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Archiver > GEN-MEDIEVAL > 1995-06 > 0804129626


From: Todd A. Farmerie< >
Subject: Re: FRANK surname vs. FRANK tribe
Date: 26 Jun 1995 01:20:26 GMT


In a previous article, (Annelise Anderson) says:

>In article <3rm783$>, (Todd A. Farmerie) writes:
>>
>>In a previous article, (Jerry K. Frank) says:
>>
>>>I have not actually been able to trace my ancestry back to the FRANKs but
>>>do assume that the surname does derive from the original tribe - either
>>>directly, by assimilation, or by taking the name - rightfully or not.
>>>
>>>Any research I have done on this simply gives me a translation for the
>>>name. Its a long shot but does anyone out there know of a more direct
>>>connection between the surname and the tribe?
>>>
>>
>>What exactly do you mean by "tribe". Are you talking about the germanic
>>peoples that settled in what is now France and Germany? This group mixed
>>with the Gallo-Romans and the Celtic Gauls (plus regional influences like
>>the Normans, Bretons, etc.) to form the modern French, and with various
>>other germanic peoples (Saxons, Thuringians, etc.) to form the modern
>>Germans. This all happenned over 500 years before surnames came about, so
>>to attempt to draw connections with the germanic Franks vs. Celts vs.
>>Romans vs. Saxons is pointless.
>>
>>The term Frank came to be associated with the residents of France, and this
>>is what is implied by the surname. FRANK is a nationalistic surname of
>>German origin indicating that the person who adopted it was of French
>>extraction, or had spent time in France. (A small number may be Welsh
>>patronomics, but I suspect this would be uncommon.)
>>
>However is it not also associated with parts of Bavaria, i.e., Oberfranken,
>Mittelfranken, Unterfranken? These people seemed to have considered (or do
>consider) themselves "Franconians." Whether all these people considered
>themselves of French extraction in some way....I don't know....seems doubtful.
>

I will bye this too. The important point is that any concept of a Frank
tribe was long gone by the time surnames arose.

Todd

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