The article deals with some selected compound surnames, the roots of which consist of -eis(en) ‘iron’. It provides a revealing insight into their morphology and etymology. The names in question are characteristically distributed in certain regions of Saxony and Bavaria. By metaphorically designating blacksmiths (occasionally even miners or peasants) they turn out to be obsolete dialect words or technical terms for various wrought-iron objects.

Mit beeindruckender Regelmäßigkeit – bei Vorhaben dieser Art heute durchaus nicht der Normalfall – sorgen die Herausgeber des „Deutschen Familiennamenatlas“ (DFA) für die konsequente Realisierung ihres onomastischen Großprojekts und – nicht weniger bedeutsam – die Erweiterung ihres Mitarbeiterstabs durch systematische Förderung, Qualifizierung und Einbeziehung junger Wissenschaftler. Der im Abstand von einem Jahr nach den beiden Grammatik-Bänden (Graphematik und Phonologie der Familiennamen: Vokalismus, Konsonantismus) erschienene dritte Band des DFA ist der Morphologie der Familiennamen gewidmet, mithin einer Thematik, wie sie in dieser Gründlichkeit, Differenziertheit und Vielschichtigkeit bisher noch nie behandelt worden ist.

Being a European world capital with an extraordinary wide range of historical documents, 16th century Lisbon is a (not at all exotic) paramount example for the naming practice at the time. The presence of numerous foreigners from many different origins and motivation makes their names research topics of high interest for a variety of disciplines. The present contribution compiles numerous examples of core demographic sources (church registers, tax lists); an index facilitates the access.

Work is in progress to create an Atlas of Lower Sorbian Surnames with approximately 70 colered name cards on the basis of circa 63.000 records of names taken from sources of the 14. to 18. century. The cards will include the surnames which developed from Slavic composita as well as from their contracted and/or affectionate forms, and in addition surnames derived from occupational names and official titles, and from nicknames and ethnonyms. A few cards will be dedicated to anthroponymic suffixes as well as to combined areals. Every card will have a commentary to verbally describe the geographical distribution of the names. Statistical data concerning the number of diverse names as well as bearers of the names provide information about the productivity of each anthroponymic basis, and in addition, their occurrence in deanthroponymic place names in Lower Lusatia will be included. The submitted paper presents an introduction to the subject, goal, method and initial results of our research to date. As an example, four colered cards illustrate the territorial distribution of 68 diverse surnames and two suffixes.

Heretofore unknown and misinterpreted Sorbian surnames. In the first part of the article 38 previously unknown surnames found in archival sources in Upper Lusatia which were not taken into consideration earlier are explained. These include 1586 Tradell, Old Upper Sorbian *Tradula < *Stradula, to Proto-Slavic *stradati ‘to starve, suffer a shortage’, 1598 Twur, Old Upper Sorbian *Twoŕ < twoŕ , to Upper Sorbian tchor, Proto-Slavic *dъchorь ‘fitchew’, among others. They are also of special significance for the history of the Sorbian language. In the second part, upon critical perusal of the “Historical- etymological Dictionary” of “Studies of Sorbian Personal Names”, 104 names (1,3%) among the various 8.171 names listed, are rendered a new interpretation. These include for example 1568 Schorad, an old apotropaic name, 1422 Lemisch, an occupational nickname for the maker of plowshares. Several surnames are derived from place names, among them 1575 Zschygeran. In occasional instances a new interpretation resulted for the respective place name.

Since the 1960s Germany has seen the arrival of a considerable number of immigrants, mainly from Turkey. The Turkish language, the religion of the Turkish people and other Turkish groups manifest themselves in their naming traditions. The Turkish history, culture and language (also of other groups who speak a Turkish language) is unknown in Germany. The present paper is the beginning of a project of a Turkish dictionary with Turkish names.