"GEBKATZENWADEL"...what does the surname translate to??

Question

am serious about my inquiry...my step-father passed away yesterday and I am in charge of handling the memorial service. I would very much like to find out what the traditional spelling of his families surname means as well as if there is a family crest. Anyone out there with knowledge of German names/geneology, this question is posed to you.....I would do the research myself, but, I doubt I have the time being that the funeral will take place within the week. Please help....it would make the passing of my step-father a more joyous one to be able to pass on to his children/grandchildren something that would be precious, as he was to all of us.

Answer 1

This is obviously German in origin. Being of German extraction myself, I can certainly understand your frustration. My name has been totally transliterated from the original German and it has been difficult to trace its exact meaning or place of origin.

In the name in question, the first syllable "geb" comes from the German word "geben," meaning to give. The German word "katzen" is the plural form of the word "katz," or in English, cats. The last two syllables "wadel" do not appear to be in any Germany dictionary that I can find, but they may be a corruption or transliteration of other German words. The Germans have a vowel sound called an umlaut which changes the way a vowel is ordinarily sounded. So, a word may have actually been originally spelled one way in German, but, because of the way it sounds when pronounced, the spelling may have been changed over time by Anglos to more closely approximate the English spelling of the pronunciation.

Here is another idea. If you live in a city where there is a major university, you may want to call and see if they have a German division of their Foreign Languages Department. They may be able to help you considerably. Sorry I couldn't be of more assistance.