Origin and Meaning
Brandstater is an uncommon name in Australia and the United States. But in continental Europe the story is different. The name is a very German in its root structure and its meaning, and it is fairly common in German-language countries.
If you travel in Europe today you will see this name on buildings and on streets and signs in German territory. I have seen a Pension Brandstater in Heidelberg, an Uhrmacher (clockmaker) Brandstater in Vienna, and a Brandstaterstrasse (Brandstater Street) in Vienna. In Salzburg I was once directed to the Hotel Brandstater, a fine four-star hotel on one of the main roads, where I was able to meet the owner, Herr Brandstater. Throughout Austria there are lots of Brandstaters listed in city phone books. And even far away in London there are a number of them listed in the phone book. In the East End I once visited a menswear shop on which the name Brandstater was stretched right across the front in large capital letters.
The meaning behind the word
It’s easy to uncover the language roots from which the name is constructed. In the German language, “brand” means fire or burning, and in old German it is also the word for sword. In the Bible the word is used in this sense in Zechariah 3:2, “a brand plucked out of the fire.” Likewise we use a hot iron to “brand” cattle. In reference to a sword note the English word “brandishing”. The second syllable in the word is “stat,” but this is a contracted form of the common German noun “stadt,” which means place, or town, or city. So a “brandstadt” is a place of fire or burning, or of a battle. Then follows the final “er” in the name, and that simply indicates a person who comes from this named place. For example, a “Londoner” is a person from London, and a “New Yorker” is a person from New York. So, a Brandstater is a person from Brandstat … or Brandstadt. Remember that in early centuries surnames as we know them were not in general use. It was commonplace then for a person to have just one name, and be further identified by his place of origin. So, we refer to Paul of Tarsus, or Francis of Assisi. In the same way we can speak of Emanuel of Brandstadt.
