Unraveling My Ancestral Threads: A Dive into the Origin and History of the Surname 'Schwäger' Through iGENEA DNA Test
Family name Schwäger
My iGENEA DNA test journey shed light on the rich historical and cultural heritage encapsulated within my surname - Schwäger. As a bridge to my ancestral past, the discovery that my surname originates from Germany's medieval period led me into a deeper understanding of my lineage rooted in kinship bonds and social customs.
The wealth of information gained from my iGENEA DNA test turned out to be surprising, thought-provoking, and illuminating. The overall experience can only be described as a journey through history and culture that ultimately led me back to self. Among the insights garnered from my results, the origin and history of my surname - Schwäger, has been most insightful, shedding a new light on my personal identity.
The surname Schwäger is German in origin. According to the DNA tests conducted by iGENEA, my ancestry links back to the region of Germany predominantly occupied by the West Germans in the migration period, including the Saxons and the Franks. Schwäger, a derivative of the German term 'schwäher' which translates to 'brother-in-law', can be dated back to the medieval era.
Historically, inherited surnames did not become common until the medieval period. In the German-speaking areas at this time, style of bearing a surname wasn't birth-based, but rather depended on circumstances. They were often attributed to a person based on their occupation, geographical location, a physical feature, or, like in the case of Schwäger, a kinship or marital tie.
The surname Schwäger probably arose as a ‘relationship name’. Such names were once a common way of denoting the relationships between different individuals within a community. A person would acquire the surname based on a significant family relationship, in our case that of a brother-in-law.
Given the cultural significance of family ties in traditional German society, adopting Schwäger as a surname could also imply an intention to proudly highlight and uphold this familial relationship.
Discovering this unique interplay of culture and history embedded within my surname turned out to be a fascinating erudite endeavor. Far from just being an identifier, Schwäger encapsulates a rich lineage of kinship bonds and social customs that date back to an era gone by but are forever imprinted on my DNA.
P. Schwäger