ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1406 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1406 ************************************ 28 Dec 1998 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked for information about the surname . Here is what we have found. The modern surname is a regional variant of or . The <"> represents an umlaut (two dots) over the preceding letter. It is recorded in Kirchheim, near Teck, as or 1476, 1417. This set of names has three separate origins. The first is the Middle High German word "bundle of straw", apparently used as a nickname for a scrawny, dried-up person. The second source is the Upper German word , a type of jacket or jerkin, derived from the Italian . This word was also used as a nickname, as in the example , recorded 1285. The third source is the Middle Low German word , which seems to refer to a ladle used by brewers, and so was a sort of occupational name for a brewer [1]. We suspect that the most likely source for the surname is a nickname meaning "scrawny, withered, dried-up, little person", and that it was most likely used in the region of Stuttgart. We hope this letter has been useful. Please write us again if any part of it has been unclear or if you have other questions. I was assisted in researching and writing this letter by Talan Gwynek. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 28 Dec 1998 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Brechenmacher, Josef Karlmann, _Etymologisches Worterbuch der deutschen Familiennamen_ (Limburg a. d. Lahn, C. A. Starke-Verlag, 1957-1960), s.nn. Schaible, Scho"ble(in), Schaub, Schope.