Nicknames (Spitznamen)
written by Bill Burbach of Milwaukie, Oregon
This is the word meaning nicknames which is part of our Volga German tradition. The choice of given names for males were limited to about a dozen. Coupled with a limited number of family names in a village there was duplications of complete names. To identify some male persons nicknames were used.
A common name was John, or in German, Johannes. This name was shortened to Hannes. If he was a large person he would be referred to as Grosse Hannes. A small person would be Hannesly. A fat person would be Dicke Hannes and a thin one, Dünne Hannes. If he had a limp he would be called Shep Hannes. There were other nicknames that were based on physical appearances which today would be considered cruel.
Nicknames were derived from various sources such as trade, lineage, or traits. In the village of Norka my grandfather, Henry Burbach, had a machine shop where he built and repaired farm equipment. He had the habit of wiping his greasy fingers on the chest of his shop apron. He therefore acquired the nickname of Schmier Bosom. The translation being oily chest.
Krieger families were prevalent in Norka. There was Garten Krieger who had a very large garden on the edge of the village. Poste Krieger was a postman. Becker Krieger was a baker. Lecki Krieger had married into the Lecki family.
Jost Heinrich Mueller (Miller) at age 14 had immigrated from Germany in 1767. A descendant of his would be referred to as a Jost Heinrich Mueller.
This use of nicknames was extended to America. In the German-Russian community of Portland for example there was John Krieger who had a sheet metal shop and was called Tin Krieger. John Miller had previously lived in Colorado and was referred to as Ft. Collins Miller. There was a Mr. Walker who talked very fast and he was Typewriter Walker.
There were many nicknames and I would like to hear of more. We were much like our Native-Americans with names as Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse and others.
Source: This story was provided courtesy of William (Bill) Burbach of Milwaukie, Oregon
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Nicknames
Provided courtesy of Marie Trupp Krieger (October 2000)
My father was "Kleine Trupp" (short or small stature)
My grandfather was "Galosche Trupp" (overshoe)
My great grandfather was "Schaf Trupp" (sheep)
There were also other Trupp's who lived in Frank, Russia:
"Windmühle Trupp" (windmill)
"Semlyanka Trupp" (dugout or hut)
"Dickmäulig Trupp" (thick lip)
There was "Bakschte Hempel" - He had a house of baked or fired bricks. The baked (fired) bricks were caled Bakschta in the village of Huck, Russia. A George Hempel was known as "Carpenter Hempel".
In the Odessa, Washinton area one man was known as "Stroh-Schafer" to distinguish among Schafer families. His wife's maiden name was Stroh.
There was a Wacker referred to as "Sabbather Wacker" after he joined a Seventh-Day Adventist Church. His brother who was heavy-set was called "Dicka Wacker". Then a Mr. Wacker who came from the village of Frank was known as "Frankere Wacker". Another Wacker was as "Norkere Wacker", he had come from the village of Norka, Russia.
Two men whose surname was Gross, one because of his height was "Grosse Gross", the other was called "Kleine Gross" because he was short in stature.
My mother's father was known and referred to as "S'Emaunuel's Conrad", his surname was Löbsack (Libsack) from the village of Frank in Russia.
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Nicknames
Excerpt from "Memories of Norka" by Conrad Brill
Here are a few examples showing how nicknames were used for families:
Conrad Reiche Schleinings (rich Schleinings) Brill
George Hucker (from the village of Huck) Brill
Philip Bilschiek (logger) Brill
Witfrau (widow) Brill
Rote (redheaded) Brill
Souf (tippler) Brill
Schaafhirt (Sheepherder) Brill
Schmier Bosom (greasy stomach) Burbach
Donner Hannes (Thunder John) Burbach
Stonehose (stonepants) Doring
Schmier (grease) Derring
Conrad Gosshorn Derr
My mothers cousin, Ami Derr, was club footed and called Shep-Ami Derr.
Another cousin Katherine (Kutcha) was called dimpelja (?)
Another was Schecht Hannes (constable) Derr, who was hired as constable in a Russian village by the authorities there.
Faigler who was our leather tanner and manufacturer, was called Gerver (tanner) Faigler, to distinguish him from several other Faigler families in the village.
An old man who made hairbrushes and such from bristles of pigs and horsehair, was referred to as Soie-Berste (pig brush) Fink.
