Beautiful forest, Sommerloch – Summer Hole,

Vierkirchen – Four Churches, Wallhausen – Living Barrier, Weinsheim – Wine Home, Weitersborn – Far Fount, Windesheim – Wind Home,

Winterbach – Winter Brook, Winterburg – Winter Castle, Zweibrucken – Two bridges

The next time you come across an interesting locality name while reading a history book, looking at a microfilm, scanning a census record, or perusing a naturalization record, do yourself a favor. Stop for a moment and consider the name, what it means today, and what it meant to the inhabitants of that place years ago. Apart from a translation, it could give you a little more information about the lives of the people who called that place “home.”