ORIGIN OF NAME
Author: Craig Buerckner
Surnames in Germany vary greatly due to
regional variations. Most German surnames belong to some form of local
derivation. Kinship names are more often adopted from given names as
opposed to baptismal names of saints and popular figures. In eastern
parts of Germany, names were influenced greatly from
neighbouring countries.
The German surname 'Buerckner' is of descriptive origin.
Descriptive names, otherwise known as nicknames, were used to identify a
particular feature or trait of an individual. Nicknames have been
applied to many historical figures and were in general use before
ancestral surnames were introduced. Names such as 'Walsh'
were used to describe a person from Wales. 'Short', 'Long' or 'White'
are readily identified as nicknames. The tendency to identify people in
this manner is still quite popular today. In this case, the name would
be derived from the German word 'Bauer' which means 'neighbour, fellow
citizen'.
Hereditary naming practice began in southern Germany, spreading
northward and becoming firmly established by the 16th century, with
names being adopted from different sources, such as local occupations
and nicknames.
Also popular was the prefix 'Von' or 'Zu', both being recognised as
being of nobility.
Investigations of the surname 'Buerckner' or a variant show that
it appears in German documents from at least the 13th century, where
Heintz Bauerkner is mentioned in records in the year 1290AD.
Blazon of arms: Per fesse azure and gules, in chief an eagle displayed
or, in base a fesse wavy argent.
Translation: Azure indicates the colour blue, which represents fidelity
and veracity. Gules being red indicates military resolution and
magnanimity. The tincture or depicts gold or yellow and indicates the
bearer was generous; alternatively, it indicates elevation of the mind.
Crest: An eagle displayed as in the arms.
Origin: Germany