[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] surnames

[Jerry Frank]

My first thought on the name change is this - was your great grandfather actually named Hartmann Friedrich?  Though unusual, I have seen Hartmann as a given name.  How reliable is the translation of your document?

As for Jews, they did not begin to use surnames until mandated to do so by Napoleon in the late 1700s.  So neither of your surnames would be classed as common among Jews since they would only have been in existence for 50-60 years.  It is far more likely that a Jew adapted or adopted your noted surnames than vice versa.


Jerry


----- Original Message -----
From: Lloyd Friedrick <lloydfriedrick at telus.net>
Date: Thursday, October 8, 2009 12:29 pm
Subject: [Ger-Poland-Volhynia] surnames
To: ger-poland-volhynia at eclipse.sggee.org

> My Great Grandfather {Friedrich Hartmann } [born 1841, and 
> married in Dubno] used the surname Hartmann. He married Caroline 
> Kupferstein. 
> 
> Were these common Jewish family names at this time ?
> 
> Strangely, they recorded their children with the surname Friedrich.
> 
> Lloyd Friedrick on Vancouver's Island, British Columbia
> 
> 
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