We had Weise (whitie) and Schwartze (blackie) Gieblehaus. There was also a Giebelhause-Schnooper he kept inhaling or drawing back drips from his nose by quick inhalings.
Wintmeil (windmill) Giebelhouse owned and operated the picturesque mill north of the village.
There was a tailor, Schneider Hahn.
A poor family called Arme Hahn.
Sotnick (constable) Peter Heinrich
Poulish (?) Wilhelm Heinrich
Hansas Hefeneider
Garten (garden) Hinkel
Conrad Dicke Helzer was my father in law. He farmed and made brooms, basket and willow items for sale too. The villagers in Unterdorf held Kerb (harvest celebration) in his house in October when crops were all in.
Another Conrad Helzer was called Frutting Helzer.
Schuster (shoemaker) Helzer Schuster (shoemaker) Helzer
There was also a Souf (tippler) Helzer.
Hanskort Helzer
Hanskort Wilhelm Helzer
Hanskort HanJorig Helzer
Hinkels Oetler (Hawk)
Lohm-arige (lame armed) Hohnstein
A bucktoothed man named Kreis, was called Zohne Buc, and even some Russians referred to him as Zube (teeth) so he was frequently called Zube-gesich (tooth faced) Kreis.
A deaf man named Kaiser who lived next to the Unterdorf school was called Deffe Kaiser, and the school was referred to as the Kaiser school because it was next door. We had Bakke (bake) Krieger’s.
Klieber der Rupe
Klausa Schlopkelja
Katharina Weins Krieger
There were many Krieger families, Garten (garden) Krieger, because he lived in the first place out of the village which was in the garden area.
Poste Krieger who hauled the mail. This man later bought a collapsed mill that the Gemeinde owned on the banks of the Karamisch River, moved it to Norka, and went into the milling business.
Stecher Stecher (sticker) Krieger stabbed a Russian soldier in the stomach while in the army, so was referred to as the sticker.
Endrich (drake) Krieger made duck calls or sounds as a youth, and he was my parents age, but was known by all as Endrich Krieger.
Soujac Soujac Krieger was the village disciplinarian who laid the leather to a person sentenced to a lashing.
Lamp-oel (lamp oil) Lehl
Heinrich Rote Schintler (redheaded coat maker) Lehl
Schulemeister (schoolmaster) Lehl
Hopka Robbler (tracer chain rattler) Lofink
Shep-nosiger (crooked nosed) Adam Mikkels (Michels)
Karamisch Miller had a mill on the Karamisch River by a Russian village, but lived in Norka, so was called Karamisch Miller.
Jost Henry (Yoost Henry) Millers were a wealthy family with large land holdings north of Norka and bordering the Cossack Bromundt’s land, but I don't know why they were called Yoost Henry, but even a son was called Yoost Henrys Johannes der grosse (Yoost Henrys, John the tall). There was also Blatte (baldy) Miller. We had a man called Soie Biezer (pig biter) Reisbick, but I never knew why.
Flopjer (flapper) Reisbick was called that because they had a rabid dog which was running around the street foaming at the mouth and they and neighbors were trying to corral it, and the old gentleman had on a full length coat with his hands in the pockets he kept flapping the coat to alter the dogs flight, and Klieber started the old mans nickname which held until he died.
Kerb (festival) Sauer. Harvest Festival was held at his home in Mitteldorf.
Luft Guker Luft Guker (sky gazer) Schwartz
Noss nosiger (wet nosed) Sehder
Reicher (rich) Schleining
Yoske (Jake) Schleining
Russe (Russian) Schlidt
Julla Spady
Katza Katza (cat skinner) Sinner
Dach Grabbler Dach Grabbler (roof climber) Schreiber
We had a canyon or draw through the Oberdorf area referred to as the Dalla (Dalles) so several families living along there had the nickname, such as the Dalla Schwindt’s.
A man named Weber had a blue birthmark on his cheek, and was called Blau-Bechiger (blue-cheeked) Weber. He was Mrs. Rudolph grandfather I believe.
We had a Kiebel (Hill) Weber.
A Rote (red) Kiebel Weber.
Leurer Leurer (teacher) Weber.
Pretzelmenja Pretzelmenja (pretzel man) Weber.
Kortze (short) Weber. I think was Mrs. Rudolphs dad.
Die Grimmer Yeager’s (from the village of Grimm)