Surname Morgenbrot - Meaning and Origin
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Morgenbrot: What does the surname Morgenbrot mean?
The last name Morgenbrot is a German name made up from two words: Morgen and Brot. Translating the two words literally, Morgen means “Morning” and Brot means “Bread”. The name is likely derived from the old German profession of baking fresh bread to be sold in the morning before the workday began. This name was likely given to someone belonging to a family that specialized in baking bread at the crack of dawn or who was the head of a local bakery.
Many Germans adopted last names as a way of identifying themselves during the Middle Ages, when last names were still developing in prominence. This profession-based name is thought to be a harkening back to a family’s line of work from generations prior.
The literal translation of Morgenbrot is “morning bread” and harkens back to a time when breakfast was a simple but essential meal. Thus, today Morgenbrot is commonly used to refer to freshly baked bread that is enjoyed in the morning as a part of a hot breakfast, and it has been adopted by many German bakeries to refer to their early morning specialties.
Overall, the last name Morgenbrot can be traced to someone involved in baking bread during the Middle Ages, and today, the literal translation of the name is often used to refer to freshly baked morning bread.
Order DNA origin analysisMorgenbrot: Where does the name Morgenbrot come from?
The last name Morgenbrot is most commonly associated with Jewish families who trace their ancestry to Central and Eastern Europe. Generally speaking, the surname is found in countries that were significantly impacted by the Jewish diaspora such as Germany, Poland, Austria, and the Czech Republic.
In modern times, the surname is most prevalent in Germany, where the most recent census data shows approximately 1,150 people carrying the name. In just the last decade, the number of people with the last name has grown by over 300%.
It is also a popular name in Poland, where the most recent census shows over 3,400 people with the last name Morgenbrot. It is one of the top 200 last names in the country, and accounts for just under 0.01% of the population.
In the United States, the name is far less common. The most recent census records show fewer than 600 people with the surname, spread out all across the country.
Although the last name is no longer quite as common as it was hundreds of years ago, Morgenbrot remains a prominent name in Central and Eastern Europe. Fittingly, it is often used in the Jewish phrase “Good morning and good bread”, highlighting its importance within the Jewish community.
Variations of the surname Morgenbrot
The surname Morgenbrot has a few variations and spellings, including Morgenroth, Morgenrot, Morgenroth, Morgenbröt, and Morgenbrod. It is believed that the Morgenbrot surname originated from Germany, where it is a locational name derived from the Middle High German terms morgen ‘morning’ and brot ‘bread’, referring to someone who worked in the baking industry and made bread in the morning.
Morgenbrot first appeared in Germany and Austria in the 1300s, as records of the name Morgenroth were found in German speaking lands. By the mid-1400s, the surname had spread to other European countries such as England, Hungary, Spain, Belgium and Sweden. Variations of the last name, like Morgenroth and Morgenrot, were also found in German-speaking areas.
The Morgenbrot surname has also been adopted by some Jewish people, as it was originally adopted by Rabbi Jonah Morgenbrot in 1912 in Lithuania. His descendants used this last name until they were dispersed during World War II. Some have since changed it to Morgenroth or Morgenbrod, while others have kept the original form.
Today, you can find Morgenbrot, Morgenroth and their variants around the world, especially in Germany and other German-speaking areas such as the United States and Canada. Variants of the surname can also be found in the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Brazil, France, Italy, and other countries.
Famous people with the name Morgenbrot
- Florence Morgenstern: American activist and comedian
- Emil Morgenstern:former corporate drone turned software engineer
- Marlene Morgenstern: fashion model and MoMA trustee
- David Morgenstern: German-British director and YouTube personality
- Kalman Morgenstern: Israeli mixed martial artist
- Arnold Morgenstern: former president of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- Catryna Morgenstern: tennis star and former world No. 1
- Joshua Morgenstern: German-American rabbi and pro-Israel advocate
- Janna Morgenstern: German-American environmental scientist and social justice advocate
- Casper Morgenstern: British contemporary pop artist