LEMKE Origin of surname
LEMKE
Surnames derive from one of many different origins. Sometimes there may be more than one explanation for the same name. This family name is a patronymic, derived from a male ancestor's personal name, in this case of biblical origin.
Lemke is a form of Lamm, the German translation of the traditional 'kinnui' or byname of the biblical As(c)her, meaning "happy" in Hebrew. Some of the numerous variants became the source of other groups of names, among them Anselme, mentioned in Wuerzburg, Germany, in 1212, and later also in North Africa; the Latin Anzelinus, recorded in Savoy in 1294; and Oscher, documented in 1495 in Lutzelbourg in the French departement of Moselle. Diminutives of the 'kinnui' Lamm include Lemle (recorded in 1548), Lemmel (1680), Laemmel (1762), Laemle and L'hemele (1784). Another connection between Ascher and diminutives of Lamm is provided by the 15th/16th century false messiah Ascher also known as Lem(m)Lein/Lamml(e)in. The name could also be a toponymic (derived from a geographic name of a town, city, region or country). Surnames that are based on place names do not always testify to direct origin from that place, but may indicate an indirect relation between the name-bearer or his ancestors and the place, such as birth place, temporary residence, trade, or family-relatives. This surname is associated with Lemke near Bremen in Germany. In the 20th century Lemke is recorded as a Jewish surname with Max Lemke of Berlin, Germany, who disappeared in the German death camp at Auschwitz during World War II.
Surnames derive from one of many different origins. Sometimes there may be more than one explanation for the same name. This family name is a patronymic, derived from a male ancestor's personal name, in this case of biblical origin.
Lemke is a form of Lamm, the German translation of the traditional 'kinnui' or byname of the biblical As(c)her, meaning "happy" in Hebrew. Some of the numerous variants became the source of other groups of names, among them Anselme, mentioned in Wuerzburg, Germany, in 1212, and later also in North Africa; the Latin Anzelinus, recorded in Savoy in 1294; and Oscher, documented in 1495 in Lutzelbourg in the French departement of Moselle. Diminutives of the 'kinnui' Lamm include Lemle (recorded in 1548), Lemmel (1680), Laemmel (1762), Laemle and L'hemele (1784). Another connection between Ascher and diminutives of Lamm is provided by the 15th/16th century false messiah Ascher also known as Lem(m)Lein/Lamml(e)in. The name could also be a toponymic (derived from a geographic name of a town, city, region or country). Surnames that are based on place names do not always testify to direct origin from that place, but may indicate an indirect relation between the name-bearer or his ancestors and the place, such as birth place, temporary residence, trade, or family-relatives. This surname is associated with Lemke near Bremen in Germany. In the 20th century Lemke is recorded as a Jewish surname with Max Lemke of Berlin, Germany, who disappeared in the German death camp at Auschwitz during World War II.