A boon for genealogical research and an interesting browse for the merely curious, this detailed dictionary is an English-language reference for more than 15,000 German family names, including variant spellings as well as the meaning and origin of each name. Some entries will provoke a chuckle, others a bit of embarrassment, still others a sense of wonder and pride. This Second Edition of an already popular resource has been expanded throughout and includes many corrections and enhancements. Distributed for the Max Kade Institute for German-American Studies, University of Wisconsin–Madison