My friend's weird surname
My friend's last name is Morganstar, it's possibly the weirdest name i've ever heard. What does it mean?
Replies
This is probably a "half-translation" of Morgenstern, the German surname (often Jewish but not always) that means "morning star".
There are other examples of "half-translations" or "partial Anglicizations" among Jewish families in the USA. Greenberg and Greenbaum, for example, are from Grünbaum and Grünberg, while Silverberg is from the German or Yiddish Silberberg.
There are other examples of "half-translations" or "partial Anglicizations" among Jewish families in the USA. Greenberg and Greenbaum, for example, are from Grünbaum and Grünberg, while Silverberg is from the German or Yiddish Silberberg.
Yes, and don't forget the somewhat British Battenbergs who became Mountbattens.
MORGANSTAR reminds me of the German surname MORGENSTERN (mrning star) nm