I.3.2 Surnames

German surnames often were derived from occupations, some special habit of a person or from locations.

Also our Hutsteiner family name was built in this way: Hutsteiner was an inhabitant of the hamlet Hutstein. So, the very first inhabitants of Hutstein were all known as Hutsteiner at the beginning of the 16th century .

But until the 17th century surnames often were quite non-static, e.g. if a family changed the place of residence their surname changed, too. In some regions close to our origin in Upper Austria this could be observed until beginning of 18th century,

So, as Wolf Stölzl occupied one of the fifths at the hamlet Hutstein by end of 16th century, he and his family members became Hutsteiners. Anyhow, during a transition period of several decades at several opportunities like marriage, birth or death records his surname or surname of his children was mixed up. Sometimes You will find him or his children known as Hutsteiner, sometimes as Stölzl (or Stelzl due to pronounciation). 

 

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