Several
sources have indicated that the Wittrock surname is derived
from the German words "weiss" and "rock."
In modern German, these words translate as "white"
and "skirt." In older time, "rock"
may have referred more generally to clothing.
The
following information was provided by Jacqueline (Wittrock)
Riekena of Missoula, Montana:
Source:
The Historical
Research Center.
The
German surname Wittrock is believed by eytmologists
to be of nickname origin. Nickname surnames are those
names which derive their origin from a physical characteristic
or personal attribute of the initial bearer. In this
instance, the surname Wittrock is a variant of the surname
Weissrock, referring to the color of clothes, thus being
a nickname for someone with a particular color of clothes.
Family
names are infinitely more varied than personal names,
having been culled from more diverse sources, having
under gone more changes of form, and having come from
more diverse sources, and it has been said that family
names did not come into general employ until late in
the Middles Ages. First of all, the nobility in the
twelfth century called themselves after their ancestral
seats. Such surnames were usually prefixed by "von".
Then, among the citizens they were adopted in the fourteenth
century, but did not become general until the sixteenth
century.
Variants
of the surname Wittrock are Weissrock and Weisrock.
Reference to this surname or to a variant includes a
record of Arnd Witterok, a citizen from Hannover in
1443. One Ludeke Wytterock was a citizen fro Hameln
in 1469. Everhardus Victus Witterok from Hamburg was
recorded in 1299. One Cunca Wissrock was a citizen from
Wuerzburg recorded in 1409. [Note: All of these places
are in Northern Germany, within 50 to 100 miles of Vechta,
where our Wittrocks originated.]
The
following information, taken from the Danish dictionary,
was provided by Bendt Wittrock Jespersen of Stege, Denmark:
Source:
Nudansk ordbog, Politikens Forlag A/S,
Copenhagen, 13. edt. 2. 1987. ISBN 87-567-4092-1
Definition:
Wittrock, SN; indlaant fra tysk; af aeldre plattysk
wit hvid, og rock frakke; oprind. tilnavn.
Translation
(provided by Bendt Wittrock Jesperson):
Wittrock
= Wittrock
SN = "SN" is the book's code for "family
name"
indlaant = borrowed or lent into the Danish language
fra = from
tysk = German (language)
af = from
aeldre = older
plattysk = german dialect
wit hvid = wit white
og = and
rock frakke = rock coat or jacket
oprind = originally
tilnavn = nickname
This
definition indicates that the Danish Wittrock name came
into Denmark from Germany. The name is derived from the
Old German version of the words "white" and
"coat/jacket" and it was originally a nickname.
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