The Etymology of the Hirschmann Name

No satisfactory explanations
Known facts about the name
The cultural background of the Hirschmann name
The jewish origin of the Name
Conclusion

The Name Hirschmann, spread since centuries all over Germany, owned by jewish and christian families, has a long history in investigations from where this name derives.

First, the Hirschmann's where in the Middle Ages a well recognized family with a great number of family members, which influenced especially the intellectual and cultural live of Baden Wuerttenberg. In the dark times of Nazi Despotism, ger- mans of Christian descent tried to prove that they are not Jewish, in order to escape the nazi prosecution. Consequently, for this family name exists a lot of documentation, which will be used in that essay.
Basically there have been are six theories to explain our family name. First a short explanation of the Indo-European language tree. German and English are belonging to the west Germanic language branch, consisting of Middle Low  ger- man, old Saxon, low German, high German, Anglo-Saxon, middle English and modern English.

No satisfactory explanations:

It was said, that the name

1. Was deduced from the low German first name Hiruz ( which means deer), which could be found in traces in the time between the 8th  and 11th  century. But that could not be true, since this first name in the times where family names where created never was encountered.

2. Also, the try to deduct the name from the old German word hari ( army ) seems not to be conclusive. By means of a suffix  -izo the name should have changed to Harizo, - the z changed to s and with the appendix  -mann the form Herschmann appeared. Hersch means in middle German also Hirsch. But there is no proof for these deductions.

3. Horsa - old German for horse was another try. As before, there is no historic evidence to proof that proposition

4. The Hirschmann should have been the bondman, who had  the specific trust of his aristocratic lord and who was in charge to organize the deer hunting. That could be, but in the old documents there is no equotation which shows a deduction of the name from Hirzmann to Hirschmann

5. Another explanation was, that the name came from a inn called "Hirsch". If ever such a inn existed, so, it was argumented from which came the name: from the inn or from the owner.

6. Last of this explanation was, that a first name Hirsch was extended with -mann. But fact is that  animal names very seldom where combined with -mann to serve as a family name.

The Question remains, where does the name came from?

Known facts about the name

If somebody wants to explain objectively the name, so it is necessary:

- To take in consideration that the oldest form of the name was spelled as Hirsemann, meanwhile  Hirschmann alwaye
   represents a later form
- That in northern Germany the Hirschmann's are called Hersemann, Herschmann or Hesemann
- That the name was spread over all german spoken areas in the middle ages.
- That there are other forms of Hirsch- are exsiting, e.g. like Hirschbeck, Hirschkraemer, Hirschvogel, Hirschacker

One can conclude, that the main word Hirsch-, Herse-, must have had a common meaning, which was used and known in  all  the area where the german language was used.
It seems only logic, that these common meaning refered to millet (hirse in german), which was most eaten grain in these times. The Hirschmann could have been the man who cultivated, sold and bargained with millet. So our interesting name had finally a very trival explanation. It should be interesting, to explain the importance of millet throughout the middle ages.

The cultural background of the Hirschmann name

Millet or "Hirse", is a very uncommon product in our times. Most of as do not know this plant and even fewer are able to distinguished their different kinds. But the Milltet is one of the oldest grains cultiviated by mankind. Its history goes thousands of years back, in stomaches of egyptian mumies of pre-dynastical times (4000-3500 yrs b.c.) millet was found. Up till now in parts of northern China is the most important grain, more important than rice or wheat. In Europe,in the stone-age (5000-1900 b.chr.) the cultivation of millet is proved. Millet was cultivated in Germany until the late 19th century, than it was substituted, due to the ex-panded  knowledge of soil cultivation, by other products like potatosand wheat .

The development of the Name

Hirse is a typically german word, limited in the old times to the area nowadays southern Germany. Up to the 17th century, the word was of masculine gender: der Hirse, der Hirs. The feminine form, which now is in use of modern high german entered the language from the north. In the 15th century  the "s" on the end gained more importance and was substained by the "ch". In this process, the simularity with the animal Hirsch had a positive influence. It was the same process, which changed the german words Bursch, Forsch, Barsch a.s.o.. Slowly the word Hirsch entered in the daily use of the language, Hirschfeld  ( Hirse - field ) or Hirschlanden ( Hirse - land) are examples of the use of this word.

So it was quiet natural, that food of that importance must have a developed net of distribution. The Hirse -mann (Hirschmann) can be both, peasant and/or dealer. So, how the man who distributed the mail, was or is the postman, the man who traded with Hirse was the Hirschmann. This Argumentation is very consistent, there are Hirschmueller ( a man, who milled the Hirse ), Hirschenkraemer and Hirschbeck ( a baker, who used Hirse) - common german names - which have no connection at all to the animal Hirsch. This should be clear, because most Hirschmann think that the name came from there. Due to this conclusions, all german tribes, from south to north could be excluded as a source area of the name. But the name is more found in southern and eastern parts of historically Germany. The reason is quite simple. In the time where family names where first used,  the millet has already lost its importance in the climate-wise favored western parts of Germany.

The jewish origin of the Name.

There are many jews, which are bearing the Hirschmann name. It must be known , that in the middle ages Jews were not allowed to have a trade or business of their own. Family names, like Hirse- mann, weren't possible for jews.
How developed the jewish form of Hirschmann?

 If Hirschmann is jewish, so in fact it is related to animal Hirsch. The popularity of this name to jewish people came from the old Testament. On various passages, a "Hirsch" is mentioned,  so in 1. Moses 49,21 (lutheran reference ) in connection of benediction of the tribe Nephthali: Nephthali is as fast as a deer and speaks beautifully.
Hirsch was in the early middle ages a first name to the jewish.   The first known proof was found in Neckarsulm, there was a Jew  Hirsch registered in 1529. Due the fact, that german autorities  obliged, that every Family must have a Family name, which must be suceeded in the family, the german jews  called Hirsch used their first names, and due to jewish customs they added the word -mann ( in the sense of son) to result in the jewish family name Hirschmann.

Conclusion:

The argumentation, that the Hirschmann- name comes from millet is very convincing.
Other forms of Hirsch- , like Hirschbeck, Hirschenkraemer and Hirschvogel substaining this theory. It might be possible that Hirschmann comes also from the bondman, organizing the deer hunts, because the Schorndorf Hirschmanns bearing a deer in their coat of arms, in times where the family names came up.