Nobiliary Particles Used By German Nobility
Most, but not all, surnames of the German nobility were preceded by or contained the preposition von (meaning "of") or zu (meaning "to", sometimes "at") as nobiliary particle. The two were often combined into von und zu (meaning "of and to/at"). In general, the "von" form indicates the place the family originated, while the "zu" form indicates that the family remains in possession of the estate from which the surname is drawn: Therefore von und zu indicates a family which is both named for and continues to own their original feudal holding or residence. Other forms also exist as combinations with the definitive article: e.g. "von der" or von dem → "vom" ("of the"), zu der → "zur" or zu dem → "zum" ("of the", "in the", "at the").
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